“Mummah!” Acorn cooed softly to her owner. This mare was a chubby butternut hued fluffy that was a certified good girl. No, really! She’d gone to fluffy training school with her mummah and had received a paper that said so. Said paper had been framed and once hung on a wall, though now it was put away into a cardboard box.
Ashley looked down to her fluffy. They’d been together since she herself was five and she was seven now. Two years was a long time when you were so young, and Acorn was her very best friend. It didn’t matter though. Her mom and dad were moving them away and best friend or not, Acorn couldn’t go.
Her parents told her that she would be given to a nice family that loved her but had heard them saying that Acorn would be put down instead. She knew what that was, vaguely. One of her friends had a dog that was put down. It meant ‘dead’.
Tucking a bag against one hand, she reached for Acorn’s leash and hooked it on her collar. Taking her out for walks wasn’t anything out of the ordinary: Ashley was very responsible and this was a good neighborhood.
“Wawkies tu pawk? Dank yew mummah. Acown wub pawk.” The fluffy exclaimed happily as they stepped out the door. Normally Ashley was always talking excitedly with her fluffy but not today. Instead she just looked down at the ground and shuffled along as Acorn merrily stretched out the full length of the leash. Three feet. Not much to go off of but since her owner was so young, it was for the best.
This was Prosper Park. A nice little oasis of green out in the suburbs where there wasn’t much to look at except the same crackerbox houses everyone had. Though it was called a park there wasn’t much more than walking paths flanked by lines of trees. No play equipment, no restrooms.
Tugging on her leash eagerly, Acorn went to go pee on her favorite spot. Kind of like a dog in that aspect. Usually Ashley made a big show of looking away but didn’t need to today.
“…” After her fluffy was done pottying, Ashley led her along the path. Out on the middle of the path was a bench. Just went bench, one trashcan for the entire area. The bench was one of those newer ones designed to keep homeless people off of it: Hard metal with large gaps between to make even sitting on it uncomfortable.
Giving a tilt of her head, Acorn watched as her owner took her end of the leash and looped a small bit of it against lower part of the frame. Though she wasn’t that great at tying yet, Ashley managed to get the garishly colored pet accesory knotted up quite well just by fumbling with it.
Well, now Acorn was extremely curious. “Mummah? Wha am doin’?” She asked, giving a confused tail waggle.
Finally, after all this morning, her mummah looked at her. Tears were in her eyes. They were red and puffy too, meaning she had to have been crying lots before.
“Mom and dad said you couldn’t come with us to the new house. And…and…” Ashley didn’t want to tell Acorn what could have happened. She didn’t even fully understand death yet. It was scary. So it had to be scary for a fluffy too.
Instead of continuing down that train of thought, she shifted the bag she’d been carrying around on the crook of her arm. Two small glass dishes were set on the ground: One for kibble, the other for water. Filling one with a cup of kibble and the other from a bottle of water, Ashley reached into the bag one more time and retrieved a note she’d hand-written herself. Though the writing blocky, she’d worked hard on it.
‘Hi.
This is Acorn.
She is a very good girl.
Please be nice to her.
She is my best friend.
Thank you
Ashley’
Taking the letter, she carefully folded it and tucked it up on Acorn’s collar.
“Nu gu wif yew? Wha mean? Am yew fwuffy. Mummah?” She’d finally gotten over the shock over Ashley’s initial statement. Watched her go through this ritual of taking things out. Assembling it all.
Shaking her head, Ashley ran a hand over Acorn’s ears. “You can’t. I’m sorry.”
If she couldn’t go with mummah, what did that mean? What? It hadn’t yet come to her mind yet. Fluffies were notoriously slow on their take. Ashely leaned forward and gave her precious mare a squeeze. Leaned in on her with a hug. Tears dripped down to her fluff.
“I’m sorry. But..but someone will come and give you a new house! Like on Youtube.” Ashley often watched videos of fluffies being rescued. They were always being pulled out of mud or given second chances. People loved them. She was still too young to realize most of those videos were faked: Not many people cared what happened to fluffies anymore.
“Yewtube? Mummah?” Acorn watched as the girl straightened up and gave a sad wave.
“I love you, Acorn! Please find a new house! Be a good girl! Oh…” She’d almost forgotten. Reaching back into the bag, she found the last item in there. Just a cheap stuffed elephant with it’s ear chewed on and missing some of it’s felt trunk.
That was Peanut. A stuffy fwend that Acorn had ever since she’d been at a shelter when she was a talkie babbeh. Setting the old toy beside her, Ashley gave the fluffy one last longing look before setting down the path.
++++++
It hadn’t all snapped into place for Acorn. Not yet. One thing was for sure though: Mummah was getting further and further away.
“Mummah? Mummah! MUMMAH! Yew am fohget Acown! Am wite hewe! Yew fowget!” Yanking against her leash, it was useless. Not much length to go on. 3 feet was all, and that was further reduced by how it’d been knotted up on the bench frame.
“MUMMAH!” She called out again. Ashley didn’t so much as turn on the path. Hooves scrabbling on the pavement of the walkway, Acorn strained hard against the leash. The bench didn’t budge, of course. Nor did she move forward all that much. All this accomplished was causing the cutesy collar with it’s fake jewels around her neck to strain on her throat. Finally pulling back to allow for some slack, she took a deep breath.
Acorn didn’t understand what was happening. Why wasn’t she allowed to go with mummah? Didn’t they all love her? She was a good fluffy. Fluffy school said so. She was a certified good fluffy! Always made gud poopies. Always said ‘pwease’ and ‘dank yew’. Never threw fits or begged for things.
As Ashley was becoming little more than a bleary dot at the end of the walking path, Acorn once more bopped to the very short length of the leash. Strained as hard as she could. Screamed.
“MUMMMAAAAHHHHHH!” That tiny dot disappeared though even as her throat went hoarse from the force of her scream. Feeling despair, hurt, and disbelief wash over her Acorn thrashed around. Kicked her hooves around. Flailed and sobbed with all of her heart.
This flurry of action rocked the porcelain dishes containing her food and water, knocking each out spilling onto the path. It all rolled into a small cleft of the asphalt in front of the bench. A crater which had resulted because of lack of maintenance in the park. That lack was also evident in the overflowing trashcan next to the bench.
This continued on for a good pace. Acorn screaming, thrashing, attempting to break away from the leash and scurry off after where mummah had gone. All for naught though, and soon she’d feel her muscles grow lax.
“Mummah…” She croaked in her saddest voice. Throat huwties. Bweathe pwace huwties. Even her think pwace huwt. Not only that. She’d just realized how hot it was.
Ashley hadn’t realized. Or perhaps, as children are wont to do, hadn’t paid attention to the weather reports. What child would? The forecast for today was a heat wave across the US.
It’s not like Acorn knew about the weather either. Now she felt it. An unrelenting sun beating down on her fluff, the heat getting trap in that soft coat. All of a sudden she wanted a drink of wawa. Needed it more than anything. Tearful eyes glanced from side to side before settling on that crater in the asphalt where her kibble and water both slid down to. The wawa had soaked into the food and left a congealed brown mess.
She still wanted it. The freakout had taken a lot out of her.
Tugging on the leash, she found herself unable to reach it. Could only give a small ‘huu’.
This poor mare was going to learn what a cruel bitch three feet was.
++++++++++
There was little reprieve from the heat. No wawa, little shade. That bench with it’s large slats to discourage the homeless was nothing more than a cruel joke. Sunlight pierced right through the gaps, gaps which gave less shade than there was full-blown baking heat.
Curling up her body to try and use the most of the shade didn’t work either. It made Acorn hotter, the heat more condensed. That asphalt under her seared to lay down on, too.
Back behind the bench was a big ‘ol oak tree. Looking to it, Acorn found it quite shady indeed. Pulling on the leash, she huffed and puffed. Tried to yank against the bench.
“Pwease…pwease…!” She rasped out with a dry mouth, front hooves shaking out toward the inviting shade. Just short. Collapsing to the ground, she gave out frustrated squeals.
No people were coming by today. Why would they? This was a fully acknowledged heatwave. The weather channels were telling people to stay inside and so they were!
“Mummah! Daddeh! Big mummah!” She pleaded under that deceptive bench with it’s failure of protection against the elements.
+++++
Not hungry. Not yet. Thirsty though. Far thirstier than she’d ever been in fowebbah. She’d do anything for wawa. Anything at all.
Turning to the overflowing trash bin, her needful eyes scanned the objects poking out of it. Fast food wrappers, dirty diapers, and…a can! The red and white of a Coke can. Sweetie wawas!
Pulling against her leash, she fanned a hoof out against the side of the trash bin. Not much, but she could at least touch again. Harder. Again. Again!
The exertion was causing her to get hotter, but she needed something. All the trash jiggled as she puffed and huffed, rocking against it while straining (literally) at the end of her rope. Finally the trash went down and deposited stuff to the ground.
Burger wrappers. A dirty diaper. That precious can, which clinked to the ground and rolled toward the mare.
“Sweetie wawa!” Acorn cooed at the can. Trying to lift it with her hooves, there was a buzz. Something whirring within the aluminum. Watching in horror, a wasp lazily hummed out.
This took her by surprise. Letting the can drop from her hooves and roll down the asphalt, Acorn screeched and swatted around as the insect began stinging her multiple times.
“EEEEE! NUUUU! BUGGY MUNSTAH NU HUWTIES!” This poor wretch cried as it felt as if the sensitive places on her face were being jabbed by a fiery hot needle.
Three feet. She couldn’t run. Couldn’t hide. That leash gave the illusion of being able to move. Running from side to side didn’t do anything. Didn’t close a gap. That wasp stung her until it was satisfied and flew away.
++++++
Her eyes had swollen up not just from the stings but from dehydration. Lips huge, looking like two slugs on her face. Mucus had run across her fur but was now dried in twin tracks.
Mummah. Mummah would come for her, right? She was a good fluffy. Good fluffies got wub and huggies and wawa…
Turning to her stuffy-fwend, she snugged it up against fur. It felt comforting. Smelled like mummah.
Though, of course, we should never forget one thing about fluffies: God had a particularly cruel plan for many of them. There would be one other visitor to this park today other than Ashley and Acorn.
That visitor was none other than a feral fluffy by the name of Kissy. Dull red and brown fluff marred by patches of dried blood, encrusted feces, and twigs. One of her eyes had been put out and wept yellow with infection. Even though she had teats swollen with milk, there were no chirpies in sight.
Now, fluffies were empathetic. Truly. This feral had been through the run of it. She had no more good feelings to give others. Shuffling up to the bench where Acorn lay, she bent down and licked up the congealed food which lay in the center of the path.
Noticing another fluffy nearby, Acorn perked her ears up. Went out on the full length of her leash.
“Hewwo fwend! Pwease hewp fwuffy! Am scawed! So fiwsty! Nu wike wawmies!” Hope was once more in her heart.
With her one good eye, Kissy looked Acorn over. Even with the swollen face, she looked taken care of. Wubbed. Smelled nice. And…and she had a toy.
Slinking up to Acorn, Kissy sunk her teeth into Peanut’s weggie and tried to drag it out of it’s owner’s grip. Acorn wrestled back.
“Nuuuu! Dis am fwend! Pwease nu take fwend! Wub Peanut! Nuuuu!” The efforts resulted in Kissy launching forward and giving her sorry-hoofsies. Again and again until Acorn was driven to the ground, squealing in pain and frighten. Defecating on herself from the sheer ferocity of the assault.
Peanut was taken away. Acorn watched through swollen eyes as Kissy took her stuffy-fwend and placed it against her teats as if trying to get it to nurse.
“Dis am nyu babbeh. Nyu babbeh am mummah’s naow. Nu gu ‘way.” She said in a far-off, distant voice. Acorn couldn’t understand what was going on. After a moment of trying to get the stuffed elephant to nurse, Kissy collected the stuffed animal and shuffled away with a dreamlike gait.
++++++
Acorn drifted off to sleep. The asphalt under her was hot. So hot. The worst huwties she’d ever had. Yet she couldn’t stop herself. Sleeping was the only thing she could do.
In her dreams, she saw mummah. Played with her. It hurt in the dreams too but it still felt happy to be there. Being with mummah was the best. Getting her fluff brushed out. Playing tea party. Watching FluffTV and chewing on her favorite pillow.
Those dreams felt so nice. Mummah. Mummah. Wub mummah. She wanted to be there forever. Don’t wake up. Waking up was bad.
++++++
She woke up to a loud boom of thunder. Eyes rolling weakly in her skull, she felt only agony at this point. Searing,burning pain across the entire side laying on the asphalt.
Soon enough, rain began falling down on top of her. Normally she would be afraid of the thunder and rain but not now.
Rain fell down all around her and though she tried to lick it up from the ground, all she was was dirt from the asphalt.
“Wawa…mummah…” Acorn mumbled to herself. All that water that fell around her collected in the crater where her dishes had originally been knocked into.
Could she reach it? She had to try. Struggling, she found that she couldn’t pull herself up.
The heat had fused her body to the asphalt under her. Flesh had blistered, cooked, rendered and became part of the very ground under her. Yanking against it was too excruciating. Too many huwties. Blearily looking down, she found that even one of her front hooves had melted and fused into the asphalt.
Acorn looked longingly to the puddle. Listened to the thunder. Hoped that she could dream again.
++++++
After the heatwave had passed, people had begun going back to the park. Which is why Rick was currently out here dealing with an incident.
“Fucking gross.” The park employee muttered to himself. Dealing with fluffies wasn’t all that common here. They’d laid out plenty of poison and most of them just went off to die in a ditch.
Here was one tied to a bench though. What kind of a cruel fuck would do something like that? Bloated from the heat, covered in shit, abuzz with flies and teeming with maggots. Eugh.
Unwrapping the leash from it’s position on the park bench, Rick yanked the entire disgusting package up and deposited it into a Hefty bag.
A scrap of soggy paper fluttered down from it’s collar and rested against one of his boots. Rick bent down, scooped it up, unfolded it.
Nothing but a blur of ink that had once been a little girl’s hope and dreams of someone taking care of her best friend. Unreadable, unimportant now. It joined the trash in the bag.
