She kept a firm grip on the warm, now lifeless body of her victim while digging what would serve as its final resting place. The hole wasn’t very deep, but should sufficiently cover the remains, hiding what she had done. Time was of the essence and if she didn’t finish soon, she knew she would be discovered. She tossed the carcass in the slash in the ground she’d just made and then hastily covered the body with loose dirt and leaves. Just then, she heard her name being called and hustled up to the porch. Momma greeted her, as usual, so she allowed herself to relax a little. Momma hadn’t seen what she had done.
Contrary to how it might appear, she was not a killer. Stalking her prey was innate, though truth be told, it was just a game for her; one in which she was always the victor. Well, almost always. One summer evening, her keen eyes spotted a flick of a tail in the darkness. She sprinted in that direction and when she was upon it, her victim had already expired. Puzzled, she nudged it, trying to coax life back into the creature. By that time, Daddy had come up beside her and saw what she had done. She fixed her eyes on his, pleading with him to understand that she didn’t kill it. She found it this way. Daddy gently patted her head and led her back to the house.
She watched as he retrieved a shovel to bury the body. She saw him approach the corpse and then stop and look around, shining his flashlight in all directions. With each sweep of the beam of light, she peered into the briefly illuminated darkness, searching for the body. It was gone! Read the rest of this entry »