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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz2pBqs2AR
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyyYPJdYU6
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBvRQzTinn
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7FIVKFon4
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNrvoSeMaG
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPMsVlpYuT
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCt0coA9If
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5WfYp9Tkp
I was in clear sight of them now. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5SrB3kdKw
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMLadAN17g
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0z636m7BBI
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrfeEnV9XC
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3NfCeyWcS
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5QRumVn5R
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHi89YqpLS
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaEvfZSsdj
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LsrFZkmhi
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYCRIJff2l
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHYhrZaJK9
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8f5roRKVO
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAga97RfT74
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOxdNwegDh
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TywzMEC4o
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUrzILgbDV
"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!" 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpH8kgqotf
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFlyFQINZG
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN4SlJ1dUI
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKNrybjHsj
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEOsd9rIrj
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpA8hBSYT3t
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXli8YAGZb
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4u3zTPmtov
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7YxGmqh4Y
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOSYX3JuDj
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfr4LOdNPy
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQZjJdwXus
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufYGUq7G9m
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuZXlPLzG0
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0Mo8S00RB
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXuzEX6CnV
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MCpTsneXk
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAcszCJBeM
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W6N7ivuSZ
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefrT7pVGln
"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." 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBjDhZpKst
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllQOKTIdv4
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NX67H7rH7
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgYYg621iL
"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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2nQlAmz2c
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfGXpwgqot
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALOs71elRf
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHu36uSRMG
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GvotPsxhy
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQKA4DkeQI
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCeR9gouE8
"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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mK0UvCva5
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxmzQVLTfB
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0kmNzH7kK
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1POFTnCnGZ
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfH3KjEAdeL
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYwO81bGmk
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvkTXLa5NP
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHQ0B01dqd
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2vfB5qGh2
"More please" I pointed.623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonbILN1Um0
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNWlpcEZY2
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8zbpld9rL
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6TDwjRs3c
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IVfzmaooP
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXBhlgFXbG
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKaFK5GRIb
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyNGoX5DYF
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAqLr4jAvi
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi4cOMK7fp
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkLioh78qp
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxLSFmunWJ
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3lDJKas64
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuskYYMCwu4
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77WTi3Ikd0
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIJ3B3HxQ5
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUSVxiOnb5
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF2UxiFgGW
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLftujEprlW
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDZgnqZLWA
"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." 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxgqIWxGEY
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AKWBQOMB2
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.623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX78csFFtm
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeBm0KI4vh
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScNaTG6Z1B
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RHKwHQWvT
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7NE5uGTWL
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLd1uDxapf
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WCIFHjVJi
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjUZX1dcuh
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYLxnGoF26
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFjQU6hROt
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ3ytd94q1
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKZ8hdnfVJ
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEaXxGig0J
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVb8kbEz6v
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lZlEZEtme
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX4g3Aw5Rw
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCGlJDFQ1J
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4BqzBFo8z
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaDKE0NJNI
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflU2u8c1eV
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKazZyNHwLp
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML27th3cO0
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9Zk6xmOnb
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? 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIn6ClvQhW5
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8HuXXkX8z
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZP5hNibeV
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. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvumTVPEkCk
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoCsbHUTza
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4zi5SQs26
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8H5RGgtWRj
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR2JxlnTH8
623Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNESxcVk80z
One day...1234 copyright protection619ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXvaDe6WX3 尼

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