My long nails wrapped around the old wooden boards of the train tracks buried amongst layers of grey gravel. The steel beams running either side were boiled under the sun slowly cooking them and my own body. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxE7fImtA7
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FFWb74RQD
The sky was clear, as it had been for a week now, with not a grey cloud in the sky. It was the perfect temperature too. The air was cool but not cold enough to freeze me or hot enough to choke me. It was pleasant to idle in on my wander to the house in the distance. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSu4RALMRd
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Dn3TbagOi
I kept my eyes locked on the tracks running as far as the eye could see through overgrown fields of grass that rippled like water in the breeze. My pace turned to excited running and my heart gripped at my chest when I saw a flash of orange and blue emerge from the house in the distance. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbaw1XC9WP
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS0zlhaOVx
I bounded over the river and paused on the other side where people were moving across the empty road to the shops lined either side. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5BvtdHOJQV
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5p9ohy2wI8
I was in clear sight of them now. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavveo19Kxe
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK0pull6Xu
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5ocPPpH03
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7yu4DNGEu
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlshTu10QE2
A portly man approached the tracks as quick as his waddling body allowed, placing distance between us so he could squint in the direction of the house. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqIgwynLqW
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgCxwYFhNC
He was the news agency owner here. His balding head with a halo of grey hair and leathery skin once roughed by laborious work in his youth was easily distinguishable. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9jLZvWErY
His corner-shop was only a few meters from the tracks so he could have the time to waddle out each afternoon I made my appearance to make himself known. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvysoUPPAU
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGaVyxTfaS
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqjyLMIyzL
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnbaLsJq6H
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1oaUa2Wk5
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSI0S7DItG
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtUM7lj5dv
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKELnlSsPw
"You be good to her, Soup, you hear?" he scowled and waved a finger to me "I'll know if you do anything to her!" 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwtXfh51Mh
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawnLDURYMo
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3oscNonTB
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMfsoBBqmm
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtHlFibXGG
I was smitten with her. She was so kind and had this wonderful light voice that was rougher around the edges. She had the most adorable freckles painted on her face and a lovely round body that she liked to swamp in knitted jumpers or flowing dresses she made. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76TbI0OhEV
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzeuL4ZoRG
When her features began to form on the figure bobbing closer into focus, I grinned wildly and pushed myself to sprint for her laughing face bent down to search for me through the sea of grass. I swam through it to break through to her open gate held back for me. Her scooter was heaved back into its stand here too. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewJvJPm4Mq
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxG7AlEd1ZT
Missy stood on the wooden stairs to her porch hugging the front half of her little wooden home. It was a very cost place made entirely of old wood painted in a muted green. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWdo7LDzog
It had herbs growing in the windows glimpsing into her sewing room in the left where she had spools of fabric hung on the wall next to her machine and dotted cloth mannequins. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGCGjMYKsg
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HNSZ81cHx
Her right window had parts of her kitchen on show. I had peered into it a few times when I had been too eager to wait, watching her cook on her gas oven nestled within stone countertops while she shooed me away with a smile. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNaBsrnjvP
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZpPjCCCj3
Missy had the window wide open to waft out the smell of the food she had been cooking. The rich beef spiralled around the earthy tones of stock and tangy herbs freshly plucked from her windows. I could smell the carrots and buttery pumpkin I knew were harvested from her garden nestled out the back. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KmkWkVo59
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e1exRqZbT
That's how we had met. I had been raiding her gardens at night before she caught me and chased me off. After a few nights of futile attempts to stop me, and several vegetables left discarded in my escape, she started offering me her leftovers before it became proper meals. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRhMJnZEaf
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgRo1ezhwH
She didn't know what to call me, so she called me Soup. It was her favourite thing to feed me, and the easiest on her budget made selling homemade dresses. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2mrZEIklo
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhu8VK7quSo
"Soup!" Missy cooed down to me waiting at the bottom of her stairs "I missed you! I'll grab your food. I think you'll like it today." 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJOPeRqNAc
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3SrUIg3NY
I liked how her voice rose excitedly when she saw me. It sounded like she was greeting a lifelong pet dear to her heart. I didn’t mind that; I was just glad she loved me so dearly to put this much effort into caring for me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8B5iSQQ2K
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUb0auE3BB
"Beef soup with my own vegetables and the local meat. I cooked it with teriyaki before putting it in" Missy exclaimed as she returned carrying two stone bowls and carefully placing one down on the grass for me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeXNU2rL21
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlndE03TFp
My mouth was watering when I saw the mixture of colours beside me. Steam spiralled from the fresh meal Missy set down so she could fan out her checkered blue and white dress to sit on the stairs. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmFMYTFJEh
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB4Mlh6PCk
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDubyDCmHY
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrNIuc4M6R
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9aCQZLKz4
"Thank you" I grinned to her and wrapped my hands around the hot bowl so I could lift myself onto my legs and drink it down. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiSKYOjb1a
Soup spilled down my chest to burn trails down my skin before I could swipe then up. The chunks of beef were chewy and wedged between my teeth. The bitter teriyaki coated all its layers to bring out the meaty flavour. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPOStR9rgM
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbAAICBkik
It was the cheap meat again. I don't think Missy could afford anything like the ones that fell from the bone or had soft marbles of fat throughout rather than thick coats. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6ybUiAqiA
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXghWbbt12N
She grinned and watched me try to keep my balance as I felt the meal burn a new hole in my stomach that growled for more. My legs trembled, not used to being so relied upon when I had all four of my limbs to power me effortlessly now. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGmq3816Ls
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgvYlpXqDo
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l6C0f3ZUP
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAn4TdIZQa
"More please" I pointed.389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnyDtiJbiy
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWblJp5gbT6
She couldn't understand me but smiled like she had. All she heard were the same noises I did whenever I spoke in this form. It was just a mixture of growls and low snaps that I preferred to keep quiet, so I didn't scare her. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHcqsH9kyl
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0GRPjr12g
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8YrfG1F0e
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5s3qcI4dIB
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqwESMWtLq
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwj2utXrr1l
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8i3eBcQC7Q
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ554WGD5FD7
Missy was the type of person I would grow old with as a human. I often let my mind wander to what we could be if I hid behind my skin again as a human and tried to form a relationship with her in this home built for two. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq58qVl3I9P
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6VeR745w8
Despite having a sunny personality and being loved in town, Missy liked her quiet life. She didn't want her heart to be broken or taken advantage of. She was worried she was too poor to ever please a man or mother children. She hated that she was too scared to reach out and form those connections. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKVsbB5Jac
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WQHRmm1eo
She liked me because I was an animal to her. I had no commitments other than one hot meal a day. I wasn't going to make her sad or upset her simple lifestyle with big ambitions. I didn't drain her trickling budget or offer anything outside the trinkets of lost belongings or junk I presented her with. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NRXD0GtDA
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHDPMp07MU
I didn't want to ruin that. I kept in this form and didn't dare to try and act on my daydreams of being accepted into her life as her partner with open arms. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgPrD3FeJs
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHBGvUesJw
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayMbEsUPaI
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd45MrILDiH
"Here we go!" Missy returned from the house along with two slices of crusty sourdough she had pushed into the bowl "buttered it for you too, you greedy guts. I'm surprised you didn't eat mine." 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qxYpBbJ6X
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7UtYWf5xS
I was lucky to have her. She was too kind to be so afraid of life itself. Missy deserved more than it was handing her.389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5Ims0i1sx
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvCqDCY2zT
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0ryM5K54u
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3XSlVgvcd
I could feel the warmth of it leaking down my front from the inside and bubble in my gut gurgling from so much liquid drowning it at once. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsKaP3Y86Y
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfVHuTVy79
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZFaq92Foo
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQXPvr7vkR
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDR7xLrDa6O
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLwhkvUIQx
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqVaDFXb2B
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAODAGglJlV
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRKTKlJKxd
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGm6ODr3IOq
I stared up at the moon nestled in amongst the glittering stars from my grassy ledge curved over several meters from the tracks behind me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFGvqCmacP
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAaXOjZXAx
The field surrounding me was dancing with wildflowers that stirred at the touch of glowing fireflies blinking through the air like showers of floating embers. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dlk88EHQx
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ueUtDxkqq
They flitted like fire in the cool air and amongst the flowers. The fireflies reached for the stars themselves and I watched them ascend to the dusted void above. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5W3hrJWxh
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlI9BhK10s
It was so peaceful here with only the moonlight basking over the land. There was no artificial glow of streetlights or the sound of cars screeching on tar. The only sound piercing through the silence was the scraping of metal as the train thundered by on its nightly route to distant towns. Each lit window slashed over the grass below, reminding me of the loud and bright reality amongst the dark serenity until it was gone again. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmQ01Bj6O3
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstjIOWON7F
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kkfY5JhKg
I wonder if she just stopped to stare at the beauty of the moon too. Maybe she sewed in her room while wondering about things beyond her reach like I did? 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPehmXcENi
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbba5euXT4
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKHJ0eDoFl
The soft grass would be my bed tonight. Usually, I roamed for food or trash on the roadside for several kilometres to try and salvage something until sleep sapped my energy and I collapsed wherever I was. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcpy4aJTeW
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILVCdTHXiV
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxej1KKZh86
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5siHLhQPD3
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuRh4FVR4n
389Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5dc9syLfL
One day...8964 copyright protection385ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDDrZx8576 維尼

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