Black and white cat screeching with a badly broken back, its limbs flailing, reaching— a useless, aimless attack; claws spreading, fangs flashing in the chilly rain that falls, gut bleeding, teeth gnashing, while a small child, somewhere, calls. Neither needle or stitch can mend all this damage done, and, kneeling in the ditch, I see the blood burst, then run. Guiltless, my hands in gloves rummage for mercy to use, and I wonder what loves we might, someday, likewise lose. Penknife in trembling hand unfolding a silver gleam— I feel myself unmanned by the cat’s tormented scream. Releasing the cat, now, clutched in Death’s unflinching grasp, I rub my clammy brow and hear it gurgle and gasp. The rain falls cold, meantime, and I see the cat’s gashed eye caked black with blood and grime, yet alert and asking, “Why?” I put away my knife, the cat still writhing in pain, yet clinging to its life though life itself is a bane. Turning to go away, I am haunted by a word echoing to this day: “Coward, coward…you coward…”
Stephen Marshall. Writer, illustrator, layabout. Find him on Amazon, maybe. He has paperback and kindle books listed there. He also writes Supernatural Romance under the name S.C. Foster (because his fiancee pushed him to do so). He seems to have a knack for the Romance genre, much to his chagrin. Having pursued Children's literature he is particularly proud of his Children's novel series "Lost And Found", which begins with "Chloe Among The Clover", continues recently with "Stormy Within The Strawberry Patch" and may, in some future potentiality, culminate with "Candice Through The Picket Fence". These are novels for children (including his insistent nephew), but they are also written for adults who are children at heart. His short story collection, "The Eldritch Diaries", centers primarily upon Cosmic Horror and Body Horror, combining Lovecraft's mythos with the motifs of Sigmund Freud. His largest poetry collection, "Broken Crown Kings", contains over two hundred poems and two short novellas concerning the fleeting nature of the world and Man's place within it. Recently he has published a smaller book of poetry concerning Kentucky, Moonshine, and Ghosts called "Moonshine And Spirit Chasers". A much larger collection, entitled '"Nevermore" 99 Rhymes For $0.99' is also available. For those seeking supernatural and folklore, his collection "Weeping Cherry" is available also.
https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Marshall/e/B07536QKD9?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_fkmrnull_1&qid=1554215427&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
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