“Ham”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Don’t give me that.”

Amelia stares up at with, her brown eyes large and pleading.

“Don’t give me those eyes,” I tell her, looking away. “The answer’s still no.”

“Pleeeeeease, Sammy?” she begs. “I promise I’ll feed it and walk it and brush it and give it lots and lots of love.”

I hold back a groan. I can never resist my little sister, especially not when she’s giving me those eyes. Still, Dad will be pissed if we bring home yet another pet that we’re not supposed to have.

“No, Ames, I’m sorry.” I risk peeking back at her. She’s still giving me those adorable, heart-wrenching eyes. “Gah! Okay, fine! But you’re telling Dad that you brought it home without me knowing, okay?”

“Okay!” Amelia squeals. She tackles me with a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I chuckle and squeeze her back. “Well, don’t thank me yet. You’ve still got to convince Dad, remember?”

She nods. “Yeah, but Dad always says yes in the end.”

I laugh at that. I mean, she’s right. Even though he acts mad at first, Dad always ends up loving whatever new pet Amelia brings home.

“Alright, go get him,” I tell Amelia, handing her some money.

She races into the shop and returns moments later with her new friend.

I’ve got to admit, he’s cute. Like, super cute.

“Good choice,” I tell Amelia, walking over to her to stroke her new pet on the head. “He’s very cute.”

“I know!” she squeals. “And I’ve got the perfect name for him!”

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Ham!”

I frown. “Ham? Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?”

She nods enthusiastically and squeezes Ham tightly. “Come on, Ham, let’s go home!”

She sets off on the path home, still probably strangling Ham to death. I chuckle as I follow her.

Now for the hard part: Convincing Dad to let us keep a flying pig.

Final Comments: Did you really think that I’d write a story about a pet dog or cat or something? Nah, come on! You’ve got to think outside the box!

Overall Rating: 😂