Love makes choices.

As the storm raged on, sleep eluded Emily. She tossed and turned relentlessly, chasing sleep. The air outside was cold, but warm inside; perfect harmony. Yet, she couldn't help as the feeling of regret gnawed away at her. Pushing away from her dog, she left the room to get some fresh air, opening the door silently so as not to wake him.

Zipping open her raincoat, she flipped open her locket, staring at all the faces in the tiny pictures.

"Mom, dad, Charley, Jetta, Mr. Lewis," the tears welled up in her eyes, matching the sea's salt, "I'm sorry, but I have to choose him."

As her tears rolled along with the waves, the boat came to an abrupt halt. So sudden was it, that the force threw Emily up into the air, nearly sending her overboard. Clutching onto the railing for dear life, she cried "HELP!"

Looking down, something slithered up from the depths. Wrapping its tendrils, a kraken had seized the boat's movement! Sensing her heart's rampant beating, a tentacle shot out snatching Emily.

It surfaced, eying Emily before guiding her towards its beak.

"NO! PLEASE!"

"WOOOF!" The scent of danger roused her dog from slumber. Breaking through the cabin's wall, it growled at the kraken before sinking his canines into its arm.

"EMILY! YOU SAID THAT MUTT WAS SEDATED!" A rifle was procured.

"Captain!" A crewmate yelled, "Not Clifford! Aim for the squid's eye!"

Hesitating about who to aim at, the captain made his decision.

BANG!

***

Thavien's Tokens: "This story is inspired by the recent Vocal Social Society challenge, as issued by Gina C."

For this week, your prompt is to write a Microfiction Story of 250 words or less about…

A pet on a boat! 🐶🛥️

"This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own the characters Emily-Elizabeth Howard, Clifford, Caroline Howard, Mark Howard, Charley, Jetta Handover, and Sheriff Lewis. Please do not sue me."

Source Cited:

1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000 TV Series), 12 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_the_Big_Red_Dog_(2000_TV_series)Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.