84Please respect copyright.PENANAV5Fv5B3rOx
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAT85MLJhwqg
84Please respect copyright.PENANAke8cjF2e4f
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAEXUTAeFmne
84Please respect copyright.PENANAiWMQRTELj0
Last time was a crumpled can stuffed with plucked wildflowers. I could do better this time. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAjEDn3wPGRY
84Please respect copyright.PENANABSNxsGyAz3
My hunt turned up an empty paper cup still with the plastic lid and straw attached. 84Please respect copyright.PENANARxk0DGGE1E
84Please respect copyright.PENANAaBaAqxNYf6
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAfVJesuUC0H
84Please respect copyright.PENANA0aaaBOxagX
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAgAkW7QtEFj
84Please respect copyright.PENANActmqOzElpr
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAxzJIGOnsx1
84Please respect copyright.PENANAfWHDCW1ERO
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAmZumFeetap
84Please respect copyright.PENANAUPlPiH24yK
Would she like it? Should I make more? 84Please respect copyright.PENANAqJlGyapozy
84Please respect copyright.PENANA2NbTAdEr8d
I scanned the roadside to see a bottlecap embedded into the gravel there. There was a plastic bag further to my right. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAGJWywDS3gC
84Please respect copyright.PENANApNRPi8w7FJ
One would do then. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAGjmDJR2SjZ
84Please respect copyright.PENANA6sjTFInslh
Bartie was already there when I made my travel with the straw gently gripped around my teeth. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAHVWy6yp3x7
He held a magazine today that was folded on the crossword page. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAXpxJ5mJdfI
84Please respect copyright.PENANAbUB4uuaXlx
"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?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQuAZzlhoZa
84Please respect copyright.PENANArHDrKg3LQl
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANARdNe8sXC92
84Please respect copyright.PENANAILO7GvtlTl
She was going somewhere. She never wore that red jacket any other time. It was her best one. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAkTWMAtD3nK
84Please respect copyright.PENANAwmB1YGqKpP
I raced along the tracks towards her and watched as she wheeled out her scooter to haul up the stand. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAEBrnsk8MXM
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAzkrn3fx3Lc
84Please respect copyright.PENANAKTwTLPzV2M
"I've got to go" she apologised through her saddened tone "It’s not much, but I think it should be delicious."84Please respect copyright.PENANAWgF92rY6Yi
84Please respect copyright.PENANAzayMgBZhxZ
Wasn't she taking any for herself? The crate was only filled with parcels again. She didn't have room to fit food. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAy0om6ocBdW
84Please respect copyright.PENANAuw6WLhm9N2
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAt5vbKfsocr
84Please respect copyright.PENANA05imne7FwR
"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?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANApsuinROAAx
84Please respect copyright.PENANAwPbjdgFJKg
No. It was only for you to enjoy. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAoXx6K9S0Zk
84Please respect copyright.PENANAwZCFRFkrCi
"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!" 84Please respect copyright.PENANAHbl7wMFIeb
84Please respect copyright.PENANAodV6UOg9BG
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANARgwjbFLc95
84Please respect copyright.PENANAfBQ3NyqK6X
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAy02025Tpxq
84Please respect copyright.PENANAVBBfoBym7a
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATR67LE2BL6
84Please respect copyright.PENANAspoWruWrjs
Her figure fumbled with her parcels and the flower before jumping aboard with only mere moments to spare. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAV6uEUfACCK
84Please respect copyright.PENANAD5JMGFFnD0
The train blared its horn then peeled from the station to quickly gather speed past the house. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAhSjeBxMlfn
84Please respect copyright.PENANAbfL1egugbI
Missy slammed open a window, waving out to me. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAnsslVcgIiP
84Please respect copyright.PENANAdif6H3VZQu
"I'll see you tonight, Soup!" she called out "sorry!" 84Please respect copyright.PENANA6gHjFTXkO9
84Please respect copyright.PENANAKvrRuVPT5c
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAIBTkvNV1Bc
84Please respect copyright.PENANA9YR845muXZ
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAnBZngCukd5
84Please respect copyright.PENANAfEOatVWerG
Not her best. She must have put everything into that nice one last night. It was a compromise she was willing to take. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAI9HejpXkPi
84Please respect copyright.PENANAmML8s4jPGC
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? 84Please respect copyright.PENANAsdoLApEmSa
84Please respect copyright.PENANAd0PfQT8m5F
I peered back to the house she had left in a hurry instead.84Please respect copyright.PENANAPu8PLbwnDB
84Please respect copyright.PENANAnLRIw1F14Z
She'd benefit more if I prepared something for her to come home to. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAbq8MaXsasW
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAzwxXZwXR0W
84Please respect copyright.PENANAKsjya16k03
A stretch, but a believable one. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA2o5jHuK8mz
84Please respect copyright.PENANAvaCNZJ4Z0U
I knew Missy didn't have locks on her windows. I could climb through the kitchen one and start there. 84Please respect copyright.PENANABoxmcys9WC
She always locked her front and back doors. There was no use trying that. 84Please respect copyright.PENANACqoRrWFuqf
84Please respect copyright.PENANArwgg2iksDK
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAJxLjJMGy1U
84Please respect copyright.PENANAXJ1c9WQqb6
After managing to unfold myself from the kitchen bench, I stood there to grimace at the mess left behind. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAHF7JiUy5zB
84Please respect copyright.PENANAAfXhBbLL1o
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAz2Dd9EUAGh
Utensils littered the cold water I dipped my claws into, and splatters of soup were still speckled across the oven behind me. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATWCAGDTxbI
84Please respect copyright.PENANAZFUXFYsLXX
She'd be so pleased she wouldn't have to tackle this when she got back in her exhausted state. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAl1h5ze005I
84Please respect copyright.PENANA3rzPNoaMdA
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAU3UvZQmOzA
84Please respect copyright.PENANAm3xNRkiVPF
I shivered in anticipation at the thought of warm water and soothing soap sliding over my skin. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAMtb4XRbHwg
It was a luxury I hadn't had since I decided to live like this. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQP7okytYu4
People weren't exactly throwing bars of soap or bathtubs on the side of the road either. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAszOfVTa2g9
84Please respect copyright.PENANATFYCBJ6jIT
Finding the shower was easy in her little home with barely any rooms within it. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAO8WI8Kh705
The kitchen and loungeroom beside it were one combined area by the front door. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAsOkxLcC9w5
The door to the left was her sewing room. The one beside that was her bedroom. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQu3sZet9Vd
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.
84Please respect copyright.PENANAvxrAit0ALi
84Please respect copyright.PENANA4eLjkCKCgc
I didn't know how dirty I was until I reformed my skin and stepped into the warmth billowing clouds of heat around me. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAo63u4TZBv0
The water ran like mud from my body I scrubbed at and slathered with all sorts of food-scented products. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAlibs79vPCf
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA4UEojcRhgZ
84Please respect copyright.PENANAKEQv1rLxBu
Missy didn't own any clothing that would fit me, and I wasn't about to go digging through her belongings to make sure. 84Please respect copyright.PENANACNkEYczO8c
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAlyzHDNPH2y
84Please respect copyright.PENANAWvjENgWoSS
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAurVaRQCksn
84Please respect copyright.PENANAMXooMhKEIL
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAhHPh2IaX1E
84Please respect copyright.PENANAFxyG6mJo82
Her couch in the living room had the crushed blanket on it refolded and draped in the middle. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATsA7LCyoUV
84Please respect copyright.PENANA6HjIhhlyWH
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQHIh53fauU
84Please respect copyright.PENANAc6gv0Ou1Y4
The back door was thrown open to let through the fresh breeze and filter out the stale air. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAPlWDnVDFu1
It swept through the home and back out the windows I peeled up to help move the positive energy through the home. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8lCTcWhcV
84Please respect copyright.PENANAOiEAEkVQ6T
The garden a few steps from the back stairs was looking choked with weeds. 84Please respect copyright.PENANArBBdXxNhJ8
I snatched up the basket at the backdoor and headed for the rows of vegetables drooping under the sunlight. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA6onp82lOcl
84Please respect copyright.PENANAJuyOiSoqfl
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAGCPhedjLKD
84Please respect copyright.PENANAdd5iuvz72d
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAXb4sm8NRRd
84Please respect copyright.PENANAxvSAD4ZCkp
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANANhl9QZIMSj
84Please respect copyright.PENANARhxhLDaULP
Looked like rabbits. I'd have to deal with them before she baited them and tainted their meat. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA7D7IaSix6M
84Please respect copyright.PENANATe3mh4puWz
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA7yJ1TMVpES
84Please respect copyright.PENANAGFYndkn648
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.84Please respect copyright.PENANAdGYxbcIiI5
84Please respect copyright.PENANAeYX86wHYGc
The stove clicked and snapped to life to steadily boil the soups I poured into the pot over it. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAiN4zTOpGQJ
84Please respect copyright.PENANAVLuoDUXAQR
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA6Z7kHqEH95
84Please respect copyright.PENANAUn1iGS1hn8
Music thumped through the silence when I stepped back to admire my work. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA8Srr4t0Unk
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAIvWpzOeqyj
84Please respect copyright.PENANAqTVYB2ak3t
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANARBPHOXt6fM
84Please respect copyright.PENANAs6r9qHxF13
Saving the soup from the heat, I poured myself a steaming bowl and nestled into her couch to enjoy a job well done. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA1UozN7UP4s
84Please respect copyright.PENANA13IgPcVWxJ
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA5dw6ELtkZe
84Please respect copyright.PENANAdDoTziic77
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAqDfPQOz6Qo
84Please respect copyright.PENANAsK21RiVrZ7
I smiled around my spoon, savouring every bit of warmth slipping over my tongue. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAcwubneZXf4
84Please respect copyright.PENANAbungKKxpEP
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAQUsdVrPC8k
84Please respect copyright.PENANARTQYnWs9pb
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANASxEdc1sUXl
84Please respect copyright.PENANAYGQt5YdakY
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAktMy5p5zxZ
84Please respect copyright.PENANAMamQavbEdo
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAvYGIwdrQIA
84Please respect copyright.PENANAgycdQAjcl2
Missy usually never sold her dresses. I was expecting disappointment that I couldn't chase away. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA7CPElJnRoG
84Please respect copyright.PENANAixpPbn8fxD
"One day, Soup" I muttered to myself between another spoonful I gazed down at. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAtNtxPtRZm6
84Please respect copyright.PENANALmQs99uA08
A droning outside caught my attention and lifted my head from the bowl I cupped. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAjuPErEKTaj
84Please respect copyright.PENANAAEePqnCaoe
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAIADIwJNNkW
84Please respect copyright.PENANAIcIlve7hjA
Was it that time already?84Please respect copyright.PENANAMYDGwFvKXq
84Please respect copyright.PENANAoiZFofIWda
I wasn't expecting her home yet. The night sky was darkened outside and already starting to poke its stars through the rippling sky. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAokxKMbE0ns
84Please respect copyright.PENANAj5i7jfztzM
Missy was in her way. I could hear her scooter whining for rest. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAbUlQLWz39j
84Please respect copyright.PENANA4Wvf4E9Apu
Slamming the windows shut, I glanced around for anything else I had left out of place. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAzkMVtKhZ3z
84Please respect copyright.PENANApk9oCIDXGE
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAJhle7kYHV3
84Please respect copyright.PENANAXtL4Z2xUv7
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAOkcm6lNdCv
84Please respect copyright.PENANAd4iE0QjmYv
Did I have time to clean the pot? What about my bowl? 84Please respect copyright.PENANAB8Jmi8ZfmH
84Please respect copyright.PENANAWyRuGutRyb
The scooter was getting closer and making my heart hammer in panic. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA5mErVCG9Xe
84Please respect copyright.PENANA21mF6KzFU1
I couldn't be seen here. Not like this. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAN7Z8ACzerw
84Please respect copyright.PENANA7nKRlscKdr
Scrubbing frantically at the bowl, I managed to rub it clean and toss it into the cupboard with the rest. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAwFOe44jqQ9
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAswPePmI2Hn
84Please respect copyright.PENANAujtSFm8xAw
Dropping the pot clumsily, I bolted for the back door. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAqfMROErzjy
I only stopped when I realised that the radio was still singing out as Missy leaned her scooter up in the front yard. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAz5Av976qh1
84Please respect copyright.PENANAhlLKcsj3jp
Dashing back, I snapped the radio off and was scurrying for the back door while frantic feet hurried for the front. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAOETRve3jI6
84Please respect copyright.PENANAy6zRo8XdBr
I hid behind the door I closed behind me, trying to catch my breath that had escaped me in my desperate state. 84Please respect copyright.PENANASBtqG9olu7
84Please respect copyright.PENANALKOjtIhpCe
"Hello?" Missy called out when she stepped inside "is someone there?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANA0jvZWfnh0x
84Please respect copyright.PENANATYDuYtrj2k
She had heard the radio. Maybe she had heard me too? I hadn't exactly been silent in my rampage to remain unseen. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAU9KI8rw7gK
84Please respect copyright.PENANA7sIkMCuzrx
Her rushing feet barrelling for the back door told me she had. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAWs0dhGOw0e
I jolted from it, squatting in the dirt as I tore at my skin that dropped the towel at my trembling feet. 84Please respect copyright.PENANABkihkoBZRW
84Please respect copyright.PENANAzXse9uSd6q
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.84Please respect copyright.PENANAfUCCsqJmS6
84Please respect copyright.PENANAfrio3xNscm
I had forgot to turn them off. My heart dropped at my overlooked mistake that was so blatantly obvious. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAo1XnizFpc5
84Please respect copyright.PENANAW6CyZ92pGG
"Soup?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANAjPca0mA65E
84Please respect copyright.PENANAhh77xkkKio
I didn't say anything. I was too busy trying to catch my breath without making it obvious I was struggling. 84Please respect copyright.PENANApOC1jnZ6Sr
I was surprised she couldn't hear my heart hammering in my throat as I tried to swallow it back down. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA0L6DmxFqKP
84Please respect copyright.PENANA5MrInooGMB
Her brown eyes didn't leave mine. They were flooded with worry and doubt. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAMxrbIXjQxB
84Please respect copyright.PENANA8NCbgytWxm
I wasn't still human, was I? 84Please respect copyright.PENANANzV8HGzagU
84Please respect copyright.PENANARagUyFq46C
Quickly, I scanned my hands to see claws in the place of nails. They pricked at my teeth that were shattered into points. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAm6hZE8ybJU
84Please respect copyright.PENANAdlNgsxUHL0
Missy looked back into the house with a frown, holding a thumb to it. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAyx5ZXXuF5M
84Please respect copyright.PENANAD6orZUVrhx
"Was that..." she hesitated, checking again "...you?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZxiI4Ug94
84Please respect copyright.PENANASe6XT9h9hK
She wasn't sure. All she could do was check the cleaned house then cock her head back at me. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAlsAbmKfZfK
84Please respect copyright.PENANAKjmEuEbgoI
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAf9JopUe7us
84Please respect copyright.PENANAMfqBRt4jJB
She was milling over her own silent conclusions, and I didn't like it. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAxNMXehu8gH
She looked at me different. Her eyes probed for answers she didn't want. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAplZECcMZUX
She swallowed and tried to steady her voice that wavered when it came out at barely a whisper. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAs8PunEOxom
84Please respect copyright.PENANAosq13Tym6G
"Did you...?" 84Please respect copyright.PENANAzwmswgvtVv
84Please respect copyright.PENANAbmVOV99C8O
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAi6ME6wH4ol
84Please respect copyright.PENANArOm6NW7OUZ
I had made it so obvious in my hope not to see the repercussions. It was meant to fall on someone else, not me. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAlH0WbGyUXM
84Please respect copyright.PENANAAEzq9OHxnN
I wasn't meant to be here. I couldn't be here. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA3WijHaoHs6
84Please respect copyright.PENANA427wqxmGox
I had to get out. I didn't want to see her fear flitting at me or listen to the way her breathing trembled. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA0PyLEZcaAd
84Please respect copyright.PENANAotFhmFnvzY
The front door was still open in Missy's pursuit for her intruder. I'd go for that. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAxqVSb4blWp
84Please respect copyright.PENANA3S7WpDSSk2
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.84Please respect copyright.PENANAB39H4P3rmI
84Please respect copyright.PENANAtkTdFLT9BV
"Soup!" she called out, arm outstretched. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA8u2agWxZAC
84Please respect copyright.PENANA8FcO4PQhhT
No. She couldn't see me here. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAlJby2jiFOK
84Please respect copyright.PENANAfzfS2GuJoc
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATxycl9Q4vz
84Please respect copyright.PENANADYT1btG1yY
Missy gripped the fence, scanning blindly with tears in her eyes. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA0tCx8dev32
84Please respect copyright.PENANAMHsnvA3ih0
"Soup!" her voice called, shaking "wait! You don't have to go!" 84Please respect copyright.PENANAuyyEskDtNX
84Please respect copyright.PENANALCRLxya8Qc
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand to try and stifle the sob that slipped through. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATYWe5P6KuQ
84Please respect copyright.PENANAmTS24TY04H
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAat8lv7bc3x
84Please respect copyright.PENANA88zJTzFCz1
I moved, turning for the safety of the East. 84Please respect copyright.PENANATU1LlZHEO8
84Please respect copyright.PENANANjJMOYw7tI
"Soup?" Missy sniffled at the rustling of the grass, her head lifting in my direction. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAHTm9AK5iQ2
84Please respect copyright.PENANAF9D3oow0Zd
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANACHMVMqoBWd
84Please respect copyright.PENANAtjAme4YQM8
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. 84Please respect copyright.PENANAVhlvB8puP3
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.84Please respect copyright.PENANAyqV4WgVFk1
I'd love her silently and she would dream of bright futures where everyone wore her dresses. 84Please respect copyright.PENANA65sYaQDpvH
It would be how it was.