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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡun3zafXd3U
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5espvUaM99
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCrsVYjIPY
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkHcOJrUT3
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yL95JrCk8
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7B3fHSj7Q6
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJiLNon8nM
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlAEjKGztk
I was in clear sight of them now. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJcbEPp4nJ
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1XySZ2rJm
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4Pa0W9qSA
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AWDJwXogD
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWqHLkOXYa
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEY0bx42xq
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuGMakvoMl
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93jbn6x0W3
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBe396hL3Bf
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm7gcoplSH
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVf8bZbj7g
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAmatCTJSi
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg0QKgjXaC
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNWuEV488a
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBO3UDDfA6W
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc434O77Tnp
"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!" 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pLuwMFwe7
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbO0G5AH6bf
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywF28oB6sq
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWn3tRViVS
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCwNykAsQv
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8svgFvFYAi
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9X3fEZ33MO
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDevwuMyvB
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3HHBwmHNi
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SaHh3DsGL
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7apdCDac3G
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecf34ZASkQ
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1jZPKI4Zq
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEy1mFMkItt
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FMHp83vtF
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dWxg9xbgF
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX5eYZ0y4s
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOLBmxVZEK
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Az4A09U1M
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZjK5Iv2rT
"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." 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7aD6vChLm
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ2xoBfcRy
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdVLP2vexh
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiT9p3XPVm
"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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGcvHtB9eV
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLb5HVFFZc
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrWFHzD8J2
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbBbGRL6wF
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Rpkvemxa2
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vKUywEHvh
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vJFA41Ncf
"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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GZLBG5r7X
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7urFLwmu5B
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYrAGV6s4F
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXe5ofquhV
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4hgD9W7T5
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gdeyUSYA1
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmi8tgbjWM
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdubTshdlmR
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBkdi1SO4u
"More please" I pointed.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZ8LkXWIty
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1vT5T8Lrd
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc493xfN5Rq
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTiBaGqmDm
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RGigWvEV5
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4PbWcGDn3
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9HmzUKvzM
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1nNUqt1dv
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUD1pZf0oX
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiimIHskQBb
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEygK3QOwa
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9isgwkYx5t
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMYaixKMPU
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSMlCi2K1k
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkLN3tyH7l
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZh3jhDlGn
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNaFKQ5dBX
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwUUNt4Vlh
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hfIu9RviA
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGoWwdkAON
"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." 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQp86xBAxko
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQL8Mf3Zib
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.387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCKCtu2ICG
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEH4DBM6ij
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHp7aYHVZW
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1Qbt6Ffub
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFTBzJ2Rbn
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60UU7kcBSG
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCZFTm1B2o
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUnddnBpjD
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPqK4QHKjM
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe2ppeT2Ue
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPjSaG5pBN
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqxwtW2e1J
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotWE097fEG
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv9bQCxbsN
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FBbMQS4Xg
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6W630IqQR
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XaYhQtqFi
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvKSzW211v
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6YtwNIJ8d
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvwe1p0yCQ
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNT7jYXexec
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbn1RlwW2r0
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrZK5bri2s
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? 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHU2GrGI0j
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCe1exd1j2E
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFyhbAtvrS
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. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTAv1xmvWDn
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXUBVWoFRB
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OBr5oqb4m
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTlJ9cU8fP
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHo8R9QtPJq
387Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r65tXfsvo
One day...
Penana
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