Spot the Chihuahua was born blind. The kids called him Spot because they thought it was funny and, well, he wouldn’t know any better, would he? You would think that a tiny blind dog would be on the timid side, but not Spot. He confronted Dobermans and Great Danes without hesitation, just a little confusion as to why their prime sniffing area was so high off the ground. He chased squirrels halfway up trees, following their scent and footfalls, and he wouldn’t let Mr. Kane, the cranky old neighbor, anywhere near the yard, even to return a lost ball or Frisbee. When it came to catching flying discs, he was the block champ. Nobody could figure out how he did it, but he would leap four feet in the air to catch one and never missed. He was never happier than when he was trotting up with a teeth-marked neon-colored circle of plastic in his mouth. Blue ones were his favorite. We could never figure out why. Maybe that’s why he developed a fondness for chasing cars, something to do with the Frisbees. It was always the left rear wheel he was after. A couple of times, we found him blocks away, shaking and barking in rage and frustration at the left rear wheel of a parked car. Spot weighed less than ten pounds, but he just couldn’t see the point of being afraid of anything. I’m glad he never saw it coming, the second car. |
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What You Don’t See by Kim Hutchinson
Filed under Kim Hutchinson
This broke my heart.
I’m so glad it touched you, Jessie. Thanks for the great comment!
I hope the ladieschit-chatting in the corner can’t see the tear in my eye. I may be drummed out of the coffee shop. Thank You for sharing.
If the ladies did see, they probably thought more of you! Thanks for the read and the great comment.
Just a great instant of life, and so cruel, like life can be. BAM! You nailed this with great details and I honestly didn’t see that end. Powerful. Life can change on a dime.
Thanks, Robert! I’m so glad you liked it, and I’m especially happy that the ending worked for you.
What a wonderful story! I love that he knew which were “blue” and your ending was powerful.
Thanks very much, Susan. I’m very glad you liked it, and that the ending seems to be working for readers!
Oh my goodness, Kim. How lovely and tragic, all put forward in this small little thing.
Thanks very much for the read and the great comment, Lou! Glad you liked it!
Kim, you fooled me into believing this dog was going to be some sort of superhero, I, totally believing in his abilities, and then…!
Well, you’re a superhero until you aren’t, I guess! :) Didn’t mean to fool anyone.
Oh, I suspected a bad end for Spot, but I admire his spirit. He knew how to truly live, and how many can honestly claim that?
Sadly, not enough of us know how to live like Spot. But I still wouldn’t recommend chasing cars…
Such sunny dread you invoke here! The second car is not at all unexpected, and almost welcomed. Game over.
Sunny dread… What a great description! Thanks, Matt! Glad you liked the story.
Blindsided. So to speak. What a roundhouse to the gut of an ending.
Thanks Michael. Glad you enjoyed the short trip.
yeah, i liked the theme of fearlessness and that it takes being bind to be that way. nice job.
Good point, Len! Hadn’t thought of it that way. Glad you liked it.
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