59Please respect copyright.PENANAJLrSd2qKt5
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAAncpY9im9O
59Please respect copyright.PENANA4cGXSXYURJ
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAgAahLoEnJO
59Please respect copyright.PENANATIgJT69SeB
Last time was a crumpled can stuffed with plucked wildflowers. I could do better this time. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHRPiUGwHYF
59Please respect copyright.PENANAASNaldunXg
My hunt turned up an empty paper cup still with the plastic lid and straw attached. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAvItfeLOXUr
59Please respect copyright.PENANAx1SDMQUPqD
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA0xIF2dUPsL
59Please respect copyright.PENANA6YtBS7ABIh
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAMmBGFYhuNL
59Please respect copyright.PENANAAAEhkfaBJp
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbQCzzYzqBr
59Please respect copyright.PENANA5wEK65dhJk
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANArMYevv6Eap
59Please respect copyright.PENANAg4ATwI9PaW
Would she like it? Should I make more? 59Please respect copyright.PENANALQOatPR4QA
59Please respect copyright.PENANA2viwhzIybg
I scanned the roadside to see a bottlecap embedded into the gravel there. There was a plastic bag further to my right. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA3A7kih1xuc
59Please respect copyright.PENANAD7U9XpTz10
One would do then. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA19SmmAX0WL
59Please respect copyright.PENANA1XgUy9ymEt
Bartie was already there when I made my travel with the straw gently gripped around my teeth. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAxQRINIG7Hf
He held a magazine today that was folded on the crossword page. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAFCFZ1BDsM4
59Please respect copyright.PENANAXNnivZcODV
"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?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANA9aMNHv6PvT
59Please respect copyright.PENANAHaMK6Rgj3y
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAaDectN2rSx
59Please respect copyright.PENANAab9EyfPEaQ
She was going somewhere. She never wore that red jacket any other time. It was her best one. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAxNwGUz55XL
59Please respect copyright.PENANATVcF0XvaGT
I raced along the tracks towards her and watched as she wheeled out her scooter to haul up the stand. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAaliJouzfkO
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANALXC9OzMuKL
59Please respect copyright.PENANAMnekfvJjvF
"I've got to go" she apologised through her saddened tone "It’s not much, but I think it should be delicious."59Please respect copyright.PENANA4FlmB2GWZc
59Please respect copyright.PENANAQfYsX1Br5D
Wasn't she taking any for herself? The crate was only filled with parcels again. She didn't have room to fit food. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAeY86CG5oIf
59Please respect copyright.PENANAtXAm5kUQRW
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAIQVGZUCy34
59Please respect copyright.PENANA7czz8Ix670
"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?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAi5hI8m7yuB
59Please respect copyright.PENANAKTuTvTZDMK
No. It was only for you to enjoy. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAnDPPOGDGp1
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfTNCZdjTOn
"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!" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAr5NvAOsDIs
59Please respect copyright.PENANALRAWFJ1Lyq
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAPZUX5TUDW6
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfUU7FVOyfY
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAqkVMmYTRg4
59Please respect copyright.PENANATCItuNJNbg
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAxWmBMyB4az
59Please respect copyright.PENANA8sx2zxGUaa
Her figure fumbled with her parcels and the flower before jumping aboard with only mere moments to spare. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA8ShqTSdLTL
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfNwtOOrVv4
The train blared its horn then peeled from the station to quickly gather speed past the house. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAgag4TMw7wA
59Please respect copyright.PENANAnMitekE4oG
Missy slammed open a window, waving out to me. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAmyvzhrIzqq
59Please respect copyright.PENANAhyXp0H6yKJ
"I'll see you tonight, Soup!" she called out "sorry!" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAcFVfuqqY5Y
59Please respect copyright.PENANADYVgyOUVC3
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANACjMJlIu6k2
59Please respect copyright.PENANAvojkVIK1CS
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAWhcc2P3TFY
59Please respect copyright.PENANAVS90ML0pKD
Not her best. She must have put everything into that nice one last night. It was a compromise she was willing to take. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA8LBe303EIh
59Please respect copyright.PENANAR6CEc5CsCX
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? 59Please respect copyright.PENANAVJOVTCZHl0
59Please respect copyright.PENANAbXplsMk5rX
I peered back to the house she had left in a hurry instead.59Please respect copyright.PENANA1hgRsCNxkZ
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfkVGClLM6U
She'd benefit more if I prepared something for her to come home to. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA1Ed8MlWPFu
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAb64pKgnLus
59Please respect copyright.PENANAhX5Kw5nzRz
A stretch, but a believable one. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA23dDsDy2Tg
59Please respect copyright.PENANAI1fFfAQEPV
I knew Missy didn't have locks on her windows. I could climb through the kitchen one and start there. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbgG13jhHtJ
She always locked her front and back doors. There was no use trying that. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAlqeVtV5NCR
59Please respect copyright.PENANAPbV8yI2lTS
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA6vdK4ZmTrV
59Please respect copyright.PENANAQoOhKAZPev
After managing to unfold myself from the kitchen bench, I stood there to grimace at the mess left behind. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAhvNwsuFGQp
59Please respect copyright.PENANAgTZb64Hbp7
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHrPcCCQI7X
Utensils littered the cold water I dipped my claws into, and splatters of soup were still speckled across the oven behind me. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAhCmvZDiOoK
59Please respect copyright.PENANAgrCiAO2tsz
She'd be so pleased she wouldn't have to tackle this when she got back in her exhausted state. 59Please respect copyright.PENANADHsrvtcJOo
59Please respect copyright.PENANAwJIcso3kfL
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA6orXLzYW2r
59Please respect copyright.PENANAxEBhHG1e39
I shivered in anticipation at the thought of warm water and soothing soap sliding over my skin. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAsl3xqRYZ2U
It was a luxury I hadn't had since I decided to live like this. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAFhicvSehfx
People weren't exactly throwing bars of soap or bathtubs on the side of the road either. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAt4DtTrm2U0
59Please respect copyright.PENANA1db6lyjT5h
Finding the shower was easy in her little home with barely any rooms within it. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA0bhZcoG0C3
The kitchen and loungeroom beside it were one combined area by the front door. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAytJPbpMslX
The door to the left was her sewing room. The one beside that was her bedroom. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAPTN1ctt8wT
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.
59Please respect copyright.PENANAHJEauYUtfh
59Please respect copyright.PENANA29JxPeJExH
I didn't know how dirty I was until I reformed my skin and stepped into the warmth billowing clouds of heat around me. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAlQCeIitC5Z
The water ran like mud from my body I scrubbed at and slathered with all sorts of food-scented products. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHc0YWqEYSE
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAWHLqY5wJyF
59Please respect copyright.PENANAFs5R9ZVy5b
Missy didn't own any clothing that would fit me, and I wasn't about to go digging through her belongings to make sure. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA54piEOKMt5
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANATbtR1guLYe
59Please respect copyright.PENANA4PuKX95mOf
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANALtK7GELzs4
59Please respect copyright.PENANA70cM5Ldxyb
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbLdZxLLUwX
59Please respect copyright.PENANAeUGQYzRw8y
Her couch in the living room had the crushed blanket on it refolded and draped in the middle. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAtKyZ4ikFU5
59Please respect copyright.PENANAv37g668I3W
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAi4HAlfClY6
59Please respect copyright.PENANArZRr88warz
The back door was thrown open to let through the fresh breeze and filter out the stale air. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAy60nCvUjkL
It swept through the home and back out the windows I peeled up to help move the positive energy through the home. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA53pLxIpSJ0
59Please respect copyright.PENANAYKyFjxUIyQ
The garden a few steps from the back stairs was looking choked with weeds. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAhdkizyGbEm
I snatched up the basket at the backdoor and headed for the rows of vegetables drooping under the sunlight. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAOjmEbOQ0kr
59Please respect copyright.PENANAOSkm4XpxAx
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAU8EklP8aaf
59Please respect copyright.PENANAwx1bdepGSZ
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAMEerMZTQy0
59Please respect copyright.PENANAWLQIsPLmjT
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANArH2zeFhNGE
59Please respect copyright.PENANA8zZB4lny4F
Looked like rabbits. I'd have to deal with them before she baited them and tainted their meat. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAcpXEiCUJSO
59Please respect copyright.PENANAdaJrlMb4rc
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAEksjHJycrT
59Please respect copyright.PENANAnAvmZ1BBkR
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAbLrB9txvAN
59Please respect copyright.PENANAh5v1yVxypG
The stove clicked and snapped to life to steadily boil the soups I poured into the pot over it. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHwhl8eyLTy
59Please respect copyright.PENANAynaF3ibkZA
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAxhPaxQEKZs
59Please respect copyright.PENANA7IgZUrmkXI
Music thumped through the silence when I stepped back to admire my work. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAN8ggyq1RMB
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAA2rd4UQ1As
59Please respect copyright.PENANAefdVMPc9z9
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA7pG0pWXBro
59Please respect copyright.PENANA9CfgbffQjf
Saving the soup from the heat, I poured myself a steaming bowl and nestled into her couch to enjoy a job well done. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAjsijD2C9FX
59Please respect copyright.PENANATo2hIvVYWR
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAOriSaISf4k
59Please respect copyright.PENANARzPzuFv2Va
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANABvVmdOj4ua
59Please respect copyright.PENANAEuZ3L30Y2y
I smiled around my spoon, savouring every bit of warmth slipping over my tongue. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAGEQweOd4SP
59Please respect copyright.PENANAlSzgDEDpbt
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAzbaOOohpNy
59Please respect copyright.PENANA2r5uPmrmAx
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAG1Yk6hBHA1
59Please respect copyright.PENANATmCy2Ufa7S
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAWDs8Xe3zSc
59Please respect copyright.PENANAVX87TSCn0b
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAfCobagYY7I
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfCoHQC5V4q
Missy usually never sold her dresses. I was expecting disappointment that I couldn't chase away. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAQsXPO7x8Xq
59Please respect copyright.PENANAgPt9DlWHDc
"One day, Soup" I muttered to myself between another spoonful I gazed down at. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA4aGRX9bMvf
59Please respect copyright.PENANAvZgnEwwNo2
A droning outside caught my attention and lifted my head from the bowl I cupped. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAQbwk4Bssbn
59Please respect copyright.PENANAZvx93RtPdX
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANARvxaLbTCfW
59Please respect copyright.PENANA0FR6IVcuk6
Was it that time already?59Please respect copyright.PENANAogTAR1kwTm
59Please respect copyright.PENANAs7tqqOq0FF
I wasn't expecting her home yet. The night sky was darkened outside and already starting to poke its stars through the rippling sky. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAQuz9VTxyMc
59Please respect copyright.PENANAMPSA29xA0V
Missy was in her way. I could hear her scooter whining for rest. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAjNE14jY5T1
59Please respect copyright.PENANAJ04QgNYCqj
Slamming the windows shut, I glanced around for anything else I had left out of place. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAfbjdYy7O9E
59Please respect copyright.PENANABTTnfOrjrq
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAS8pKetQXfo
59Please respect copyright.PENANAhkabPEhqI9
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAeEvHx4hgFh
59Please respect copyright.PENANA6Y6hQjgQHi
Did I have time to clean the pot? What about my bowl? 59Please respect copyright.PENANAwx1cy4VDI6
59Please respect copyright.PENANAAZ4LUZU2bq
The scooter was getting closer and making my heart hammer in panic. 59Please respect copyright.PENANATRV8O1RVmP
59Please respect copyright.PENANA0UHukipFH8
I couldn't be seen here. Not like this. 59Please respect copyright.PENANARtZHAIHkvC
59Please respect copyright.PENANANUGhUR9XpZ
Scrubbing frantically at the bowl, I managed to rub it clean and toss it into the cupboard with the rest. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAQT1ZNcYux6
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA6FA0nngFVQ
59Please respect copyright.PENANAitPbL4it3u
Dropping the pot clumsily, I bolted for the back door. 59Please respect copyright.PENANABwgV7y9IEP
I only stopped when I realised that the radio was still singing out as Missy leaned her scooter up in the front yard. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAguIvLKd3d0
59Please respect copyright.PENANAbxKqeHQRDS
Dashing back, I snapped the radio off and was scurrying for the back door while frantic feet hurried for the front. 59Please respect copyright.PENANANpl8zok3iP
59Please respect copyright.PENANAO9UV5FfrdL
I hid behind the door I closed behind me, trying to catch my breath that had escaped me in my desperate state. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAbQAgfhKz5A
59Please respect copyright.PENANAb1bRl554OU
"Hello?" Missy called out when she stepped inside "is someone there?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAnMuxBiuLbw
59Please respect copyright.PENANA8EBwfRDHy8
She had heard the radio. Maybe she had heard me too? I hadn't exactly been silent in my rampage to remain unseen. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAguecKaMjYJ
59Please respect copyright.PENANA1KyIj7QMoJ
Her rushing feet barrelling for the back door told me she had. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAnG76aTJbK3
I jolted from it, squatting in the dirt as I tore at my skin that dropped the towel at my trembling feet. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAJ25SEOCVGj
59Please respect copyright.PENANAxkX4aak9gd
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANA3efBGVJLVv
59Please respect copyright.PENANAHGzB01WP0O
I had forgot to turn them off. My heart dropped at my overlooked mistake that was so blatantly obvious. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAnp5dxoOMLc
59Please respect copyright.PENANAf5HbCgMKJ5
"Soup?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANA4BOGrNiDGi
59Please respect copyright.PENANAIq6PFDQ7q5
I didn't say anything. I was too busy trying to catch my breath without making it obvious I was struggling. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA29yiFLSnVe
I was surprised she couldn't hear my heart hammering in my throat as I tried to swallow it back down. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA5dTvUMqA00
59Please respect copyright.PENANA0ejDVvP6My
Her brown eyes didn't leave mine. They were flooded with worry and doubt. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA9xRBiExUE8
59Please respect copyright.PENANAVLtx4Squ1Y
I wasn't still human, was I? 59Please respect copyright.PENANA3unYQDJl72
59Please respect copyright.PENANAR0Fs2HpcNb
Quickly, I scanned my hands to see claws in the place of nails. They pricked at my teeth that were shattered into points. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHZS7G3KQjf
59Please respect copyright.PENANA32FkZaZpkF
Missy looked back into the house with a frown, holding a thumb to it. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAuCmNh0kwfL
59Please respect copyright.PENANAu2vqwimCuA
"Was that..." she hesitated, checking again "...you?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAned4QMnYXI
59Please respect copyright.PENANATPdpLg1vu3
She wasn't sure. All she could do was check the cleaned house then cock her head back at me. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAw30GDBhPHM
59Please respect copyright.PENANAlDEykJJiuk
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAHx7HSNrJq4
59Please respect copyright.PENANAvlFN1NJxAo
She was milling over her own silent conclusions, and I didn't like it. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA0LcACtT0ml
She looked at me different. Her eyes probed for answers she didn't want. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAp1SuM9HUdy
She swallowed and tried to steady her voice that wavered when it came out at barely a whisper. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA4Ldu71idcl
59Please respect copyright.PENANAfkGwRLtmlJ
"Did you...?" 59Please respect copyright.PENANA6PP0CGSHtR
59Please respect copyright.PENANAwCGKbJje4d
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAd2ag77UTj6
59Please respect copyright.PENANATSLLDsdYCR
I had made it so obvious in my hope not to see the repercussions. It was meant to fall on someone else, not me. 59Please respect copyright.PENANARuddrL7oxo
59Please respect copyright.PENANAJW2b6uZUBo
I wasn't meant to be here. I couldn't be here. 59Please respect copyright.PENANArYiC7xrkD6
59Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5kJIvW8bT
I had to get out. I didn't want to see her fear flitting at me or listen to the way her breathing trembled. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAvrvzIkdCvg
59Please respect copyright.PENANADECGWmuLZY
The front door was still open in Missy's pursuit for her intruder. I'd go for that. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA9Da6FudqOZ
59Please respect copyright.PENANAF6IdQ2195Z
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANA6WAEIpd7iA
59Please respect copyright.PENANA71zn32iVTe
"Soup!" she called out, arm outstretched. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAGAZ7lLmn73
59Please respect copyright.PENANAuI0ZNP6OiQ
No. She couldn't see me here. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAAtdZg7n9lv
59Please respect copyright.PENANAQzKo4bLhBi
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA95EWCY5YL8
59Please respect copyright.PENANA5ncuWLaLvJ
Missy gripped the fence, scanning blindly with tears in her eyes. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAH0yuc7Vrak
59Please respect copyright.PENANApPmpUiIkxm
"Soup!" her voice called, shaking "wait! You don't have to go!" 59Please respect copyright.PENANAYkWku4jGuw
59Please respect copyright.PENANAGqSOaT5Unj
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to try and stifle the sob that slipped through. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAUnObJbYWZU
59Please respect copyright.PENANAmPcgQCjCxq
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA2ayYWhzF0v
59Please respect copyright.PENANAksaMzdG2D9
I moved, turning for the safety of the East. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAGAd6h2qCa4
59Please respect copyright.PENANA0ROMOsUKon
"Soup?" Missy sniffled at the rustling of the grass, her head lifting in my direction. 59Please respect copyright.PENANA4vfKilXTQc
59Please respect copyright.PENANASvVoDkc17S
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAiIQ7tetwf9
59Please respect copyright.PENANArvrqlEdqD2
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. 59Please respect copyright.PENANAKCd8xFw050
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.59Please respect copyright.PENANAFXniCIqyUR
I'd love her silently and she would dream of bright futures where everyone wore her dresses. 59Please respect copyright.PENANABmtTonLz4t
It would be how it was.