STELLA & HANK
By Nicole Loos Miller
(212 words)
Stella was the perfect cat:
Gorgeous,
And charming,
And oh-so-soft.
She was loved by all,
Especially Hank.
Hank was the perfect dog:
Huge,
And drooly,
And oh-so-playful.
He was loved by everyone…
Except Stella.
Hank tried to win
Stella’s affection
With rope-pulls,
And slobbery bones,
Even his favorite stuffie.
But Stella flattened her ears,
Wrinkled her whiskers,
And turned her tail.
When Hank came near,
Stella’s claws came out.
When Hank whimpered,
Stella HISSSSSSSSED.
When Hank howled a love tune,
Stella SMACKED.
And when he tried to give her a bath…
YIKES!
Poor Hank.
Then, one February day,
Stella
Went
Away
And
Hank
Sighed
And
Waited
And
Sighed
And
Waited
Until…
She finally came back
With a big plastic collar
That went up instead of down.
Stella was sore,
And sad,
And sleepy,
And it broke Hank’s heart.
He gathered his courage,
And his bones,
And his stuffie.
He risked a HISS,
And a SMACK,
And even a SWIPE,
To put his offering at her feet.
Stella opened one eye.
She considered him closely.
And
Scooted
To
The
Right.
Enough room for a large dog
(If he stayed very quiet).
Hank barely dared to breathe.
Stella started to purr.
It was the best Valentine’s ever
Because he spent it next to her.
(This story was written for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentiny writing contest! Contest rules include creating a story for children with a full story arc in 214 words or less. This year the theme was “brave.” Read more about it here. This story won sixth place!)
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