Congress of Rough Writers January 20 flash fiction challenge: In 99 words, no more and no less, write a story about a boy and his dog.
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| ciadefoto: Flickr/CC Attribution 4.0 License |
Jane watches Troubles run around the dog park. A soft voice speaks. She hadn’t felt anyone sit down on her bench.
“I like your dog. I had a dog but he ran away.”
She glances at the boy beside her. “I like him too.”
“Where’d you get him?”
She doesn’t want to say she found him, abandoned along with the house she broke into and squats in. She inspects the boy surreptitiously: healthy, expensive clothes, could afford to feed Troubles better than she can. Sadness limns his face.
This boy needs this dog as much as she does. Almost.
Each flash you seem to go deeper into this character and reveal truths about people in pain. Jane can recognize the boy's internal need despite his lack of material need. Also she continues to harbor the fear of being found out -- a homeless squatter. I can feel her temptation to ease his pain despite her own. These stories are so rich!
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