Short Story - Unexpected Friendships

"Well, well, well, Agent Fluffs, here we are then," Sid's Maltese Terrier leapt out of the rowing boat and landed with a small 'thump' on the island's shore. As Sid clambered out of the frantically rocking boat, his excitable 'police dog' almost knocked him flying. Yet, she didn't quite manage to, as Sid's rather rotund figure added to his stability and weight. On the topic of Sid's appearance, his countenance was one which shone with redness and strongly resembled a tomato. His circular glasses appeared to match his facial shape quite well, although their limited size caused him to peer at everything as if he was a confused piglet. This did not bode well for his job as a police officer as his looks betrayed his authority and no one ever took him seriously.

As Sid took Agent Fluffs for a walk around the island, her gleaming, dark brown eyes alarmed him slightly as he followed her gaze to some wild rabbits. Sid didn't much fancy roasted rabbit for dinner so he distracted her with a dog biscuit. As she munched on the new-found treat, Sid looked at the instructions for building his tent. An air of perplexion seemed to begin emanating from his person, but he disregarded it as a light breeze and started to assemble his new home. He didn't have time to waste; he'd been sent on a mission to find a 'wanted' criminal and he intended to succeed.

Two hours later, and Sid had finally finished setting up camp. Unfortunately for him, he was in fact on the wrong island. But Sid was peacefully oblivious to this and couldn't wait to catch the criminal who had reportedly been spotted only two days previous to his arrival. All his colleagues had been occupied with other cases at the time of the report and he had been the only other option. A more competent officer would've been better as Sid proceeded to make his dinner rather than look for the criminal. By the time he and Agent Fluffs had finished, it was 9pm and much too late in Sid's opinion to start searching. He decided, with a good night's sleep under his belt, he would be more likely to spot the criminal.

After a bedtime story, the policeman and his dog snuggled down into their slightly wonky tent.
Only to find at 1:00am that it had collapsed on them.
And then again at 3 o'clock.
And again at 6:00am.
By the time the sun came up, Sid and Agent Fluffs were not at all rested. In fact, they were so worn out that Sid fell asleep in his cereal and Agent Fluffs in her dog bowl.

They were so soundly asleep that they didn't notice the arrival of the 'wanted' criminal on the island. However, the criminal did notice them. He grinned to himself as he spotted the pair, both still in their pyjamas. He had no idea of Sid's occupation and clearly wasn't intimidated by his presence. He had sailed in the hope to escape from the neighbouring island when the news of his being there had been broadcast on BBC News. He hadn't had time to pack much food and realised that making friends with this man and his dog would work in his favour. Scratching his unshaven head, he approached them carefully so as not to scare them.

After five minutes of his trying to wake them up, Agent Fluffs finally opened one eye and was surprised to see that her master had grown a wild beard. She eventually realised after much sniffing that this was not Sid, but a stranger. Before she had time to alert her companion, he was awake. The criminal smiled at Sid and persuaded him that he'd come on holiday to the island. Sid immediately liked this "jolly fellow" as he later described the man to Agent Fluffs and welcomed him with open arms.

Two weeks later, and Sid hadn't thought to tell his new friend why he was on the island. But he realised his life there was better than in London and although he accepted that he would never find the criminal he'd been sent for, he didn't mind. The criminal decided to stay on the island as well and told Sid that he wouldn't go home after his 'holiday'. Agent Fluffs was content with trying, and failing, to chase wild rabbits. All in all, a happy ending. Maybe one day, each will confess their complex stories. But for now, they get on well as friends, each with their own lives to lead and their own dreams to follow.

THE END

Short Story - Time to Leave

It’s Monday. I open my eyes to a world which seems darker than it was the day before. Every day the sky bends down lower, until I'm sure one day it will just stoop down and swallow me up. My mum shouts after me as I leave for school, but I hear only sound, her words are wasted on me. 

Teachers used to try and involve me in lessons but they gave up long ago, now they let me sit here in a conscious, yet absent state.

It's Tuesday. Nothing's changed.

It's Wednesday.

It's Thursday.

It’s Friday, somebody’s slipped a note inside my locker. It says, “Follow the trail on the map, from someone who sees you every day and wants to help.” This hasn't ever happened before; no one’s tried to get through to me the whole time I've been at this school. Attached to the note is a map with an inky line leading to an ‘X’. I know the area, I can see my school marked on it, but I can’t work out where the trail leads to. So I follow it. Maybe it’s a stupid thing to do, who knows, there’s only one way to find out. 

I arrive in a meadow which I never knew was here and I see something stuck to a tree. It says, “The sun will shine on your life if you’ll only let it in. It’s time to leave the darkness and see the light walk in.” I lie down in the long grass, look up at the sky and hear the birds sing. I realise, when it takes someone else who you hardly know to open your eyes and show you the beauty of the world, you need to change your mind set and leave your dark past behind.