CHICKEN

Sun no longer wake. Waiting long time. Don’t know long, just know it been long time. Scared. Sun keep come then go then come then go.

Me hungry.

No food. Me stand here. Me stand long time. When Mommy coming back? Sun come back and go away many, many times. How long me stand here? When Mommy coming back? 

Collar round neck itchy. No way scratch. Can’t get leg to neck. I so itchy. Me lose hair. Feet bony. So hungry. Me eat mud.

Leash on pole. Mud my food. Mud all food I get. Wormy worms come out when rained. Lots of wormy worms. I eat worms and slug and mud. Mud all I get. Mud yucky. Mud dirty.

Mommy used say when I eat mud I get sick. Don’t want get sick.

So hungry.

I bark at moon. Clouds over moon. Light shine from pole. Mommy call it, ‘Street light’. Street light come on when sun go bye bye and moon say hi. 

It was dark. I bark at moon. It was hot. Paws hurt from standing. I hurt from standing. Stand too long. Leash tie too high for me sit. Can’t sit. Must stand. I try sit. Leash too tight. Legs tired.

I attached to pole. Collar choked me. Leash pulled collar. Could not sit. Why it hurt? Why it hurt so much? Mommy tie leash too high. When Mommy come back? It hurt. I don’t like hurt.

She left me. Mommy left. I not hungry before. Now I eat mud. Patches hair fall off body. Legs become boney. Patches hair fall off me. I get crusty in eyes. Vision blurry. Don’t sleep. Can’t sleep when standing. Hard sleep when stand. I try sleep. Can’t sleep. Eyes hard keep open. Sun come up then go bye bye many times. Don’t know when Mommy coming back.

When Mommy coming back?

My paws sink more in mud. I covered in mud. Some of it crusty. Some of it fresh. Some of it smelled like rain. Some smelled like worms. I like worms, but ate all of them. They were only food I ate. Too long. Too, too long. 

Too long all I eat worms, mud, slugs. There no more worms, mud, slugs. Hard eat crusty mud. Instead I lick. Flies buzz around face. I not poop too long, but no food. Flies buzz me. Flies everywhere. More and more flies. I can’t catch them. No flies for food.

So hungry.

Hungry.

Eyes don’t see straight. Feel weird. I feel weird. Like I go to fall. Leash keeps me standing. Tied too high. I tug on it. Cough. Tug again. Cough. Tug. Tug, tug. Tug. No way me lay down. I cough. Cry for mommy. When Mommy come back? Me hungry. Me need food. Don’t want lick mud anymore.

My eyes don’t see straight. Feel weird. White, blacks, and grays all blurry. Vision blurry. All stuff in sight look like one thing — like one, big, blurry thing.

My insides sting. They burn. My tummy feels empty. All empty. Too empty. I lick at mud. My toes itchy. I bite my toes if could reach, but can’t reach. If could reach, I lay down. Can’t lay down. Must stand. My insides sting. Burn. Feel empty. All empty. Vision get blurry. Crusty in eyes. Mouth feel slimy. Spit thick in mouth. No more mouth water. No more rain. No more slugs or worms. Mouth feel slimy. Teeth are numb. Me scared.

When Mommy coming back?

So hungry.

Too hungry.

Feel barf-y. Feel like barf. Don’t feel right. Feel like insides shrinking. 

I yank at collar. Cough. Yank again. Cough some more.

Keep trying. Keep trying. Keep trying.

Need to be freed.

Hurts too much.

I yank again. Cough. Wished I was free.

What is free like? Been here too long. How me still here?

Where is she?

I bark. I whine. I bark. I whine.

I can’t see. Vision blurry. I smell. I smell people. Feel crusties in eyes. Vision blurry. I see blurry people. There are three. I see three people. Three of them here. Can’t believe I see people. I bark. I bark lots. My throat hurts. I cough. I bark. I cough. I bark. There are people. Maybe they see me. Maybe I free.

People! People!

I see a man, a man, and a woman! There are people! I see people!

People! People!

I bark more. I cough. I bark more. I cough. So much cough, but need tell them me here.

They have food! Food! It’s meat! It smells like meat! They have meat! I love meat! Meat is good! Meat is good! They have food! I hope I get food! Need food. Need food. Food yummy. Mouth feel slimy. I bark more. Want tell them me here.

They walk to me. They see me! They see me! I whine to tell them me scared. I stand, tongue out mouth. I pant. Pant, pant. Pant, pant. Me scared. Me scared they leave me here. They see me? They see me? They careful. They look scared. They scared of me? For me? Why scared for me? Me fine. Just need Mommy. Where Mommy go? Maybe they free me. Maybe they free me and I go find Mommy.

But me hungry. Me need food. They have food. I smell meat. They have meat. I love meat. I need meat in belly. Mouth feels slimy. Teeth feel numb. Need food.

The woman say something. I don’t know. She reach out her hand. Scratched behind my ear. Feel so good. I thump my leg. Me hungry. Woman crying. Woman scratching behind my ear. Woman crying. Why she crying? I be fine. Just need home. Just need food. Me be fine. Why me so hungry? Why Mommy gone so long?

Maybe they help me find Mommy.

If we can’t find Mommy, maybe woman be new Mommy?

Thump. Thump. Thump.

She still scratch ear.

One men give me piece of meat. His palm up, meat in center. I eat it out his hand. It’s white. Meat still hot. Meat hot and I lick all over his hand. I lick all over his hand and get all meat. I taste hand. Hand taste like chicken.

Chicken! I love chicken! Chicken!

Woman unhook me from pole. I bark at them. I happy bark. I happy whine. I happy chase tail. I happy dance. I happy. I pant, pant. I tired. I happy. I chase tail. I happy. I pant, pant. I tired.

I chase my tail for a few seconds, then get another chicken. I love chicken. These people are nice! Nice people! Hand taste like chicken. I get scratch on chin. I thump leg. Leg go thump thump. He tear off more chicken. I eat it out his palm. He scratches me. Leg go thump thump.

I love people!

Man with chicken scratches my chin. It feels good. I close eyes. Thump my tail. Maybe these people can be my new mommy? Maybe people take me home! Maybe people feed me more chicken! Maybe I get ham! Maybe I get cheese! Maybe I get burger! Bacon! Taco!

Lick his hand. He tastes like chicken. He smells like chicken. I love chicken! I love chicken so much! I keep licking. Can’t stop licking. He taste so good. He taste so, so good. I keep licking. I keep licking his hand. Spit made his hand shiny. Lots spit in mouth. Me get lots of spit. Me like spit. Spit making me hungry. Me need more food. He no more chicken. I keep licking his hand. I get another taste. Human? He smells good. Like fake woods. Like many men smell. Fake wood and paper thingies people looked at with all the pages.

Smell makes me more hungry.

He is laughing.

He’s happy! He’s happy! I chase my tail again.

He scratches me. I lick his hand. Hand taste so good. No longer taste like chicken, but I like hand. I hungry. I so hungry. I nip at him. Bite his fingers. I bite his fingers. Human taste. I like human taste. I not know I like human taste. He no longer taste like chicken. Now taste like human. Me like human. Me like human. Human taste good.

Taste good. Human taste good. Bite his fingers again. One finger pop off body. One finger in my mouth. I go crunch, crunch. So much crunch, crunch, then swallow. Blood so good. Blood taste too good. Me love blood. Taste sweet. Taste like metal pole I lick when try get water. Blood more taste than pole. Me love blood. Me want taste more blood. I bite another finger. He’s screaming. They’re screaming. Why they screaming? They bring me food. 

Blood everywhere. Blood explosion. I love blood! Blood all over me. I lick paws. I bite his leg. I drag leg. I off pole. Me crunch, crunch on leg. Me hungry. Me so hungry.

Blood is good!

Blood is good!

Blood is good!

They’re all scream. He taste too good. I not want stop. Me not stop. Me not going to stop. Even when hungry, me big doggy. Me keep eating. I keep crunching. I keep crunching. He trying push me off. He lying on back. He try get me off. Can’t stop.

Don’t know why. Can’t stop. I ate all chicken. Still hungry. I eat and eat and eat and eat. He made of meat. I like meat. Meat taste good. Me love meat. Me so hungry. Me too hungry. Me always going to eat. Me now know what human taste like.

I miss Mommy.

I keep eating. Mommy no longer here, but me find humans. Humans find me. Me no longer have Mommy, but I eat human. I know I eat human now. Human better than chicken. I like blood. Blood tasty. Me eat blood now. 

Man taste like human. He human. Me not know humans taste good. Humans taste good. I like human. Mommy left me. These people leave me, too. Need them food now. Now I know Mommy leave me. They leave me, but now I have food. I want all the food. I want all the food forever and ever and ever and ever. I want eat more human. I will eat more human. There are lots and lots of him left. 

Lots and lots of him. He nice, but taste better.

I eat and eat and crunch-crunched and munch-munched.

His bones snap easy. I cover in blood. Friends can’t stop screaming. I don’t know why they scream. I have food now. Lots and lots of food. Me going to be fine. Mommy don’t know. Mommy never coming back. Me not eat Mommy. Mommy tie me to light pole and leave. Mommy leave me. No one ever leave me ever again. No one ever. Me be fine. Big woods. Lots of woods. Lots of woods, but they keep scream. They were on walk. Me happy they free me. Now me get food. Lots and lots of food.

Lick my paws. Blood sticky. Lick my teeth. I so much saliva in mouth. Lick up to my nose. Blood everywhere. Lick my paws. Chew on paws. Lick my paws. 

His friends scream, back up, scream, turn around, run. His friends run. They too scared. They very, very scared. I have more food. I going to have fun. Lots and lots of fun. They run through forest. I don’t know if they know forest, but Mommy and I used be here lots. She used to give me food. We go on picnics. Me miss Mommy, but Mommy leave. No more Mommy, but me find people. I live forest now. Me forest.

The other two got away. They got away. 

They run, but I know forest. 

Mommy and I know forest, but Mommy gone. Mommy left me at our favorite spot. Me don’t know why, but me no longer have Mommy so Mommy gone. 

The other two got away. They got away. I saw them run.

This forest too big for them.

They’ll get lost. I will find them. I will find them. It will be easy. I have good nose. I be hunter now. I doggy. I good hunter. Me good hunter. Me stay good hunter. Me always be good hunter. I doggy. Me big doggy. I save this food for later.

Right now, me hunt.