Twelve

by Squiddums

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Twelve is strong; it’s months, and the number of hours before you start over again at the beginning, the years when a kid is still a kid and hasn’t tipped over that birthday into teenager-hood and begun that final climb to adulthood.

Stump was twelve years old, and he liked the nightset, the twelve hours from seven to seven. Enough time to see the people go to bed, and see the people get up and into their cars and drive along the snowy roads in the thick grey fog, their headlights bright.

The cold didn’t bother him. He had fur. He liked the night; nobody would get a good look at him, in the dark.

There was a girl at the house with the rock garden, and she’d put food out on the patio. Stump would climb over the back fence and sit in the snow and eat, and sometimes she’d watch through the glass door.

She never opened it, but she never threw anything, either.

Stump sometimes had to chase away raccoons and opossums and one time a skunk. He got in a fight with a coyote once, too.

It was okay. He won.

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Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. Twelve

    Capital "W" Writer (LoA's Geekus Awesomeus)'s Buddy Icon Capital "W" Writer (LoA's Geekus Awesomeus)

    Posted 6 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    You like to pretend you can write? I think this shows it’s more than mere pretending. I think you have an innate talent for it that can only grow as you work with it. Good job!

  2. Twelve

    thebetweenspace's Buddy Icon thebetweenspace

    Posted 6 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    I agree with “W”. Not only are you a good storyteller from what I’ve seen here, but you’re also a heck of a writer. I guess most of us are here to build confidence and learn from each other. Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!

  3. Twelve

    Mistress Elsha Hawk's Buddy Icon Mistress Elsha Hawk

    Posted about 1 month ago

    at first I was thinking “cat” since Stump climbed over a fence, but with the mention of all the animals fought off, I realized Stump must be a stray dog. Is this from personal experience? I love how you fed us little details, clues, to get us hooked! :)

  4. Twelve

    Mighty-Joe Young's Buddy Icon Mighty-Joe Young

    Posted about 1 month ago

    it couldnt be a cat they have hair dogs have fur right? idk i like it and love the icon

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