MicroHorror

“Where are we going?” asked Janice.

“Just for a walk,” Isaac replied.

“No, you would never ask me for a walk unless you had an ulterior motive.”

“You’re right. We’re going for a walk to save lives.”

Janice sighed. “Just like a liberal. Give vague answers to simple questions.”

“You’re right. I am being vague. But I’m not really a liberal or a conservative. I more go where I’m led.”

Janice gave up. She knew he’d just keep being silly, and if she encouraged him to continue speaking, he might even become cryptic. For a while, she just walked along Highway 20 with him and his stupid beagle. Then something occurred to her.

“I got it. We’re walking here because you want me to suck in the emissions from the cars and admit it’s a bad thing.”

“Nope,” Isaac replied. “Just saving lives.”

Janice didn’t know why she tried. “Whatever,” she said. “But we’re not far from downtown. I want a drink when we get there. We can even go to one of those yuppie, liberal places that let bring your dog in.”

Just then, his beagle went off the sidewalk, into the grass of someone’s yard, and took a dump. Isaac extracted a bag from the leash holder.

The house they were in front of, like most the houses on the Highway 20, looked decrepit enough to be condemned, but by the old car in the driveway, it wasn’t.

“Just leave it,” she said. “I’m sure these people won’t mind a little more filth.”

“No way. Bad karma. Hold this.”

He handed her the leash holder, and she took it. She turned away, toward the road, while he did the disgusting. She was surprised when the dog she was holding darted into the road. She tried to pull him back, but only succeeded in stopping him right in the middle of the lane. A Volkswagen Bug was coming right at the stupid dog. The Bug swerved and came off the road. Janice didn’t have time to get out of the way.

Isaac looked down at the mangled body that obviously had no more life. Down the road, people were stopping. Someone was screaming. The dog, Diedric, came up to him.

Isaac looked down at the panting beagle and said, “I had no idea. I knew she was the daughter of a senator and had her own political ambitions. I knew she was to be an important person later on in her life. But when you said we were doing this to save lives, I thought you meant we were going to educate her in some way.”

Isaac shook his head. “What an amazing web time is.”

“I’m so sorry!” someone was shouting. “I was trying to miss the dog.”

Isaac knew he had to stop speaking to the dog now, and he had to act sad.