Two Stories

by Ebby

The Pants

My father had the shortest legs of anyone I've ever known. One Halloween, as part of my costume, I wore a pair of his old trousers. Although taller than me, the pant legs flapped well above my ankles. I remember my mom, carefully measuring, cutting and hemming them after having searched the store for the pair with the shortest length. At one point, their width exceeded their length. As a child, it was comical to see them so wide yet so short as they hung out to dry. Those days are gone forever now. And I can't help but check the legs of my own children to see if they inherited grandpa's short-legged gene.

Chance Meeting

She saw him walking around when she slipped out the back door of her small restaurant for the night, looking at everything with great interest, but still keeping a low profile. He was dirty, like he’d been on the streets for a few days. At first, she was frightened, but she knew showing fear would be the worst thing she could do. She waited and observed his demeanor. Slow steps, jumping every now and then if he heard a sound that could be trouble. What would she do? He looked over at her. His expression wasn’t much more than curiosity. He wasn’t angry or concerned that she was snooping on him. He knocked the top off the trash can and down it went. He’s looking for food. That thought made her stomach jump a little. How could he live this way? Her heart went out to him, and she wondered if she should try to get him to go inside to get a bite with her. Visions of the news flashed across her mind. Woman found behind restaurant, mauled. Film at eleven. She had to. He looked too shaky and hungry to harm her. Slowly she walked over, making no sudden moves. Her voice was trembling as she started to speak, “It’s okay, boy, it’s okay. Wanna go have some food? Come on, I won’t hurt you.” He looked up and began wagging his tail. After a few minutes of sniffing, they walked to the door together, fast friends.

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Ebby is an assistant editor and web mistress for Boston Literary Magazine. Her chapbook, Sacred Onions, will be available from Big Table Publishing in the spring of 2011. She lives and writes in Maine while her dog snores beside her.