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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPrb2bD5KP
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3sULZNewB
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFMmABYSXE
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYsnuiAQM4
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYKdtKD01T
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQlOxFIRtZ
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwboPKfoinP
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJe8rOv0UIi
I was in clear sight of them now. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjT4nT7XCb
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKo8LFfiyfk
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f8d1CB0nz
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneHEWx74S8
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPusXAmu7f
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40mgqBfjGk
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0d1MERMWDn
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgFTFmVz2R
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRydxLDySjm
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fXjFgs4kR
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fzNaJAext
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2ElaaL8Qu
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrSAtE2I3o
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIFE15nj88
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmkZivIUJw
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHokc1AxqoG
"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!" 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1msFvbANqW
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5e36NQ3qTK
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImoasMsZzt
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3jECfmJkB
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwmbvFmegE
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqByUJl5kt
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGaTMhsMKj
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qqydYaptE
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9uIkOFc7n
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrAx80Uz1u
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEhIESSOwW
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTkovcIZbA
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfyVh0QDYm
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26YuMcGcbV
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuZ6Vhaefu
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSlN9VJma4
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzW5xkI8R9X
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGqq2A913L
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OwqmuyEdi
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt21vR4CqSX
"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." 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyduv2ZbXL9
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zLlCG3bV2
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpouAHsw4k
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQq6as38Oy
"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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9EqGdG2ME
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDL1anSGrn
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4o0wyswzg
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGf1hBdNHZ
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGyQ1leTjO
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYGjZTRrKe
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsofJfQgx4T
"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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusBN8dQNWC
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGC9h0Uukg
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcsgFVYKDL
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjC5k7U0aD
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjdcOv9tp0
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx1V2sGNb4
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRKhcjLP7V
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rcLfS3HN3
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbIQEdtBF4
"More please" I pointed.391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvfIM6oUek
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWo2lzGPd0b
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBs2ZeLzwC
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuVeDMQoq4
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0AsqkLOiE
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXrEjI8Gkl
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMea5qcrYE
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeW9LB4sC4M
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDBHyzMKQk
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPA6xHvykB9
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu4xlTyOeg
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnwlHV1kIT
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoV10PNJx1t
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkRMEZ18t6
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGgQuJ1OlJ
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJ5mgLFesm
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdrxk1Ym67
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZv5h0qHKca
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl43joTConE
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8NqY0wh6G
"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." 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQv848qPYd7
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vhfFp4mOW
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.391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZT5u2ruBg
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zEdATCOa3
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9oA3d8OpR
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9iTMkbtUy
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoVFXksMht
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGn0yITdHA
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXnVP8tpXZ
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4VQBbyWfi
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCan5PwSB6
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmAG01Q9VM
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOHZSNAwA6
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQgyUFbnTy
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFC4UmLYSjB
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14q2XSN4Ik
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6T9CKki1v
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDp1LtQ6bQ
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5Ta7Xtkot
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4jfWuZuHx
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoaMh97xo1
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxj1VsoqKiP
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGeiN675ff
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQ0l5nZX90
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMhmiRNxsj
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? 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qByCRuQOP
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZx7yNZ109G
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3KtwHPqzH
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. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2tDcAn2v5
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxIMozHygp
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKAY8BcXSn
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbv2n6eTKu
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2tmopSjtY
391Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbKQTPz6wB
One day...8964 copyright protection387ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LSsiOH7t5 維尼

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