Doggie

[andrewducker]

Warren Ellis is holding a 200-word flash-fiction day.  I submitted an early draft of this, then rewrote it just now:

233 words, but what can you do?

Sandy was a good dog, friendly dog, happy dog. Sandy was a careless dog, ran into a car. Breathing slowly on a slab, staring with his warm brown eyes, Sandy wasn't ever going to run anywhere again. Watching him lie, staring up, giving up was just too much to take.

They gave us a simple choice, a brand new choice, expensive choice. Cut away the broken bones, reinforce and rebuild. None of this had been done before, I didn't care, just wanted him. Watch run through fields again, jump again, bark again. And he did.

Years went by of happiness, streaking fur, joyful barks. Sandy never learnt to be more careful than a pup. Lost a bone here, a bone there, a muscle strained, a tendon pulled. Ten years passed, then twenty did, paws now steel, fur now wool. Living on his third new back, second nose, all new claws. Even Sandy’s voice was new, a patchwork voice, spliced in voice; taken from my old home tapes, sampled down, remixed.

I wanted him to be my friend, stay with me, last forever. Bit by bit we chipped away, sliced away, so he’d stay. Soon there was nothing left to change, just his brain, fading away. But anything can be remade, small enough, smart enough. So now there's no pup left at all, handle changed, and the head. But he’s still my good dog, friendly dog, happy dog. Still a very careless dog, but I’m careful with his backup.

Comments

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Neat!

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

*wild applause!*