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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsYad4FaP9
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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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqqAR3xxoT
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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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGoMVTfi4N
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJZVg3VSLe
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXuoq26EI6
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I was in clear sight of them now. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AGb93ZRXZ
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"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH7bsZisEa
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6btVnSScc
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOqEC4IcoG
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrFY9RdbX8
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHKyBd8uvs
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWP799UNPs
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LBcwyektw
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I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbxVGizj5p
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfed9fuqHN
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYGM9NkUQ3
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2UkvSr8WR
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK31uxg5Fd
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTrrPp8KBb
"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!" 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctevDmCQIb
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFphuXDljV
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVsSc60OhM
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYmHwa3yol
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvzT2wLEjT
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdnFfU8EhV
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdubXDq0z17
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccXLz3RLSC
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TXxN2gIbl
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡse1Ccfsk4h
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVr6jtl7DQ
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyWk0t0A5P
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaD0M3ETNZS
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OX9SlYwRy
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXUDlbuJ8N
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftFilLX1qw
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAyRBc63pF
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2W83QgcKb
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4FHlzoE4B
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuUPyw43ZK
"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." 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aU2eedzHI
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZDMmS507S
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdY3Rqlv5Aw
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqIMmJ7Vq0
"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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwre1zQjre
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5u9eRuipk
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGyCHY4YaA
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXTQGXh4oX
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25nORsp1jx
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwunzOX2G6
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwtDiat82e
"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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIoHq9MzRk
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4Su8pz7f8
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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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK2sqkj0hZ
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUlZFqFUTS
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKicWXmqkM
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I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkI8aTszic
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"More please" I pointed.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODbjs7Rvtk
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigF7xHJFfA
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJi3thpnv5O
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jZ3dyE0VN
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYKSHf8KwV
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLZFUQu7vA
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6IuwrcBfH
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR1aByuaic
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxI0apHRKag
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFJSkZeIWk
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFhUOokoPh
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5o70Ei7rp
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cAjGTLCia
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn48XKbyElA
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRo66aPstCl
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvosZFEjVKP
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UvbxG2GiW
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YW6dRXVKe
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2UoX4qOiH
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6lzIv5Jkm
"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." 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1LKrsP9Kl
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw6BJasD9v
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.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLaVxH3GtW
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HhnkpuHTc
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1AcXB6QOc
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aLrBCX0Y2
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uqThcbIQC
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD49affAFOn
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0eFJXKt0d
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTnhlgWnPh
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2XVsaxgeI
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmti0CQzwQ
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFm8GB5OLT
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I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10teD1SGHY
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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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaRJBdlfFr2
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nL2VJHoge
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYBAVaR9i4
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuZwc7gZmx
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRwCLLUBy5
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdwCcbrd0X
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhON7l7frkq
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xmSQV3tU4
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6L0D7qGKQ7
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? 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0DAtZagRL
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKZZVZJOHf
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGo9HPqPiT
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. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWdLg7qmrA
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbVlCV0djD
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosFuGN8gkK
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOgjGH5d1s
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPXFNXkFLE
313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3KmVMf8Ln
One day...
Penana
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