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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDEcL29LoP
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kvJOaVrnn
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5FRR5fZJ8
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXK47UgZvx5
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7cQc9OWD0
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPDBqVqRAb
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00LtNqpGZu
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQMysVq8b7
I was in clear sight of them now. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTtrgKq9JX
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffSFio97w2
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lOtlo7GPo
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJnXzgY9Pi
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGiH49WXohB
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxnuvc13OV
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYiMh98F6h
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIF4krVgSf
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmIWc9Jgnv
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTTwQDMj4O
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9BngwWPS5
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26FzkXJW2O
"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtTq2mndiu
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBIGs7omBI
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4c00F5Xoeu
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4IsF6OXXK
"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!" 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYXj5LcLRx
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSkT226M7U
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmS1YzDNhX
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhCg80s79e
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kdoHTTTM3
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjH4nkYfJO
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenz58s4GZn
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5fCjyc3PA
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyT0SwUKs6
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAI2JTyidV
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGdqr0E6bL
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCQTm8R4fk
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS8A3R8cCO
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISNFwb62vM
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdstvUYtVGz
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJGj2Ib1mt
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjzGOUfp3J
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFJTlo0mUB
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSlpkfHuBk
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOLjpZz3Ga
"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." 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qJxemQlCA
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KNzfEcjZV
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XAtLNS31J
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMp7pefVy8N
"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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7wcUy1Fef
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhdZPlLAtd
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6sJfINWVx
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuOSpcuvge
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSHXrfkm6U
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypt5jeUCan
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR89u7SM9A
"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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUcmGQav8V
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVVCWJo0rs
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QhOp6R96t
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFlNksvwB3
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgenWrkp71
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2JGAALavA
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzwuBzCY1E
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9KYO4Few5
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"More please" I pointed.276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9MmML2Fe8
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyNR1TJJOi
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpysaVFnjL
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrxiMqwgNj
Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9WG2mywfI
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNQQl3LRv1
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98RVv2M94F
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeyedjzh92
I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bhrp0xFNy
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXc7SDw7rhF
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7Ons3JcGe
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZVbkKfj2X
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdw6nJPihm
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhtIjvYrYD
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq5wmooXYB
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUyxAcYXE6
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGCHkA9Fn2
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9814txSZ45
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qgcYg2RHw
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDqRWkKDG1
"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." 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfkNwK9DED
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX8tkmcjyU
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.276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnyKEuuxX3
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDJWHpWztT
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CB705KYFK
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8FWXg6x0K
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9EQfGqsR9
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuA5vn7Pdj
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGmvh07Lnh
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kl5hppTY2
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qI6P8C2H2
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hvqt6AZzU
Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4IWxemsnF
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvxqPXvE0H
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUToypN9if
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp8KPSzLkK
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx1sdns8zw
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M99Y0fxHd
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOObas0jDo
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABeRX5bINj
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdy3SoCqAxc
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEfaZJsBrI
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsv0ZNHJLB
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9H3Fwq7tc
One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9uVK41l5F
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? 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSd7K9Ak2f
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM8Ua0cCi9
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9oKCjxRdY
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. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ0NidOL8D
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOW040JrzKs
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fiQooAoh4
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVSLgVmgeD
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMal6eTpgvS
276Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6upAl7x8C
One day...
Penana
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