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Shades of White Matter
StoryInside.org
Category:
Mainstream
Publisher: Friction Publishing
ISBN-10: 0981880347
Type: Fiction
Pages: 86
Copyright: 2012
ISBN-13: 9780981880341
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
From moose mysteries and cat rhymes to an ode by sheep, this illustrated collection reflects human hearts touched by animals.
A service puppy, a medical lab, two friends and a seagull, dads, and a dude ranch are some of the pieces of life inside these animal stories for new adults and other grown-ups.
The Stories Inside:
A Vampire Story
Shadow’s Promise
The Tao of Teddy
Reefer
The Exchange
An Ode by Ovis Aries
Pieces of Life
Shades of Gray Matter
About Fur
Dudes
Spunk’s Revenge
Excerpt
STORY EXCERPTS
The Exchange
He was a prehistoric creature, Danielle thought, or a mountain rising from the sea, embodying serenity and danger and destiny. He had been here for a thousand years, slow and wise and unperturbed, knowing all past and future. The moose dipped his huge snout into the pond and emerged with a mouthful of waterweed.
Reefer
My friend Savannah says that my quaint sense of responsibility is the reason that nothing enlightening has ever happened to me. At least that’s what she used to say, before last Saturday when the tourist came in to my family’s bookstore and asked if we had any Reefer, and I ended up in a garbage alley navigating pigeon poop in search of enlightenment.
The Tao of Teddy #1
While our human servant is having some sort of existential crisis, Spunk and I thought we’d take this opportunity to make an observation.
Pieces of Life
The first thing I loved about Donnie was his eyes. They were copper. I never saw anyone with eyes like that before. Donnie was really good with my brother after the accident, when he was so angry that I didn’t know what to do. It was because Donnie knew a little something about anger. I realized that later.
An Ode by Ovis Aries
For ten thousand years we have kept you warm,
Fed your hunger,
Served as sacrifice for your souls.
You call us weak, timid, stupid–
You call us sheep.
Shades of Gray Matter
Emma transferred the brain sections into a clean tray of saline and studied them under a microscope. She enjoyed this part of the week, when she could listen to Mozart and most easily distance herself from the gruesomeness of the previous day’s work.
Shadow’s Promise
Shadow balanced on his hind legs with his great, black paws on the cabin windowsill as he sniffed at the darkening dusk. Gretchen had promised Shadow a child, and tonight held their opportunity.
The Tao of Teddy #2
Measured on a dog scale, cats are misunderstood. (Not that it bothers us, mind you…)
A Vampire Story
Desmodus hadn’t fed in almost two days, and he could feel death drawing near. He carefully spread his wings and glided to the floor. One tiny bite, she wouldn’t even notice. His nose tingled in earnest.
Dudes
After the ordeal of mounting the horses, the wrangler said, “Has anyone seen ‘Return to Snowy River’? We’re going down a hill just like that.” I glanced at my sister, whose carefully procured tan became a shade paler, and my stomach started to churn.
About Fur
Spunk thinks he’s a poet laureate on a mission to immortalize fur. Spunk’s brain is fur, as far I’m concerned…
“Must you shed on the bed?” she said, with nary a note of humor.
Fur on the quilt reveals my guilt; it can’t be dismissed as rumor.
Pet my fur, it makes me purr. Spunk begged with his big green eyes.
But the fur in the laundry created a quandary; she’s getting wise to our lies…
Spunk’s Revenge
Spunk the cat sat on a hot, brick deck just swishing his tail around…
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