Gratitude

Nate looked at the man playing ball with his dog by the river, and his heart broke with despair.

Photo courtesy Wildverbs

That dog was magnificent, tall, muscular, shiny coat glistening in the sunlight. Nate looked at Roger sitting next to him- a runt, under-developed and under-nourished.

He had taken Roger under his wings when Roger’s mother had sacrificed her life saving Nate from a herd of wildebeest in Africa. He had sworn then that he would take care of Roger forever.

But life as a veteran had been tough back in America. Still, whatever little he managed to scavenge, he always shared equally with Roger. His code of honour would not allow him to do otherwise.

The man now threw the ball hard in the air, and it flew way beyond his dog, straight into the river. “Brutus, fetch!” the man shouted, and the dog rushed into the river.

“Roger, fetch” said Nate, and Roger too slipped gently into the river. Nate heaved a sigh of relief. At least his pet crocodile would not go hungry today.

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175 words.

Written as a part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers, hosted by Priceless Joy.  The challenge is to write a story in 175 words or less, based on the weekly photo prompt.  For more information visit HERE. To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

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