Tag: dogs

The Cat Will Mew …

Posted on by Simon J. Wood

(850 words) Gregory padded along outside our patio doors, a young rabbit, obviously alive, suspended obscenely from his jaws. It hung there, almost touching the ground, petrified and staring blankly ahead as it swung from side to side, its silky brown fur ruffled by the breeze. Like a little girl abducted from outside her school by a ghoul lusting for fresh lean meat, or a shrieking schoolboy plucked from his bed through an open window by the enormous hand of a ravenous giant, the rabbit was doubtless heading for the same fate. “Oh my god, Paul, not another!” exclaimed Amanda, coming into the sunroom. “He had one yesterday and I saw him with another one a couple of days ago. That poor little rabbit.” “It’s nature. That’s what predators do, catch and kill their prey.”

If Only They Could Speak (excerpts)

Posted on by Simon J. Wood

It’s been over two and a half years since I last published a post containing excerpts of stories from my blog, so now seemed a good time for another one! As before, I’m posting short extracts from twenty stories, but this time with a strong animal connection: there are dogs and cats aplenty plus the odd duck, red kite and puma! As always, I state the word count, to give an idea how much time it would take to read the full story. There are tales old and new here, so I’m confident you’ll find something to enjoy! Duck Surprise (200 words) Sheldon paddled nonchalantly, maintaining his favoured position in the middle of the pool. He watched the other ducks near the bank scrabbling for bread with disdain – his mother had always told him he had superior intelligence. If Only They Could Speak (650 words) “Rudyard, here Rudyard!” Rudyard’s ginger face appeared in the doorway. He hesitated, seeing a stranger in the room. “Here kitty, good kitty!” called William Wilde, professor William Wilde as he now was. Gingerly, Rudyard came into the study, studiously ignoring Willy and jumped onto my lap, purring. His huge yellow eyes looked up at me quizzically. ....

Poor Rose

Posted on by Simon J. Wood

(1100 words) “What time do you get off?” the girl had asked me. Surprised, I’d turned from flipping a burger. She was tall, slim, with blonde hair in a short pony tail. “I’ve a break in twenty minutes. Why?” “Can we chat? I need a favour.” The next twenty minutes had crawled past. I could see the girl sitting in a corner, fiddling with her phone. What the hell did she want? “Look, my name’s Martha, I come here sometimes, you’ve served me a couple of times,” she said when I was free to join her. Now I came to think about it, she did seem somewhat familiar, but then we served a lot of people. “You seem a nice guy and I need someone to do me a favour.” “What?” “My sister phoned me to say she’s mislaid her house keys. I’ve got a spare but I’m a nurse and I’m needed on the other side of town, I’ve really gotta go. Like, now.”