Short Story

   A painful howl broke out, waking poor Jennie Sharp from her fantastical dream. Leaving the world of pink clouds and puppies to the real world in the middle of the night with mysterious howling animals was not her ideal situation. The eight-year old girl pushed back her covers and silently walked in her white nightgown to her parents' room. Her hands trembled when she clutched them close to her heart. What could that noise be?

   The door opened with a muffled creak and Jennie patted her mother's shoulder.

   "Mum? What was that sound? Did you hear it?"

   Her mother only rolled over and mumbled, "Go to bed, Jennie."

   "But I'm scared. It could be a monster. What was it?"

   "I don't know. Go find out. It's probably just a dog." She rolled over again and fell back asleep.

   Jennie tried again to wake her mother, but she slept deeply and didn't want to wake up. She walked to a window, pushed back the curtains, and looked out on her small town in the center of Great Britain. So, Jennie took matters into her small hands and found her wellies. She pulled the rubber shoe over her feet and opened the front door. Without looking back, Jennie Sharp stepped into the cold night and shut the door behind her.

   She was instantly frozen cold and decided she should had taken a coat. Jennie pulled on the door, it had locked behind her. 

   Rubbing her arms for warmth, the girl trudged through the pile of autumn leaves to find the source of the howl. She pulled back the bush in front of her house, and looked behind the nearest tree. Nothing. 

   She went to the neighbor's yard and scoured the garden for any sign of life. She peeked into their pond and a frog jumped out and landed with a plop next to her. Jennie sat on her rump and huffed.

   "I'll never find the animal. I want to go home," she told the frog. "I'm tired and cold." A tear slipped down her cheek and she was getting ready to wail for her mother but the howl came out again. Jennie stood up with a jolt and ran down the street to the woods at the end. She pushed past the trees and stumbled into the woods. 

   A distant cry called out, "Jennie! Where are you?" But the girl payed no mind to her mother's frantic calls.

   The howl rang out again. It came from her left. Jennie took off, nearly tripping over a root. The howl came again, but quieter. Maybe she was going the wrong way. The howl became a whimper, but Jennie could still hear it. She walked in the same direction, trying not to make noise in the dry, crunchy leaves.

   She heard the whimper again, very close. She continued on her path, listening to every noise. She heard bugs buzzing and owls hooting. She heard the wind, but neither the howl or the whimper.

   Jennie took a break and sat back down on the leaves, breathing deeply. She listened to her heartbeat. Lub, dub. Lub, dub. Over and over, fast at first then gradually slower. 

   A rustle in the leaves alerted her that she was not alone. Her heart beat faster and faster. She breathed heavier. The whimper came again, quieter yet closer. Jennie bent over and crawled across the ground. She moved the leaves out of the way as she went. 

  Soon, Jennie came to a small pile of orange leaves. She almost bypassed a great opportunity, but a sound came out to alert her of its presence. The whimper. Jennie took another deep breath, then slowly picked off the leaves. Underneath the leaves was a soft orange fur of a fox. It's breathing had become very a labored and it was trembling with cold and fear. Jennie stooped down and lifted the poor soul into her arms. She cradled the fox and rocked it back and forth. She stroked its head and sang to it. When she finished, she told the fox all about her.

   "My name is Jennie Sharp. I came to find you when I heard you cry. I live in a small house with my mum and dad." She laid down and continued to tell the fox all about her life. Jennie curled up next to the fox and closed her eyes. The fox did the same.
   There they slept until the sun rose to awaken them. There her mother found her sleeping with an injured fox in her arms. There they slept all night, together.

I got the idea from this picture. As soon as I saw it, ideas sparked up in my mind like fireworks. I eventually settled on a little girl finding the fox. I decided to set it in Great Britain, because when I lived there, foxes were everywhere. Now, in the US, I never see any wild foxes.

 

(P.S. the photo of the girl with the fox is not mine and I was unable to find the original owner.)