date: 09.10.94
age: 14
grade: 09
rank: 06
"May she ever rest in peace," says Thomas Cottington, as he fills the freshly dug grave with dirt, the ground piling higher atop the corpse below. He shovels the last bit of dirt, and mats down the pile with the back of his shovel. Putting the shovel away, he walks back to his house and goes inside.
"Fluffy was my favorite cat," cries his wife, Mary, from the kitchen. "We had so many memories together."
Mary and Thomas Cottington are a happy little couple. They live in a typical suburban American house. They are not poor, but are not rich either. Thomas is a social worker. He is middle aged, around 45, and he is a relatively intelligent person. Mary is a housewife, who is also middle aged, and has a great love for animals. Her pet, Fluffy, just recently died in a car-related accident. She is typically very emotional, so she is also very upset.
Mary and Thomas do not have a large income. They have no children, so they spend their money solely on themselves. After buying food, clothing, and other necessities, they rarely have enough money left over for luxuries. Thomas saves his extra money, which allows them to buy jewelry, or other meaningful items.
Every Monday, after Thomas has gone to work, Mary drives out to the supermarket to run errands. First she does her laundry. Then she buys her groceries. Then, on her way back to the car, she goes to the nearby pet shop to buy cat food. These errands became her Monday routine. She does this same routine every single Monday. This Monday, however, was different.
As Mary approaches the pet shop, she remembers that she no longer has a pet. A tear rolls down her cheek. "What shall I do," she cried. "I do not have Fluffy to care for, and love. I need something to take her place. I will find another pet!" So she continues to walk toward the pet shop.
Mary opens the door, and walks inside. She goes to the man at the counter and says, "My cat has just died recently, and I'm looking for a new pet to take her place."
"Right this way," says the energetic, young clerk. The clerk shows her the cats, the dogs, the fish, the mice, and many other pets in the store. Mary, being very picky, shakes her head at each one. "They are all very lovely," she explains, "but none of them will take the place of my Fluffy!"
"There is one pet left, that I haven't shown you yet," says the clerk. He leads her into the back room, where there sits a cage. The clerk turns on the light, and Mary sees the most beautiful blue and yellow parrot.
"He is beautiful!" shouts Mary.
"Yes, and he can even talk," adds the clerk.
Mary is very excited by the beautiful bird. "This is the perfect pet! I just have to go home to tell Thomas!" So she rushes out of the pet store, and goes home to wait for Thomas to arrive.
Thomas finally comes home and Mary rushes out of the house to tell him the news. She says, "Today I went to the pet shop, and I saw the most beautiful parrot that I have ever seen. It is blue and yellow, and it can even talk!"
"We do not need a parrot in the house. It will be too difficult to take care of, and it probably costs too much money." said Thomas.
"I will use my own money, and I will buy it myself!" says Mary in a huff. She thinks to herself, "But where will I find the money?"
As Mary lay awake in bed, she thinks of all the ways she could get the money. "I could save up for it, but that would take too long. I could borrow some from my friends, but then I would have to repay them." She thinks for a long time, and eventually falls asleep.
The next day, she gathers all of her jewelry together and puts it into a bag. She slowly goes into the pawn shop, wondering if she is making the right decision. She keeps reassuring herself by saying, "Thomas will not mind if I sell all the jewelry that he gave me. It is for a good a cause, and he will not mind." She hands her bag to the man, and gets money in its place. It is just enough to buy the parrot.
Mary buys the blue and yellow parrot, along with a cage, some food, and a perch. She takes it home, and begins to teach it. She gives it the name "Thief", because of the colorations over his eyes. After a lot of frustration, she manages to get it to say his name.
"SQUAWK! Thief! SQUAWK!"
"Very good Thief!" commends Mary, as she gives him a treat. "After some practice you will learn more." Mary continues to teach Thief until Thomas comes home. He walks in the door, and is shocked to see a huge bird sitting on his kitchen table.
"Thomas, this is Thief, the parrot I told you about."
"He is quite a bird," said Thomas, "But where did you get the money?"
"I sold all of my jewelry."
"You WHAT!?"
"I sold all of my jewelry, and received enough money to buy the parrot," explains Mary.
"As long as it makes you happy."
Mary was happy, she got her new pet. Thomas was happy that Mary was no longer sad. The couple lived with their parrot, delighting in its beauty. All was going well.
"Did you hear something?" asks Thomas one night over dinner.
"Nothing," replies Mary.
"Nothing. SQUAWK! Nothing."
They hear glass breaking, and the sound of footsteps above them.
"A burglar!" Whispers Thomas quiety. "Quick, find someplace to hide!"
Mary runs into the living room closet. Thomas grabs the parrot and quickly follows her. She shuts the door.
They wait in darkness.
The burglar searches around Mary's bedroom. He opens the jewelry boxes. They are empty, so he decides to walk downstairs.
Darkness is all Mary and Thomas see. They hear footsteps walking down the stairs. The footsteps walk slowly, and then stop.
"THIEF!!! SQUAWK! THIEF!!!"
They hear a gunshot, and the sound of feet running. Mary is terrified.
She waits in darkness.
Mary finally calms a little. She opens the closet door. She turns, and finds Thomas dead... the blue and yellow bird clutched tightly in his hands.