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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiA825PQoFP
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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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnHRB1lD9d
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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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPD4WaWRep8
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqfOvzW7eB
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8qTKRIx0W
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWKQMXz5Qx
I was in clear sight of them now. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8lc5BfYTc
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5NxiFzA3T
"Soup!" the tiny voice blew on the breeze to catch my attention again. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Qa7DkBYHj
It was so faint, but it was the sound I was waiting for. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIYGA5BsJh
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhZcN64zzD
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONdyRCfjKC
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYWLMfxMfF
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6cUwjTSZc
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdu8qFeQRm
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcwYMUEpjV
I used to call him Bartleby. He preferred Bartie.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0Ztz5bmJ6
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"MISSY!" Bartie cupped his hands around his mouth before pointing them to me "you've got to stop feeding the beast!" 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuI95fgFHUf
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsEjCwD8NG
I snickered at his concern and walked past Bartie before he cleared his throat to halt me. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiKFAd9n0Z
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1uFuLzds8
"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!" 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo16sxdQ1E
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSFsh4l7Ad
He had no reason to worry so much. It was the same empty threat he had been giving me for three months straight now. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZC2iNds2Qy
I just shook off Bartie's concern and raced for the woman waving for me to come. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lMs8kyxYf
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGSJuXcbuG
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXqzD4OHqS
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNKXAxMMMw
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5U8k7vDybj
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJDOudGLKp
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgtqRgOlhz
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPAXJhHWHn
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWTzk0Lj8L
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagFMz4di4B
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIGhJ2GhbU
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSF3J3KcAuV
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5bkYP07It
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeDKXzFv7s
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPH9RBGtG2
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7ovCVN6T0
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUjh1VPdw9
"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." 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOuglRXV6i
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpKHfXYw9s
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPz1bhBlNGF
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzmOsnQFiL
"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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r9Uc5wSos
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ElX3mAYyk
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwcSQDu4r1
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLowxIBJL3J
She cradled her soup in her lap while I blew onto mine to try and cool it enough to scoff it down. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KaL6s2JHe
My stomach was begging for the hot meal that little birds and discarded rubbish along the roads could never satisfy. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmHBS25wfa
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfpLqpB1wV
"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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYlUID9qqi
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5fKwq6w9e
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGDWTUqQAl
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ta3wygvoD
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Y5oOpPHd
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQFntAu0iw
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkkJ54SySP
I placed the bowl beside her and lowered myself back down. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDymhBaC5i7
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"More please" I pointed.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBUcBxbtRA
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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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirOAUMrz2i
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Missy liked it when I talked to her, and I liked it when I made Missy happy. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVuJKHUQS6
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNLyQIZADE
"You're hungry today" she mused "did I not feed you enough yesterday?" 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSW5eAO5EQ
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I just smiled and watched her retreat back inside, leaving her bowl on the stairs. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFBUtijQuZ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4p0oXC6NhT
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQ2dvYKaBc
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKJFGW6gTu
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWj6anvdpcb
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsgtTpZTnJ
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANZvjEwMzK
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GOTtw91iC
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEKuMexM6Z
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwZsbMgHKk
I ate my soup and accepted her new name for me that spread through the town. It was simple and the way things were. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8m3ZLfjw5y
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg75nL51Ro
"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." 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRsBub3mt7
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡishUBhPyWM
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.81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf13qREdpDX
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVDjQUoruc
I took the filled bowl to drop one of the slices of bread into her own before shovelling this one down greedily. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1PJqxWEnL
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgt2jrLiRLu
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UiUhZpMBQ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT52QtTfVzZ
I snapped down the tough meat, licked the bowl, then headed back for the wall of grass awaiting me. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPAZviNeN4
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY7344OvwJ
"See you tomorrow?" Missy called out with a worried frown. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2uXj05CBS
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Of course, she would. I would never leave her wondering where I had gone. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3Fk7jkZ6u
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSeHVHcl2r
I nodded and disappeared into the grass to follow the train tracks back to the East. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2CmUpK7I0
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr89iI0xDtN
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr21lcAkI5
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzajwEiUXoH
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSrkGer0Jt
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpL1IZtxw4
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5g5tNo4mR
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv43xUgtW8U
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvH5D4j0tt
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One day I might go visit those places. For now, I had my reason to stay here. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UXyW2MldM
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? 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeICNrVMvJ
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugUh0qbpDR
I smiled at the moon and laid back, so I didn't have to take my eyes from it. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQCKDi4aUE
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. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjvGIKc169
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBnvKw51zu
The moonlit field of fireflies would be nice tonight. I could wait until Missy gifted me with her wonderful food tomorrow. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHyir4EPhI
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1R10mG81g
I curled up with my hands wrapped around me, pretending they were hers cradling me and breathing warmth into me. 81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSxeZrKW1C
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKevKGqPIK
One day...8964 copyright protection77ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYROMMBZP6 維尼

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