It’s time to go hunting. I have finished my water. A drop of it runs down my chin. I wag my tail as John puts on my collar and leash. I watch the water slash on the ground like a shattering crystal. John grabs his gun from his desk, spilling the bottle of ink on it.

We walked out the door in the direction of Vagar woods. As we enter the woods, I am thinking of a nice dinner of venison, or maybe a nice, plump, wild duck. Of course, I am feeling sorry for the poor animal that John will be killing, but also for myself. I barely get to eat anything. Either leftovers or nothing.

Anyway, we walk into the woods, and a flash of brown darts a couple yards away between two oaks. John stops abruptly and gives me the signal. I sniff the ground. The smell of deer comes to my nose. I take off, darting between bushes and trees.

John is about 3 yards behind me. I spot the deer nearby munching away on the grass. John creeps up slowly, keeping an eye on the deer. Suddenly, as if a sudden alert had been given, he shoots. The bullet grazed the deer’s antlers and the deer frighted, ran. It darted around the trees, and disappeared.

You must understand that John was a bit of a pessimist, (not as bad as some people) so he pulled on my leash and we went home. As John opened the door, I could hear the faint laughter of John’s niece, Maria. I walked over to my dish under the dining table. It has a few specks of leftover meat in it. I lap it up quickly. Maria sits down to eat her share of half a chicken. John reads the newspaper on the couch. He is too busy reading to notice Maria. I notice that she sliced her share neatly in half. She kneels down with one of the halves and puts it in my bowl. ”I’m sorry you didn’t get much, Pearl”, she says gently. I love that girl.

- The End

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This story was a work of fiction written by Cate Tam. More of her writing will be appearing in Cate’s Musings. This work was produced in 2 sessions of the 30 minute focus writing sessions.

How Parental Stress Affects a Child

20 Monday Dec 2010

Posted by Tony Tam in Cate's Musings, parenting

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“This a series of articles about parenting from the perspective of the child and the parent. I’m a single father a 9 year old child and Cate is a child who excels in writing in school”

Click to read: How Parental Stress Affects a Child