Sometimes a tongue is just a tongue and a sigh is just a sigh.

DOG  BREATH

Buddy, the adorable butterscotch colored Labrador puppy was a demon—a monster, maybe an alien. No one would believe Josh, but Buddy was a demon. When his parents went to bed, Buddy would nuzzle open the door to Josh’s room, then stand by the bed. Josh would hold his breath and wait for it, and every night, just when Josh thought that maybe he was mistaken, and maybe the dog was just a dog, the dog’s long, prehensile tongue would reach up and lick and caress the boy’s face and then tuck him in, and then Buddy would leave.