Shelley's Life
Shelly believes that there is nothing that can stop her from conquering the impossible, especially the things she fears are impossible.
There was a hole in the wall. "It's never been there before," Shelly thought. The only good thing to do was check it out. It was really dark, but she could make out rats. "I've gotta do something about this. Nothing can harm my hooman."
So she went to work. Scratch after scratch she managed to tear down the wall plaster and break a few pictures frames as well. The doorknob turned and in walks Jim. "He'll be so happy to know I am almost to the poisonous creatures," Shelly thought. Instead, he picks her up, says things she doesn't understand in that tone, and puts her in her cage for time out. "Why is he not grateful? I was trying to save him from Them. I will get back at you Demons. You will see. Or maybe you will be dead before you see. I will know either way and that's all that matters."
Jim had to get the wall fixed. It took 2 days for the repairman to come. He came while Jim was gone and was only being paid for the repair; therefore, he did not tell him about the rats...
"I will save you for you are my hooman."
After the wall was fixed and Jim cooled off, he allowed Shelly out of her cage again. He tried to explain to her she had been a bad kitty, but he couldn't stay mad at her. Just look at her, he thought. She's so cute and loveable.
Shelley couldn't believe she was so lucky to have an owner that loved her. She knows some animals don't have that privilege. The dog next door gets yelled at a lot just for trying to play with his owner.
Jim went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, and Shelley heard the rats scurrying inside the walls. She tried to tell Jim that they were in there but he didn't listen. He petted her and went to work. "I'm gonna get you eventually," she tells the rats through the wall. "Even if it's the last thing I do. You will not harm my hooman."
About a week later, Shelly noticed the hole appeared again at the bottom of the wall. "They've been eating through the plaster, those sick sick animals," Shelly thought to herself. She started scratching and scratching until she saw one. The Bad thing. It hissed at her, but was too slow. She reached, slapped, and grabbed until she pulled out a rat. "You're not going anywhere!" She chewed and chewed until finally the rat went limp. Now, to wait for Jim to come home.
When Jim got home he was furious. "What did you do?!" He exclaimed while looking at the hole in the wall yet again. He locked eyes on her, and finally realized she had saved the day and saved him. "Well look what we have here. You were trying to tell me all along, weren't ya, girl? I'll have to call the company back about the hole along with the exterminator. Thank you, Shelly."
At last, Shelly was satisfied with her work.
Jim normally wakes up and talks to Shelley a lot. This morning was different. He stared out the window and drank his coffee in silence. That means he was thinking. What was he thinking about? Shelly wondered. It didn't take long for him to speak his mind after she thought this.
"Shelly, I think I need to get you a friend. I have you as a companion when I come home, but you have no one when I'm away at work. I'm going to go to the vet today to see if they have any friends for you." He pats her head and walks upstairs to get ready for work.
"I don't know what all of that was about, but he sure seems to think whatever he said will be positive. As long as my hooman is happy I'm happy," Shelly says to herself. She spends the rest of her day lying around everywhere she can, eating as she pleases, and watches birds out the window. Before she knows it, Jim gets home from work.
Hello Jim dear, Shelly thinks to herself. Wait. What's that in his hand? It looks heavy. That's the box he puts me in when we go to the Bad place. She continues to wonder what it is, but Jim helps her understand by setting the carrier down and opening the door. He pulls out a tiny thing that looks like a blob.
"Hey Shelly girl. I found someone very small and very sweet for you. You have to be nice and just have an open mind about this new transition, okay?" Shelly walks up to him and sniffs the blob in his hand and jumps back when it whimpers. "This little fella's mom died at birth. His siblings were taken by other people but nobody wanted him because he's so small. I think he'll grow into a fine young boy with your help." Jim looks at the puppy and says," I think I'll name you Leo, like the constellation."
Shelly doesn't seem to happy about what Jim calls a puppy and Leo just yet, but she'll come around soon. Jim just knows it. Who couldn't like such a cute baby?
Shelly keeps watching this blob grow more and more into was she thinks is a dog. It's still really small, but isn't the worst roommate ever. It does like to pee on the carpet and chew on the couch, though. He has no manners, Shelly thinks to herself. Every time she gets close to Leo he starts trying to jump on her and chew on her leg.
"No, Leo. We don't chew on Shelly, or the couch, or anything else," Jim says as he pulls Leo off of Shelly. I'm sorry girl, you'll have to forgive him. He doesn't quite know how to act just yet, but give him time. You two will become best friends I just know it."
Shelly wants to make Jim happy, so she tries not to get mad at Leo too much. She also tries not to walk past him or he sniffs her butt! How rude. And disgusting. "He'll definitely have to learn class from me," she thinks to herself.
Leo's world just got much bigger. He came from a mother who left him and a pound that didn't want him. But this man does. Hopefully this other animal wants him, too.
When Jim goes to sleep that night, he brings Leo into bed with him where Shelly normally sleeps. "You'll have to make room for him, Shelly. He's a part of this family now." Shelly doesn't like the idea of this, but she's too tired to protest. Leo won't stay still. He keeps trying to play with Jim's hand. After a few minutes, Jim gets up and plays with him for a little while longer with a chew toy to tire him out, and it worked. Leo conked out on the other side of Jim.
Shelly couldn't believe how cute he was asleep. Maybe this would turn out to be a good transition in life after all.
(2026 Note: This was one of my very first short stories, inspired by Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind. I'm not going to make this into a book, but it was a fun way to practice my writing skills. It's also nice to look back and see how far I've come since then.)
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