As long as they don't plan on publishing it, no problem. ;-) It's based on something that happened just last year. A Rottweiler did follow me home when I was out walking my Beagle. We live near a very busy street so I could not just let her run, so I brought her inside the fence. We called all the appropriate agencies but could not locate the owner. My wife wanted me to take her to the pound and I just could not do it. So as a delaying tactic (to give me time to win her over) I suggested putting up signs. I found her home just about exactly as I described in the story, though I was not heart broken over it. It was very heart warming to see the joy in the family that got her back. I have been remiss in not commenting on others work. I am a little hesitant to do so since I am so new here, but feel I need to give as well as take. So here are a few thoughts. dialyn - I too had a little trouble with the kick between the legs. Perhaps just a quick dodge and run as the old man grabbed for him? Since he was an old man, he probably could have out run him. As far as Tank goes, I thought he was the neighborhood bully from the combination of "big feet" and the fact that he probably would have crushed the can, thus ruining his diversion. I was never confused that he might be his brother, but it also never occurred to me that he was a friend. nu-be - I thought surely he was going to destroy her kite in a fit of rage and was very pleased with the much less predictable and much more satisfying ending that you came up with. I do think that "so you ran with the kite" should have been "so he ran with the kite", but that's the only thing that jumped out at me. Nice story. And the phrase "Go fly a kite" made me laugh. It was so much a part of the jargon back then. I can almost hear my mom saying that now. :-) Side note to CE - wondering what made you get so specific with that particular topic of the three? I went back and re-read the original post and that one just strikes me as curious. Crescent - Yikes! What a chilling ending. Well done. ChuckEvans - I felt so proud of myself when I figured it out at - the arm pain was from that morning - part. Till then I thought he was off on some rendezvous with some friends (due to the contents of his backpack) but as soon as I saw that, I said Runaway! dialyn, that's the problem with runaways, they don't face very certain futures at all, and seldom have much of a plan (as witnessed by your own experience). It was a sad story and I too was left wondering what kind of life he would be walking into. So sad. Caledonin - A rather disturbing yarn, more so because it rings so true. Chilling and effective. BellaMorte - 399 words! That's amazing. Nice story. You could have tightened it up a bit more by cutting out the bit of description about the road. That might have given you space to tell us that he saw his father die. Also, I would change the word thrusted to thrust, I sort of stumbled there. Very nice use of technique going from the early part of the letter (to set the scene) and the part where she takes it up again (to tell the news). Quite effective, I thought. Hope I've offended no one. After all, who am I to be critiquing anyone else's work?

 
~jon
My Blog - Mad Utopia Writing in a new era.