201Please respect copyright.PENANAhmEZATsg9J
My cold skin was slick with morning dew when I pulled myself from it to start the hunt for a trinket to present Missy with. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAgVXtplKR9C
201Please respect copyright.PENANAmAYHlO0VND
I still had some time before her voice would call on the wind. I'd find something beautiful to add to the collection I had already bestowed her with. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAV8DBIHwa6W
201Please respect copyright.PENANAPyLJH17XQ7
Last time was a crumpled can stuffed with plucked wildflowers. I could do better this time. 201Please respect copyright.PENANASkDTfvtaq4
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtDj3n3P7Pv
My hunt turned up an empty paper cup still with the plastic lid and straw attached. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAJFG2H3o61O
201Please respect copyright.PENANAj2HJBvqeKG
My heart thudded with excitement when I pulled the straw free to place it down. I turned my attention to the plastic lid that I flipped over and sliced with my claw into segments. 201Please respect copyright.PENANATowQdFAY7W
201Please respect copyright.PENANACcMVBDBOy0
Ripping the paper cup along its length, I tore it into smaller segments, each with poked holes in the middle, so I could split it like I had done with the cup and fold in the rough edges. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAhudmOZeWyO
201Please respect copyright.PENANAUMDp8LHBx4
I pushed and crimped the paper until all the layers came together on the plastic bottom. I forced the straw back through, squashing the top into a ball. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAXrYsYEI32J
201Please respect copyright.PENANAcN2IiKcdU1
I held up my flower with pride, twirling its torn petals to see it present the flashes of colour that had been printed on the cup. 201Please respect copyright.PENANASojyyIov4G
201Please respect copyright.PENANAiDG4TYF3b5
Would she like it? Should I make more? 201Please respect copyright.PENANAg1iQp5Xssq
201Please respect copyright.PENANAzkHgIRoxb0
I scanned the roadside to see a bottlecap embedded into the gravel there. There was a plastic bag further to my right. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAJmevAYg7Pv
201Please respect copyright.PENANAWqp7fBALFM
One would do then. 201Please respect copyright.PENANACOvWgeiBop
201Please respect copyright.PENANAphKRybCblJ
Bartie was already there when I made my travel with the straw gently gripped around my teeth. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAFlkB3d4Y9C
He held a magazine today that was folded on the crossword page. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAB7X1g9nd40
201Please respect copyright.PENANAx8VBkSTLVK
"You be good to her, Soup!" he warned me with a raise of the paper while I continued past him "don't be giving her trouble, you hear?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAuoRDJCYHvj
201Please respect copyright.PENANAvOAFmlRPTq
I caught sight of Missy's red hair stuffed beneath her blue helmet outside her house. She had on a dark red trench coat over her yellow dress that tried to peek beneath it. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAr2YVZgBh7v
201Please respect copyright.PENANAoLXoAsy7EX
She was going somewhere. She never wore that red jacket any other time. It was her best one. 201Please respect copyright.PENANATi7M9xlrt3
201Please respect copyright.PENANAAHjYYbMSMM
I raced along the tracks towards her and watched as she wheeled out her scooter to haul up the stand. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKrGH6itYAI
Everything inside me fell at the sight of her laying down a bowl of water and thin vegetable soup in the grass she stomped down. 201Please respect copyright.PENANADP0jTSEksj
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtZmexP3nQO
"I've got to go" she apologised through her saddened tone "It’s not much, but I think it should be delicious."201Please respect copyright.PENANAaL6BCP34hf
201Please respect copyright.PENANAH2MhCnDyfP
Wasn't she taking any for herself? The crate was only filled with parcels again. She didn't have room to fit food. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKjk8Qc1HB9
201Please respect copyright.PENANAdxN69JLFyJ
I lifted up the flower to her when she sat on her scooter to heave it forwards off the stand. The whole thing lurched but she wrestled it under control so she could start it up. 201Please respect copyright.PENANARiLtjSGjXJ
201Please respect copyright.PENANAD1wcLQNH6W
"Thank you" she smiled warmly to it, her eyes softening at the gesture "I'll hang onto this, OK? Maybe the people at the big city will like it?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAXMZoeatYMb
201Please respect copyright.PENANAggFSItPFU7
No. It was only for you to enjoy. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA3c7oY7jrUk
201Please respect copyright.PENANAiUzyMk8Vfh
"Got to go!" Missy panicked and shoved the flower down the side of the parcels when she looked ahead to see the train racing along the tracks "love you! Be good!" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAU56j3YQpiP
201Please respect copyright.PENANA3vypEIeUaj
She took off as fast as her scooter would allow her. It cut a path through the grass and struggled to keep up as the train easily graced the beginning of the bridge and powered on. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAyOpWCDZte8
201Please respect copyright.PENANA4Oq5bVPv6V
I watched her speed for it desperately. Inside, I was hoping she would be just a little bit too late so she would have to come home and enjoy her time with me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAgT0PaavMyR
201Please respect copyright.PENANAFFasHWyzxU
I saw her skid when she turned the corner to fly across the tracks and rush to park up her scooter while the train pulled into the station with a huff of its brakes. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAMZbtZKXCtI
201Please respect copyright.PENANAX51lJPKGV4
Her figure fumbled with her parcels and the flower before jumping aboard with only mere moments to spare. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAj96wKK734M
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMEz5wBoMRq
The train blared its horn then peeled from the station to quickly gather speed past the house. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAEgO2ijoLTy
201Please respect copyright.PENANATnTOj24Rwi
Missy slammed open a window, waving out to me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANASEsEB7S5rt
201Please respect copyright.PENANAiU0Ca0A8fT
"I'll see you tonight, Soup!" she called out "sorry!" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAxnMB2Lj92Q
201Please respect copyright.PENANAGOVjbjl0Hn
Her hand hung out the window, waving for a little while longer, until it was pulled back inside by the momentum speeding her off into the distance. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAWBPuyzFrBX
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMgWNUL5LDM
I didn't chase her today. I just sat there with the watery soup, trying to drag out its bitter flavour that was far too diluted to even be called food. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA8ACianGQIb
201Please respect copyright.PENANAeZpL34CNrq
Not her best. She must have put everything into that nice one last night. It was a compromise she was willing to take. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA6P6T0r3ZMk
201Please respect copyright.PENANAF0sLYeAkrA
She'd be gone for hours. Maybe I could do something helpful and try to find a way to trickle some extra funds into her pocket? 201Please respect copyright.PENANAD5bJHOvLHP
201Please respect copyright.PENANAi7fG76nVvb
I peered back to the house she had left in a hurry instead.201Please respect copyright.PENANApSLTyOLAEs
201Please respect copyright.PENANA0OFcqeJ2ic
She'd benefit more if I prepared something for her to come home to. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA0ET6k1dRAb
It'd be a nice surprise to have a warm house and hot food. She could even believe Bartie had waddled his way down here to do it for her. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAdRsppwysvn
201Please respect copyright.PENANAjcElXrx7jr
A stretch, but a believable one. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAF3dszQlDjZ
201Please respect copyright.PENANAsV2IlZIfVs
I knew Missy didn't have locks on her windows. I could climb through the kitchen one and start there. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA9i4F2ZqNsq
She always locked her front and back doors. There was no use trying that. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAhG788LgEPD
201Please respect copyright.PENANAaJ64Nq9jaY
I clambered over the sink piled with dirty dishes and pots beneath the window, hooking my toes in the basin on my awkward crawl through. I desperately gripped onto the stone bench so I didn't slice my feet on the knives laid across it and go tumbling to the ground. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAl98wTsyE7H
201Please respect copyright.PENANAqb4vditE3a
After managing to unfold myself from the kitchen bench, I stood there to grimace at the mess left behind. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAjtphGC9XYH
201Please respect copyright.PENANAKztQWTLBcm
She really must have been in a rush. The pot from last night was here too with some water in the bottom to soak off the residue that clung to the water like a film. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7NAQcbS45
Utensils littered the cold water I dipped my claws into, and splatters of soup were still speckled across the oven behind me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbNpoSxymmF
201Please respect copyright.PENANAUo1xEkRZ2q
She'd be so pleased she wouldn't have to tackle this when she got back in her exhausted state. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAyrK0XOZuh8
201Please respect copyright.PENANAF1Ci0D5Ukr
I'd be better to do this in my human form. I could even give it some care too with a hot shower and proper food from Missy's fridge. She wouldn't notice if a little of it went missing. 201Please respect copyright.PENANACiyiAU65CY
201Please respect copyright.PENANAPEmBvVl2MP
I shivered in anticipation at the thought of warm water and soothing soap sliding over my skin. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAIuRTVYiBC0
It was a luxury I hadn't had since I decided to live like this. 201Please respect copyright.PENANArpxqHzPFtT
People weren't exactly throwing bars of soap or bathtubs on the side of the road either. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAIa1vf2Ap0Q
201Please respect copyright.PENANAUwsKVc4SeS
Finding the shower was easy in her little home with barely any rooms within it. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA1I9ZL3iqqx
The kitchen and loungeroom beside it were one combined area by the front door. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAkPZ1O5xq3m
The door to the left was her sewing room. The one beside that was her bedroom. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbYuiKkmXQJ
The back door had another to the right of it where I finally found the bathroom and the shower piled with all sorts of scrubs, lotions, and soaps.
201Please respect copyright.PENANA2s4fkfO0pC
201Please respect copyright.PENANAPhmvqYfSSo
I didn't know how dirty I was until I reformed my skin and stepped into the warmth billowing clouds of heat around me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKRY17KqgWW
The water ran like mud from my body I scrubbed at and slathered with all sorts of food-scented products. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbTykDV4IGd
My black hair was saved from most of the neglect since it fell out when I took my wild form. Having it sprout back so rapidly made it burn at my scalp I tried to calm with cooling shampoos and conditioners. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAlolS1F5dzD
201Please respect copyright.PENANAQbbTxjOaLY
Missy didn't own any clothing that would fit me, and I wasn't about to go digging through her belongings to make sure. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbYTK1xJHJU
The dark blue towel I buffed my body with became my new skirt I tied around my waist to have some sort of decency during the housework. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAHs1ENrqyzu
201Please respect copyright.PENANAbLtco37De7
I flipped on the radio she had nestled on a cupboard in the kitchen and felt the energy of the music flood through me. It motivated me to hunt through the cupboards for spray and cloth so I could start on the splatter on the walls. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbG2UwctrFz
201Please respect copyright.PENANA0MGYhpqNXz
I drained the old water to fill the sink and pick through the dangerous submerged mess beneath the bubbles clouding them. I bopped to the contagious tunes, tapping my feet happily while seeing things slowly come together. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAgup7n6HjN0
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtDKxNWwqZc
Her couch in the living room had the crushed blanket on it refolded and draped in the middle. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAoTHQVxGebh
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtXHrbjlrmU
The coffee table had the magazines across it restacked into the corner. The empty cup of coffee dropped into the sink, and the ceramic coasters of mosaic landscapes were replaced in their holder. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAWvMphKmZ0r
201Please respect copyright.PENANAjyhBAURde5
The back door was thrown open to let through the fresh breeze and filter out the stale air. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAAqFFfTcsfN
It swept through the home and back out the windows I peeled up to help move the positive energy through the home. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKQxwZdynqT
201Please respect copyright.PENANAGh7T3y9s5k
The garden a few steps from the back stairs was looking choked with weeds. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAeLZjQdLy2u
I snatched up the basket at the backdoor and headed for the rows of vegetables drooping under the sunlight. 201Please respect copyright.PENANACkDwBDd4sR
201Please respect copyright.PENANAlFTee0dT07
Hosing them down filled me with satisfaction. Plucking out the grass and baby thistles gave her beloved vegetables a new hope in their raised beds I skimmed through for the biggest heads I could pluck. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAzjEQ8ChJ1u
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMBnsZsnX3b
The garden was still in early stages of replanting. I only had a few carrots and potatoes to heap into the basket looped over my arm. The pumpkins tangled in a growth of leaves were far too small to rip from the stems, and the new row of corn was barely breaking the surface of the dirt. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAux8SSc1ROi
201Please respect copyright.PENANADZPzJZ4x6Z
Missy was also trying to grow a little bush of blueberries in the corner. There were strawberries showing promise through their nibbled leaves I lifted up to inspect. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAziYMZ7eb1o
201Please respect copyright.PENANASKkesd3pXu
Looked like rabbits. I'd have to deal with them before she baited them and tainted their meat. 201Please respect copyright.PENANACwqtUFpiR9
201Please respect copyright.PENANA6AvbQf2NK5
The new vegetables made a nice pile on the benchtop while I fished through the fridge to find the soups Missy had stored into reusable containers. 201Please respect copyright.PENANARPlfILB7pT
201Please respect copyright.PENANAqBykUi4Znb
The watery vegetable one could be poured into the nice beef one to bulk it out and diminish the poor taste. With all the flavour in the beef one, the added vegetables would give it more heart. The fresh ones I had washed and cut could help stretch it further for her without destroying her hard work.201Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9mXBvs6j2
201Please respect copyright.PENANADV7qX5hAzW
The stove clicked and snapped to life to steadily boil the soups I poured into the pot over it. 201Please respect copyright.PENANARhMFansNo4
201Please respect copyright.PENANAOjT0Anozr0
A few herbs from the window wouldn't hurt. I threw them in too and increased the heat before continuing my cleaning of the house. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAisLmqsaDv9
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMz9fhVe1Yt
Music thumped through the silence when I stepped back to admire my work. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAwpHkAOGEIM
The combined living area looked homely and inviting. On the coffee table I had even placed the baby thistles pulled from the garden into a little brown bottle I found sitting beside her bin. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA48mxGZn6AL
201Please respect copyright.PENANAG3XGIeZNpc
Somehow, it worked. The spikes of the thistle leaves and the peeking purple fluffed at the top of the close heads added a rugged beauty to the wooden table. It wasn't soft wildflowers, but it was something I was sure she'd appreciate nether less. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAbGGuhd7uIS
201Please respect copyright.PENANAUFXZwP7Pn5
Saving the soup from the heat, I poured myself a steaming bowl and nestled into her couch to enjoy a job well done. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKNg3wssu84
201Please respect copyright.PENANA8EMhlVdykY
The flavour was as hearty as the original batch with the added rosemary clinging to the beef and the basil wrapped into the multitude of vegetables buried beneath the brown broth. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAvR4jDD6Ybt
201Please respect copyright.PENANALJeZyvteT3
Missy will love this. There wasn't a hint of the sadness that was the soup she had thrown together today. She'd come home to something that would warm her soul as much as mine. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAziA4iYqQsw
201Please respect copyright.PENANAVFxMdEH56a
I smiled around my spoon, savouring every bit of warmth slipping over my tongue. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAg722bTOKw6
201Please respect copyright.PENANA7MRVDeNSKS
It'd be better if she came through those doors, expecting me to be here. She'd smile at the sight of me, and I'd go over to kiss her cheek before asking her how her day was. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA5rQEbwSJpX
201Please respect copyright.PENANAVacqW4SAS9
Maybe she'd have stories of the big city to tell? She did like this one man who pretended to be a statue in the square. It fascinated her how resolved he was amongst all the faces refusing to look at him. Missy liked to throw change into his hat just to see him smile. She understood his struggle a little too well. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAfeOjVez2Om
201Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5V77EcAIV
She could come speeding home, screaming out my name and jumping around the house that she sold every one of her dresses today. We'd hold each other and celebrate with a lavish cake from the bakery. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA7JjKXB2VeA
201Please respect copyright.PENANALd04fl4eve
But I had to be gone before she saw me here. I wouldn't get to see her reaction or comfort her if it all went wrong. 201Please respect copyright.PENANADLyWh7p1AL
201Please respect copyright.PENANApza6eUMeQO
Missy usually never sold her dresses. I was expecting disappointment that I couldn't chase away. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAzrSB4avz6X
201Please respect copyright.PENANAqTOZcK464a
"One day, Soup" I muttered to myself between another spoonful I gazed down at. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAiT1EWpyTPx
201Please respect copyright.PENANAgDDacZaaz7
A droning outside caught my attention and lifted my head from the bowl I cupped. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAGnewxnF3dM
201Please respect copyright.PENANAFnysEHDLZz
I got to my feet and was on my way to the window when I saw the train barrel past with its lights illuminating my frozen stance. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAy1GSIuzj5p
201Please respect copyright.PENANAA4f10GWdWP
Was it that time already?201Please respect copyright.PENANAPzlZUFIyPZ
201Please respect copyright.PENANAYnK2OseepB
I wasn't expecting her home yet. The night sky was darkened outside and already starting to poke its stars through the rippling sky. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAe5x7Du1Kv0
201Please respect copyright.PENANARp548uZOfw
Missy was in her way. I could hear her scooter whining for rest. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAsMWyUuo3s8
201Please respect copyright.PENANA58gvOltxKE
Slamming the windows shut, I glanced around for anything else I had left out of place. 201Please respect copyright.PENANANrSKD9AreS
201Please respect copyright.PENANA4qVBJjkXWi
The front door slammed before I skidded to the oven to rip out a container from the cupboard below to tip the soup into, slopping some on the bench. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAQnJw7QqR6D
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMknEVu2nDY
The plastic wrap I slapped over it wasn’t going to seal the steam trying to pry it up on its way into the fridge. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAOiYHDuCeJl
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtA6kRHkSNA
Did I have time to clean the pot? What about my bowl? 201Please respect copyright.PENANAeWPmP6hu3S
201Please respect copyright.PENANArgjn006FtQ
The scooter was getting closer and making my heart hammer in panic. 201Please respect copyright.PENANARVRtQ2A4Ek
201Please respect copyright.PENANASklxMzolHR
I couldn't be seen here. Not like this. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAUhKjr0xVJj
201Please respect copyright.PENANAP2uA0UqNPL
Scrubbing frantically at the bowl, I managed to rub it clean and toss it into the cupboard with the rest. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAkPvxMFNXCb
I still clutched the pot that I filled with water when I saw light flood the grass and Missy's scooter chop a new path through it towards the fence. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAqHjoRTI9b1
201Please respect copyright.PENANADnKxz3KjTh
Dropping the pot clumsily, I bolted for the back door. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAX2VKCKHgy6
I only stopped when I realised that the radio was still singing out as Missy leaned her scooter up in the front yard. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAfGn2yYupWm
201Please respect copyright.PENANAK1ZlygqMKD
Dashing back, I snapped the radio off and was scurrying for the back door while frantic feet hurried for the front. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAOy5pVbqH7H
201Please respect copyright.PENANA8jrIiP4tbs
I hid behind the door I closed behind me, trying to catch my breath that had escaped me in my desperate state. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAfAnhMeE1dk
201Please respect copyright.PENANAdkTpigIpDI
"Hello?" Missy called out when she stepped inside "is someone there?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAcgvgbokv0S
201Please respect copyright.PENANAJXRPmyui1G
She had heard the radio. Maybe she had heard me too? I hadn't exactly been silent in my rampage to remain unseen. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA3BpZjlweqB
201Please respect copyright.PENANAWS1stlP3qM
Her rushing feet barrelling for the back door told me she had. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAPIAHwwNRmk
I jolted from it, squatting in the dirt as I tore at my skin that dropped the towel at my trembling feet. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAcZ0eQcOh2D
201Please respect copyright.PENANAxQKjAM0fIT
The back door opened to a flood of light over my hunched frame. It had me squinting up to try and see Missy's body failing to block most of it.201Please respect copyright.PENANAxom3phk1hW
201Please respect copyright.PENANAvNULNgM5su
I had forgot to turn them off. My heart dropped at my overlooked mistake that was so blatantly obvious. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAkM1kkmkJGK
201Please respect copyright.PENANA4xtYreV5wV
"Soup?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAp8XUYRPUdm
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMvCdC1tIWb
I didn't say anything. I was too busy trying to catch my breath without making it obvious I was struggling. 201Please respect copyright.PENANANC4oL89QRz
I was surprised she couldn't hear my heart hammering in my throat as I tried to swallow it back down. 201Please respect copyright.PENANADBhUwcsMLz
201Please respect copyright.PENANA5G35wVIXKx
Her brown eyes didn't leave mine. They were flooded with worry and doubt. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKT1GuJDld1
201Please respect copyright.PENANAzvnEwhe3TS
I wasn't still human, was I? 201Please respect copyright.PENANAcuVhXoEoB1
201Please respect copyright.PENANAVIhTcn0277
Quickly, I scanned my hands to see claws in the place of nails. They pricked at my teeth that were shattered into points. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA2zvK5G2oNU
201Please respect copyright.PENANAz9CP0O9huz
Missy looked back into the house with a frown, holding a thumb to it. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA89Y3IJMp3U
201Please respect copyright.PENANA9ST9JbPLNA
"Was that..." she hesitated, checking again "...you?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANAuJiFtTLHIr
201Please respect copyright.PENANALHGLOTTAXf
She wasn't sure. All she could do was check the cleaned house then cock her head back at me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANABWsPfztZJQ
201Please respect copyright.PENANA5Ta6ZzrM0E
Missy crouched down and I could see the hem of her dress shaking under her red coat. Her eyes searched, trying to piece it all together. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAKHujig3w08
201Please respect copyright.PENANAv8kmfp9h4b
She was milling over her own silent conclusions, and I didn't like it. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAmzKbFDlOty
She looked at me different. Her eyes probed for answers she didn't want. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAtwBiWDVmb7
She swallowed and tried to steady her voice that wavered when it came out at barely a whisper. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAJOLGzef4md
201Please respect copyright.PENANAKaDRACYtrH
"Did you...?" 201Please respect copyright.PENANA9Zio8D6V10
201Please respect copyright.PENANA0pd7PaQPKe
She shuffled forth and I backed up, searching for an exit that wasn't blocked in by her fence ringing the tiny yard dedicated to her garden I had ploughed through. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAF77y4fWTbu
201Please respect copyright.PENANAhThofmN9OA
I had made it so obvious in my hope not to see the repercussions. It was meant to fall on someone else, not me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANATpXvGlmEao
201Please respect copyright.PENANAFQjFNgSavr
I wasn't meant to be here. I couldn't be here. 201Please respect copyright.PENANATBwVin0pwF
201Please respect copyright.PENANAbPzEglKa2W
I had to get out. I didn't want to see her fear flitting at me or listen to the way her breathing trembled. 201Please respect copyright.PENANA2jrarKafF6
201Please respect copyright.PENANAGyeqZF0Vff
The front door was still open in Missy's pursuit for her intruder. I'd go for that. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAay6CjnlxtS
201Please respect copyright.PENANAyWzhAMfr8d
Missy backed up immediately when I darted around her and raced for the door. I hesitated on the front porch but saw her running after me.201Please respect copyright.PENANAClFxjqYIUF
201Please respect copyright.PENANAt20ucBFWws
"Soup!" she called out, arm outstretched. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAooHswCyRnL
201Please respect copyright.PENANAMmofP25ivU
No. She couldn't see me here. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAnT6Ld9h5wL
201Please respect copyright.PENANAdE1p4YRESr
I scrambled down the stairs as her feet pounded on the wood behind me and slithered through the tall grass to find refuge only a few paces away. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAuMrp04s8hY
201Please respect copyright.PENANAGR5enwfvqo
Missy gripped the fence, scanning blindly with tears in her eyes. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAYSSM2V46pH
201Please respect copyright.PENANAuzBr2yrlP8
"Soup!" her voice called, shaking "wait! You don't have to go!" 201Please respect copyright.PENANALk0xwYTL5i
201Please respect copyright.PENANAcsnaD32Anb
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to try and stifle the sob that slipped through. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAdhDWfrdQve
201Please respect copyright.PENANAbsz03NRO8w
I wanted to comfort her but knew I couldn't. She was already suspicious of my presence and would confirm her own theories if I returned. I'd ruin it for the both of us. 201Please respect copyright.PENANACwckZ4kaGv
201Please respect copyright.PENANAB6HduXiLdo
I moved, turning for the safety of the East. 201Please respect copyright.PENANADEV1EX4K4q
201Please respect copyright.PENANAtZ7cCxtJIm
"Soup?" Missy sniffled at the rustling of the grass, her head lifting in my direction. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAXQE6aljEec
201Please respect copyright.PENANAwtitSlUb6q
I bolted for the tracks before she could try and call me back, keeping my eyes firmly on the safety of the bridge shrouded in darkness where I knew she wouldn't be able to reach me. 201Please respect copyright.PENANARnTL8yd82z
201Please respect copyright.PENANAoKu1u6WDuG
She would have a clear head tomorrow. She'd sleep on her silly stories and realise that I couldn't possibly have done all that; her simple pet. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAs4PKEj2ATZ
She'd be happy, knowing that she would still have no burdens in her life, and things would go back to pleasant chit-chat over food together.201Please respect copyright.PENANAfqdKrJM8Tj
I'd love her silently and she would dream of bright futures where everyone wore her dresses. 201Please respect copyright.PENANAiDOogHbrPe
It would be how it was.