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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAoGmbLImJOH
73Please respect copyright.PENANA5T5RReIVVP
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA5SU2v3u2tD
73Please respect copyright.PENANAMhQgTL2VG2
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAq5RDj9C05X
73Please respect copyright.PENANAfgKqvGr5US
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA17uE9oUBN9
73Please respect copyright.PENANAg7Cl74iMaB
I was in clear sight of them now. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAzRWoAvlY8w
73Please respect copyright.PENANAhs7yLwLkyq
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 73Please respect copyright.PENANANeeuJjjJcI
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAv6KDrS71Py
73Please respect copyright.PENANAJUMAAP1gGc
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAFy9KOFXvAH
73Please respect copyright.PENANAHFnlT6rCbJ
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAOAyyRdyWur
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAMA5cdLvqtD
73Please respect copyright.PENANAIcOnRRspFr
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.73Please respect copyright.PENANApc4O729Pkh
73Please respect copyright.PENANAw8NsObvPaR
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 73Please respect copyright.PENANAInmBti4HKg
73Please respect copyright.PENANAFewu42znXu
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 73Please respect copyright.PENANApReCigyHo3
73Please respect copyright.PENANAqOhnvIsNON
"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!" 73Please respect copyright.PENANA235KyjIMMm
73Please respect copyright.PENANAEItW6MNEPS
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 73Please respect copyright.PENANACYgKn6LigD
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 73Please respect copyright.PENANASHEEZyOHDn
73Please respect copyright.PENANAEHvRBV7WYC
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAZ0SHUgsDD0
73Please respect copyright.PENANAKIEBqUCJfr
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAdrK8p8WSyn
73Please respect copyright.PENANA9T7rw6r2G1
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA49GBlqAv8Y
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAV2a98ktWXZ
73Please respect copyright.PENANAIAzwYSdHK9
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAxjBbsWdVTZ
73Please respect copyright.PENANAawlvx51viC
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAWx4hpoJE1K
73Please respect copyright.PENANA0XkCcmtacW
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAnfFFXYo49K
73Please respect copyright.PENANA3SvRLAzrZq
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAZIvpfv1ssG
73Please respect copyright.PENANAQAksbjMfvp
"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." 73Please respect copyright.PENANAzh4gDvw4cR
73Please respect copyright.PENANAfYNEAMwkbm
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA3M2wTxWbvy
73Please respect copyright.PENANAbA5Ym56STE
"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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAPj7Z7tnr0y
73Please respect copyright.PENANAXWPi1AEGBj
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAd5S6SBpO0c
73Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1PUnwPr6c
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAnAykvuXy5A
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAabE5mwtXRd
73Please respect copyright.PENANAhgH9pYvwfm
"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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANATwu6Dw1VNm
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAECcogpTf3Z
73Please respect copyright.PENANAfPT4MnGyjI
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANABXlqTIwcFm
73Please respect copyright.PENANAh7cI60JQyS
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA5xPu6Pkrzy
73Please respect copyright.PENANAimF9FEsTis
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA9ogvD1BLQr
73Please respect copyright.PENANAzH8xvbNP7n
"More please" I pointed.73Please respect copyright.PENANAVCo0G0tJ0n
73Please respect copyright.PENANAeLmTfJcx9u
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA86SzpoX5e9
73Please respect copyright.PENANAORu5nRtPY3
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 73Please respect copyright.PENANALKo5MuokDC
73Please respect copyright.PENANALBgKLszKbt
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 73Please respect copyright.PENANAN8IMv7PWOJ
73Please respect copyright.PENANA2Neh95YX5w
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAHJiHtmQgVo
73Please respect copyright.PENANAJC1BSnDEuP
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAl5ENtsnWAS
73Please respect copyright.PENANAuK8ecOfVh7
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAbktw12w2wr
73Please respect copyright.PENANAh9AyknKApK
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA1o4S9NC05V
73Please respect copyright.PENANA7F6QRuEZAc
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAsdYPB9aX9Y
73Please respect copyright.PENANACtTvSs6VJZ
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA0m2xSYyNlO
73Please respect copyright.PENANA84W6zdeglC
"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." 73Please respect copyright.PENANAT5XnOM5XOh
73Please respect copyright.PENANAPgtgnwcCfj
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.73Please respect copyright.PENANAC85C1IaUDD
73Please respect copyright.PENANAlK6Heln1I7
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAx0lPxBlzEX
73Please respect copyright.PENANAo4J7tsyVok
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAoFbEwb3CQv
73Please respect copyright.PENANAjRXhP5Ld6Q
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 73Please respect copyright.PENANABHN0KHWEKP
73Please respect copyright.PENANATe0L2zXqjJ
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAHGY65HONqC
73Please respect copyright.PENANAKXyhxi23Qk
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAC4jWMGBFOq
73Please respect copyright.PENANARtHxUaXjLQ
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAniBFyNc0I8
73Please respect copyright.PENANAROOr5vN0zW
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAbetHK0gkRb
73Please respect copyright.PENANAw7737Wo8Ux
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA1YcYeuiSZJ
73Please respect copyright.PENANAhAf2gIBDs6
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAxXc1bKZIdB
73Please respect copyright.PENANA5RbYWgM2vG
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA8Cb2GAoprj
73Please respect copyright.PENANADloavda1Jl
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 73Please respect copyright.PENANA1C9xR8PBnn
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? 73Please respect copyright.PENANAFr12R4GSAI
73Please respect copyright.PENANAXlmp5osofA
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAcA1rkOkzUb
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. 73Please respect copyright.PENANApQIVGHoeUf
73Please respect copyright.PENANAwYbtQfDVTU
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAPvkNe0uzV0
73Please respect copyright.PENANAfbeFmaO22x
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 73Please respect copyright.PENANAyEAmdceGsv
73Please respect copyright.PENANArT6xSIjf8y
One day...
arrow_back
Soup
more_vert
-
info_outline Info
-
toc Table of Contents
-
share Share
-
format_color_text Display Settings
-
exposure_plus_1 Recommend
-
Sponsor
-
report_problem Report
-
account_circle Login
Search stories, writers or societies
Continue ReadingClear All
What Others Are ReadingRefresh
X
Never miss what's happening on Penana!
Soup
Author:
Lamington
ISSUE #2
Missy
LIKES 1
READS 69
BOOKMARKS 1
campaign
Request update 0
Sponsor
Login with Facebook
or Sign up/Login to comment or bookmark!
Click to load the next chapter
X
After each update request, the author will receive a notification!
smartphone100 → Request update
X
Sponsor again
Click to login
Login first to show your name as a sponsor.
Thank you for supporting the story! :)
Please Login first.
×
Soup
Fantasy
Romance
Short Story
Last updated: Feb 19, 2024
Total word count: 7,666
Total reading time: 35 Minutes
Writer:
romance
love
fantasy
friendship
shortstory
suspense
lovestory
shortstories
monsters
demon
cute
forbiddenlove
animals
human
shapeshifter
shifters
missingperson
soup
monsterxhuman
dresses
×
Write down what you like about the story
×
Reading Theme:
Font Size:
Line Spacing:
Paragraph Spacing:
Load the next issue automatically
Reset to default
×
People Who Like This