Carl & Perie. A short story from UNIVERSE X STUDIOS

Chapter five: Her new home

He then lets go of her and grabs her firmly by the paw, then helping her off the rock. They look at eachother, both of them sharing an adventurous and mischievous look, before then running off as the raindrops intensify more and more. They both ran through the pathway in the forest, both of them just about beating the pace of the coming rain.

When they exit the forest however, they need to make a turn on the dirt road, putting them sideways against the rain storm coming in. At this, they both run faster. The rain starts to intensify again, the sound of it hitting the ground becoming louder and louder. Though the weather may sound frightful, Carl and Perie are smiling ear to ear. They then near Carls house and they run to the door. Carl tries to open the door as he's running to it, but the door is locked which causes Carl to bump into it, comedically banging against the door. Perie stops so she doesn't hit the door either and just looks at him as he drops back on the ground.

There's a moment of silence before the two start giggling, which eventually turns in laughing. The two found the moment very funny. Carls mother then opens the door and sees him on the ground. She then says, "Carl! Did you run into the door?" Carl tries to stop laughing so he can answer. When he calms down he then says, "Haha, yes! I'm sorry mother!" His laughter is a little infectious. the mother chuckles a bit too. "Heh, you silly boy. Come inside now. You'll catch a cold!" As she finishes that sentence she then notices Perie standing off to the side. Parie shuffles her feet a little, feeling a little shy and scared to what she'll think of her.

Carl then notices the interaction and says, "Oh! Mum this is my new friend! She doesn't have a home so can she please stay with us?" Carls mum looks to him and back at her, then saying, "Oh! Yes of course please come in!"

With that the two came into the house and Carls mother dried them off and prepared some hot tea for them both. She even gave Perie a little red scarf she had knitted a few nights before. Perie accepted it, very appreciative of the gift. She wrapped it around her neck and felt it with her paw. She could feel the love in it, the love in it for her.

Both her and Carl went and sat by the fire place to warm up, sipping at their tea. Carl looked over to Perie. She looked happier than ever. She looked up to Carl and he only made her smile more as he smiled back. "I cannot even begin... to... thank you enough." Perie says to Carl. Carl finishes taking a sip of his tea and responds to her, "Please, don't worry. This is what friends do for eachother."

That makes Perie feel warm inside, not just from the fire and tea but from the unconditional love she's being shown. She looks to the fire, and then up at the ceiling, staring into her own thoughts. She has a home now. A friend. Someone who loves her. She realizes what she was missing all along, and she is so happy someone helped her to see it.

The End.