literature
Animals make great literature even greater: from Toto to Wilbur to the three little kittens who lost their mittens.
- Top Story - February 2021
Perfection Is A Fig
The hot July sun beams in through the open window, creating a patch of warmth that Fig happily stretches out on. He yawns lazily, waving his tail slowly back and forth, his fur warm to the touch. Oregon has been on a record stretch of heat, the suburban air scented coconut from sunscreen and summer cocktails enjoyed in the shade. Fig remains content in his heat-induced delirium, a level of relaxation one can only achieve after a lifetime of having nowhere to be and nothing to do. Voices downstairs pull Fig out of his summer daze, he squints his good eye open, wondering if it is worth investigating or not. He lost his left eye many years ago, when he was a kitten, in a fight over something he can’t remember. It took him months to build up the courage to look at himself, scared that such a disfigurement would be too much for others to accept. Now, most days, he likes being different, and he takes pride in the fact that his one eye contains more appreciation for art and culture than most cats have with two.
Alexis MakepeacePublished 3 years ago in Petlife Be more like Hem
When the fortune cookie said months ago that there would be "Great money coming my way" this year, to say I was skeptical, would be an understatement!! As I stare out the window, I pull out my black notebook; the shock still fresh, that I won $20,000!? That is the type of thing that happens to other people. Not to me. My luck usually consists of things like smashing the screen on my 2-day old cell phone (while waiting for my new phone case to arrive) or having someone rear end my 1-month-old SUV. Or working in the travel industry during the breakout of a Global Pandemic-one that inflicted a worldwide travel ban and forced the entire world into lockdown!!
Ange D'entremontPublished 3 years ago in PetlifePurrs and Pearls
I paced anxiously in lobby. My aunt's lawyers were as grandiose as she had been, everything was wood and marble. There were paralegals and secretaries running around, filling, every other minute someone came and delivered something that was important to someone's livelihood.
Karalynn RowleyPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeWanda's Wish
She stared out the rain-soaked windows of her train car as she zipped through woods and fields lit by a dim grey light. A distinct feeling of dread hung over her - but not the usual blanket of discomfort she usually felt, it was a more smothering dread that she could feel deep into her bones. Along with the dread came the guilt.
Shelly MateerPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeThe Lion's Shadow is a Lamb
There is no bravery that compares to that of a lion. You know this intuitively if you ever meet one. From the long golden mane that billows like an imperial cloak, the deep eyes that seem to take in their surrounding’s with a sense of ownership and the indiscernible tilt to the head as if adorned by a regal crown. But there is one lion that is the bravest of them all. The lion of the Wilde Fare Forest. He had an air about him. The way he moved shore footedly across the forest carpet with a sense of grandeur and royalty reminded one of a king.
Wonita Gallagher-KrugerPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeThe Cockroach
It was a close call, but I made it. They nearly crushed me flat with a book and then, if that wasn't enough, they tried to gas me to death. But, I scurried up and out of sight, into the safety of my crack in the wall.
Patrick LeePublished 3 years ago in PetlifeListen to Your Dog
Listen To Your Dog By Doug Caldwell Chapter One “I guess the most surprising thing we’ve found to date, is how much some dogs swear. When they are excited or upset with something they begin with a river of cussing that becomes more animated the angrier they get. We can now filter that cussing out once the dog’s basic vocabulary and emotional triggers are captured in memory, but it takes a few hours of use for the software to learn these patterns for that to happen, and the higher the cuss filter is set, the longer it takes the software to learn. So at first we recommend the filter be as low as possible to make it easier.”
Doug CaldwellPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeA Profitable Murder
“It started fairly innocuously of course” “Yeah?” “Yeah, I was sitting in the park, I had a bagel I’d bought from that little bakery on Signet Street…”
Nick RowleyPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeRoger the World’s Greatest Therapy Dog
Roger is a yellow lab. He lives in Care City. A city know for having the best hospitals and taking care of all the citizens. Roger has never had a job. Roger lives in a apartment with his owner Michael. Michael is a doctor at Care City Hospital. One night Roger was sitting on his couch in his apartment, watching his favorite TV show, World’s Sexiest yellow labs. As Roger was watching TV. there was a knock at the door. Roger walked over to the door and opened it.
Jmjulius15 JayPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeToday I Won't Chase
Have you ever experienced something so powerful that fighting against its compelling attraction just isn't on the menu much less on the plate? That's how my demon has controlled me but by gosh this will be the year that I regain the reign over my own palace of self! The chase doesn't just haunt my waking hours it's penetrated my subconscious like a Japanese Katana vertically parsing a bamboo shoot. This affected my sleep and frankly pilfered its regenerative abilities. I always playback a dream that reoccurs the way an 80s rom-com on HBO does, it begins with me running through the forest naked, inches shy of the ground, four puffy paws to the floor. I'm so close to the prairie dog that's breaking our path that I can hear its heartbeat thumping like a bass drum, leading our dance through the foliage. A flash appears deep starboard, pushing the limits of my periphery, I can make out an awe striking bright ruby beam of light. The prairie dog breaks right but I maneuver quickly to the port side following the crimson beast as if I'm its next cart on a train. I can't win the fight, it even forces me to defy my own instinct.
Bruce__LeroyPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeThe Old Barn Owl
“What should we do today,” asked the sparrow. “Fly high in the sky,” called the eagle “No! No! you always higher than us, that’s no fair!” declared the blue jay.
Kyle MorrisonPublished 3 years ago in PetlifeWhat Comes After
Ozzy opened his eyes, squinting in the bright light. "Where am I?" He spoke. "You're in the best place ever." Ozzy immediately remembered the voice from his younger days. "Daisy?" He questioned. It looked like her, but younger, stronger. But how could that be? He hadn't heard her voice in such a long time.