Scavengers of Youth

Adorable pup ugly mutt Trixie is a new gal pal for regal tabby Ginger. Mom gets mad

at Ginger for spraying on the clean laundry. That cat must be smart to work the tap

and hose but kind of dumb for spraying the wrong pile of laundry. Day after hour

Trixie barks at the scavengers of the sky and can’t do tricks like big sigher Rex from

next door but maybe his friend Granny can teach Trixie tricks. We should have

checked if she could even do tricks before giving her that name. Someone called

Trixie an ox eye Mormon. Dad said the Hutterites and Mennonites are nice so she

must be too.

A few months later Trixie dropped some litter and a bunch of puppies crawled out. I

looked at them all but could only see the one with a light grey coat, somewhat familiar

face and blue eyes that speak without talking. I want Smokey to be my dog.

Sometime later we had to give all the pups away to people that will give them a nice

home because we can’t afford to keep them. I begged, pleaded and cried to keep

Smokey… Only Trixie is left and I wonder if she misses Smokey like I do.

Some of my friends say that the pups were probably gunny-sacked and tossed in the

salt-chuck to sink, drown and become food for scavengers of the ocean. My dad

wouldn’t tell me a lie but I never asked him if the pups were sacked. I heard mom and

dad talking about spading and fixing Trixie and Ginger. Instead of fixing them with a

cold spade I think a warm heart would be better. Ginger is still regal and day after

hour Trixie barks at the scavengers of the sky. Smokey’s face sort of reminds me of

sigher Rex… I like him too.

Life Preserved in Word