Grizzle and Bone
a story by Gerhi Feuren
Shaw Peel is under pressure. His wife, Minky, is bringing her boss home for supper and his stew, using a secret family recipe, takes a whole day to prepare. Will Shaw get the stew done and will Crippen, the talking werecat, be a help or a hindrance?
Grizzle and Bone, a contemporary fairy tale, is a 2700 word short story by Gerhi Feuren about a kitchen conundrum and a runaway stew.
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Grizzle and Bone available for Amazon Kindle and other ebook formats through Smashwords.com
OR
Find other titles by Gerhi Feuren at his Smashwords.com author page
Read an extract from Grizzle and Bone
Shaw Peel slammed his ladle on the heavy kitchen table. “Would you believe that it is raining still?” he said.
“What do you expect?” said Crippen.
Shaw pointed at the dark corner. “You just shut up over there. I’ve got too much to do to have time for your nonsense.”
The kitchen was tiled from floor to ceiling in pristine white. Shaw could not figure out how Crippen kept his corner dark. It was just the one of the things that he could do. Maybe he blended the light? Maybe he breathed out shadows? Somehow he managed it, because Crippen didn’t want to change in the light.
“You asked. And you’re already running late.”
Shaw picked up a knife and pointed it at Crippen. “Shut up.”
Crippen hummed a tune under his breath.
Shaw turned around and added another log to the oven fire. The big pot was just beginning to steam. Then he leaned over and inspected the bowl of peeled potatoes.
“You done these ones good, Crippen? I don’t want any peelings.”
Crippen chuckled. “No peelings in the Peel’s supper.”
Shaw glared at the corner, but he could hardly make Crippen out in the dark.
The boy chortled, shaking on his perch so that his cage rattled.
“You’re not here to be amused,” said Shaw.
The boy turned around in his corner and looked at the wall. He said nothing.
Shaw emptied the whole bowl of potatoes into the water.
“You got to put the meat in first,” said Crippen.
“Shut up,” said Shaw, “I’m cooking here.”
“The meat is going to be chewy.”
Shaw took up the ladle and shook it at Crippen. “If you do not shut your face about my cooking I’m going to chuck you outside.”
“But it’s raining out,” said Crippen.
“I know it’s raining.”
“I’m a cat now; cats don’t like rain.”
“I don’t care if you’ve changed into a black pudding. I won’t be chucking you out to be nice about it, eh?”
Crippen turned his back on Shaw. His black fur disappearing in the dark corner.
Shaw flicked back and forth through his cookbook. He tried to whistle. To calm himself down. But he wasn’t calm. This was an important supper. Minky was bringing her boss home and he so wanted her to be proud of him, and to make her look good.
She could use the break, the poor old thing. Being forced to go out into that cruel world every day to earn a living. Just because you had to do the same thing that everybody did. All the people doing the same thing every day. What a sick world it was. He shook his head.
Buy Grizzle and Bone
Grizzle and Bone available for Amazon Kindle and other ebook formats through Smashwords.com
OR
Find other titles by Gerhi Feuren at his Smashwords.com author page
