Horror of the Miracle of Life
Photo Credit: Chotda (Flickr.com)
“Did she?” asked Kevin. He picked his daughter up, since she was still small enough to hold, and carried her with him. “Where’s Doug?”
“I think he’s in the barn,” Caroline said. “Can we name them?”
“We’ll see,” said Kevin. They walked into the barn. Sure enough, Polly was lying on her side, and the little puppies were suckling at her teats. They were small and white, with black spots and pink noses; blind, of course, and making little squeaking noises.
“Aren’t they cute?” Caroline asked. She got down from her father’s side and ran over to see them. “I love them so much!”
Kevin walked over to his son, who was sitting nearby, watching the dogs from a distance. “How many?” Kevin asked.
“Six,” Doug said. “But there’s something wrong with one of them. I’ve been keeping an eye on him.” He pointed to one puppy on the side that was being crowded out from the teats. “The other pups won’t let him get any milk, and Polly’s tried to eat him twice.”
Kevin nodded. “Did Caroline see that?”
“She thinks Polly’s just playing,” said Doug. “I didn’t want to tell her, you know?”
Kevin put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said. “Can you go get a bottle of milk?”
Doug stood up. “You’re gonna try to keep him?” he asked. “You know what’s gonna happen.”
Caroline looked up from her spot next to the puppies. “Come see the puppies, daddy!” she said.
“I think we should try,” said Kevin, sighing. “I don’t want to break her heart.”
Doug headed towards the house, and Kevin walked over towards Polly. “They’re so cute,” Caroline said. “Can we name them now?”
“We can name one of them,” Kevin said. He pointed to the one on the side. “How about that one?”
Caroline reached for him. The puppy squirmed in her little hands, sniffing and squeaking as she picked him up. “Come here,” she said in her little voice. “Mama won’t hurt you.”
“Have you thought of a name?” Kevin asked.
“I think…” she said. “I think I want to call him Cookies n Cream, because he looks like my favorite ice cream.”
Kevin smiled. “Cookies n Cream is a little long for a name,” he said. “How about Cookie?”
“But… OK. But can I still call him Cookies n Cream, Daddy?” she asked. “Even if his name is just Cookie?”
“You can call him whatever you want, sweetie,” he said. He knelt down. “Let me see Cookie for a minute.”
She held him close and kissed him for a moment, and then handed him up. Kevin quickly looked over the pup, trying to sense why Polly wasn’t taking to him. It looked like he was all right, but Kevin wondered if something was wrong with him they couldn’t quite spot yet. He handed Cookie back to Caroline.
“Doug says Polly tried to eat Cookie earlier,” Kevin said.
“Yeah, she’s silly,” said Caroline.
Kevin laughed to show he’d made a joke. “Did she know we were going to name him Cookie?” he asked. “Did Polly think he sounded like he was going to taste good?”
Now Caroline laughed too. “You’re silly, Daddy,” she said.
Kevin was glad this had worked out so easily. He needed to explain to his daughter that Polly might try to eat the puppy again, that mother dogs would cull their own pups when they sensed they wouldn’t survive. He needed to make sure Caroline knew that life came at a high price, and that dogs didn’t think about killing their young the same way that people did. It was a lot to have to explain to a five-year-0ld who had just warmed up to the idea of puppies.
Doug returned with the bottle, and Kevin showed Caroline how to feed the puppy. “Milk for Cookie,” he said with a forced laugh. “They go together.”
And then, with a heavy sigh, he sat his daughter down and watched her cry as he explained the cold, difficult facts to her.
Fiction, Writing Scraps | SeanJJordan | 
January 12, 2010 12:38 am
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By Durge, January 12, 2010 @ 10:04 am
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