Flash Fiction

Somewhere Called Home

Home isn’t home for a puppy named Ebony. Ebony needs only to glance around at her peers and observe how they’re showered with love by their humans. Their owners even post videos of them doting on said puppies and seem proud to be their owners. For Ebony, there is only one question that swells up, consuming too much space in Ebony’s mind, and threatening to overwhelm her. Is Ebony loved?

Ebony is accustomed to a daily routine. She wakes up with her owner, Liann, at 4:30 a.m. After Liann’s stretches, they go on a run at 5 a.m. It’s cold outside. Leaving their condo community, they run uphill into the adjacent neighborhood lined with large houses and full of pesky cul-de-sacs. Together, they run a one-mile loop. They go home. From the time they woke up to their return home, Liann is wordless. Ebony, too, is silent. Liann quickly downs a mug of black coffee, takes a lightning-quick shower, dresses in her expensive clothes, and after a gruff goodbye, bolts out the front door. Indoors, Ebony quietly roams around for an hour. It feels like eons have come and gone. She figured out the stairs herself but she still trips on them from time to time so she stays downstairs. She naps in her dark quarters downstairs.

She wishes Liann would give her attention. She wishes Liann would talk to her and expect a response. She wishes Liann would pick up on the little things and quirks that differentiate her from other puppies, the fact she hates that pink collar and prefers a white collar contrast against her shiny black fur, and her favorite toy. A cuddle wouldn’t hurt either. Less scolding would be good too. Afraid of Liann’s unfeeling scolding and additional silent treatment, Ebony doesn’t bark most of the time. When she does, she is careful to bark quietly.

After work, Liann is usually accompanied by a man. They shut themselves up in Liann’s room upstairs for the rest of the night. On weekends, after their morning run, Liann, nine times out of ten, goes out with this man. She leaves portions of food out for Ebony. When she doesn’t leave, she stays upstairs, only coming down to fix herself and Ebony's meals. Sometimes, Liann and Ebony watch Netflix during meals. During these rare moments, Ebony gazes affectionately at Liann. She tries to crawl into Liann’s lap but she shoos her away like a fly. Ebony feels gross and unwanted. She curls up on the other end of the cold couch and glues her woeful, sparkly eyes to the massive television screen.

There is no warmth at home. A thought nags at her. This home isn’t what it should be nor what it could be. And it may never be. A new question looms in Ebony’s psyche. Does she resign herself to a lifetime of sadness and doubt? Or does she make a break for it? She is comfortable and secure where she is. But good things in life aren’t free. She must make a sacrifice and exchange comfort for love, freedom, self-expression, and more if life will allow it.