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101 Word Short Stories

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Cowardice

December 3, 2020 3 Comments

By Virginia Renz Higgins

“Here, Dr. Carter, please take him.”

The vet looked at Clare with displeasure. “Don’t you think you owe it to Charlie to hold him until it’s over? You’ve been his whole world,” he pleaded.

Clare was not persuaded. “No, it’s too difficult. Just take him.” She transferred the small, limp dog into his reluctant arms.

A minute later Clare stood blinking in the sunlight while fumbling for her keys. The drive home was uneventful and when she walked inside, she noticed the garbage was starting to smell. Harold’s TV was blaring, but above that screamed a new silence Clare couldn’t ignore.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynda Savard says

    December 3, 2020 at 7:10 am

    OMG! The worst dilemna, decision, feeling in so few words. Very sadly well written.

    Reply
  2. Derek McMillan says

    December 3, 2020 at 10:42 am

    This is a heart-rending story. It is very effective, “a new silence”.

    Reply
  3. MyChele Renee says

    December 3, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Bittersweet. This brought me to when I took my pet to the vet, but had to leave without him. Very well written. I still feel the “silence”

    Reply

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