by Edith
MAIN MALE CHARACTER
Name: Fred Hollows
Age: 46
Occupation: Pound keeper
Likes: dogs and most animals
Dislikes: cruelty to animals
Something else about him: new to the job
MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER
Name: Judith Age: 40
Occupation: child care worker
Likes: children (obviously)
Dislikes: violence
Something else about her: is not beautiful, but attractive
A PLACE
Be fairly specific: Cottesloe, WA
GENRE OF STORY
i.e. is it a romance, a mystery, a western, a science fiction, a fantasy, a thriller, a comedy or something else? Something else
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE?
Are you writing for children, young adults or adults?
Adults
AND JUST FOR FUN ….
Pick
a colour: red
something to eat: apricot chicken
An item of clothing: jersey
an animal: alpaca
Coming back to work after his Sunday off, rounding the corner of the row of dog pens, Fred Hollows stopped dead. She must have heard him coming, the white paws up at the wire, black nose poking through, with those limpid black eyes fixed on his face. Excitement rippled through the black coat and with tail wagging furiously she barked a joyous greeting.'Doesn't do to get attached at all,' he thought, as he gave her the usual scratch on the nose. She was so very young, maybe six months old - around the age some people dump or surrender such nondescript breeds - past the cute puppy stage and the age in a caring household to need to be sterilised. A final rub to the nose and he strode on without looking back as he heard the soft whine of the pup.
He'd only been a few months on the job, coming from the country to Cottesloe for his two children's further education and already he enjoyed the interaction with the animals, a temporary bird or two usually sent on to a bird sanctuary if not claimed, and with a feeling he was making a difference.
Later that morning, having to get down to the most distasteful part of his job he went through the records for cats and dogs unclaimed over the past week, singling out the ones to be euthanised by the vet the following day.
'Rotten thing to have to do,' he mused, a staunch advocate of mandatory sterilisation for all cats and dogs for owners not registered for breeding their animals. He knew it wouldn't happen, perhaps not even in his lifetime, so with a sigh of sadness and disgust he pushed himself out of his desk chair and got on with the next job at hand. The area he worked stretched from Swanbourne, through Cottesloe and Mosman Park from Stirling Highway to the beach, a formidable area to cover. With several reports of troublesome stray dogs in his hand he headed for the covered work utility to get under way with his job.
In the meantime Judith, Fred's wife and six years his junior, arrived at the child care centre, clad in a bright red jersey with slacks, (who doesn't need a boost at the beginning of the working week?) just as a young woman was again struggling to coax her distraught two year old to the entrance.
'Here we go again,' the active forty year old thought as she surged forward to help. In her bag she had a few toys and items to distract and take over the mini eruption. David was an only child, Judith recalled, so the impending separation of child from mother was not unusual, she knew. As she hurried forward to help, rummaging through the bag and drawing out a small train set she held it at the child's eye level while nodding to the tired mother and saying decisively,
"Come on in, David, we're late and the others are going to play Thomas the tank engine. After that we'll have some milk and cake. Coming?" With that he grasped the little train in his fist close to his chest and without a backward glance at his mother, hurried toward the entrance of the centre. So began Judith's eventful working week.
As the brilliant golden orb of the sun travelled down toward the horizon both Fred and Judith began to organise the end of their working day to head home, usually arriving within half an hour of one another. Judith had prepared their dinner prior to leaving that morning, so with a flick of a switch on the stove and a stir of the apricot chicken, she soon had it simmering while they wound down on the back patio, chatting over their day.
"Any idea where a woman from work can get some alpaca wool for knitting?" Judith enquired. There were a few alpaca holdings just around Serpentine and Mundijong, Fred knew, so he suggested they take a country run to look over these curious animals. Both their teenagers were away at camp then so this was an unexpected treat of time together for a couple of days.
Typical of many in their routine of working jobs they felt they both enjoyed, they felt satisfied with where they were in their lives, and as the day drew to a close there was contentment.
*******