013: Something to Miss
She walks into the bedroom and her dog, an overweight thirteen-year-old rescue-dog, raises its head from the edge of its basket. One of its ears stands up, the other is permanently bent. Her phone is an outline in her back pocket.
She sits on her bed and perches her elbows on her knees. Fiddles with the sleeves of her jumper. She pulls her phone from her pocket, stares at it, then drops it on the bed. Puts her face in her hands and gazes blindly at—her desk? The water bottle with the Moomin comic printed on the front? The Taiwanese postcard on the wall wishing her a 'Happy New Year'? It doesn't matter.
The dog lowers its head back onto the edge of the basket.
The phone lights up. She bolts upright, fumbles her headphones out of another pocket, plugs them in, and swipes her thumb across the screen. She is pale, lips pinched. "Hi," she says. "You all right?"
Her face cracks into a smile and she sinks back into the pillows on her bed, laughing. The colour returns to her cheeks. "Sorry. I'm good, yeah. You?"
She drops her head against the wall behind her and wraps herself into her jumper, pulling her feet up onto the bed. She is still smiling. She chuckles. "That's fair. Been up to much?"
Silence, then, "Neither. Just, you know. Trying to stay sane."
A faint laughter echoes from the headphones.
The next silence is longer than before. She watches the screen on her phone, hands gently wrapped around it, and the ring on her left index finger catches the light of the overhead lamp. An embroidered cross on a plaited thread dangles from the phone.
She nods. "Yeah." She picks at the cover of her phone. "Hey, are you still at uni?"
The smile fades. "Right." She frowns. "I want to. I really, really want to, but if they don't open the borders before my tenancy ends I won't have anywhere to stay." She is pale again. "I'll try to call the embassy, but I'm not a British citizen."
She slumps.
The dog pulls itself out of its basket, its hind legs crackling. It plods across the bedroom, sits next to the bed, and scratches at the covers.
She reaches a hand down and pets its head, still looking at the phone. Scratches behind the dog's bent ear.
She nods again. "That's fair, yeah." Another nod. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She stops petting the dog and waves at the phone. "See you. Sleep well. I—"
The call ends.
She lowers the phone to the bed and removes the headphones. The smile fails. She reaches down and lifts the dog onto her lap, wrapping her arms around it so it has to stick its nose up to breath.
Written by: Katrine H.
She sits on her bed and perches her elbows on her knees. Fiddles with the sleeves of her jumper. She pulls her phone from her pocket, stares at it, then drops it on the bed. Puts her face in her hands and gazes blindly at—her desk? The water bottle with the Moomin comic printed on the front? The Taiwanese postcard on the wall wishing her a 'Happy New Year'? It doesn't matter.
The dog lowers its head back onto the edge of the basket.
The phone lights up. She bolts upright, fumbles her headphones out of another pocket, plugs them in, and swipes her thumb across the screen. She is pale, lips pinched. "Hi," she says. "You all right?"
Her face cracks into a smile and she sinks back into the pillows on her bed, laughing. The colour returns to her cheeks. "Sorry. I'm good, yeah. You?"
She drops her head against the wall behind her and wraps herself into her jumper, pulling her feet up onto the bed. She is still smiling. She chuckles. "That's fair. Been up to much?"
Silence, then, "Neither. Just, you know. Trying to stay sane."
A faint laughter echoes from the headphones.
The next silence is longer than before. She watches the screen on her phone, hands gently wrapped around it, and the ring on her left index finger catches the light of the overhead lamp. An embroidered cross on a plaited thread dangles from the phone.
She nods. "Yeah." She picks at the cover of her phone. "Hey, are you still at uni?"
The smile fades. "Right." She frowns. "I want to. I really, really want to, but if they don't open the borders before my tenancy ends I won't have anywhere to stay." She is pale again. "I'll try to call the embassy, but I'm not a British citizen."
She slumps.
The dog pulls itself out of its basket, its hind legs crackling. It plods across the bedroom, sits next to the bed, and scratches at the covers.
She reaches a hand down and pets its head, still looking at the phone. Scratches behind the dog's bent ear.
She nods again. "That's fair, yeah." Another nod. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She stops petting the dog and waves at the phone. "See you. Sleep well. I—"
The call ends.
She lowers the phone to the bed and removes the headphones. The smile fails. She reaches down and lifts the dog onto her lap, wrapping her arms around it so it has to stick its nose up to breath.
Written by: Katrine H.
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