Member-only story
The Duke and the Duchess
a flash fiction story
The howls of Duchess Ivana filled the small living room. The Duchess was certain that the Duke had cracked his skull on the brass andirons. A small trickle of blood seeped from one of his hairy ears. The Duchess watched carefully for signs of life but sensed no rise and fall from the Duke’s red brocade vested chest. He lay on his back, his eyes closed, his large legs sprawled apart. The Duchess howled again mournfully and licked the Duke’s fat hand.
The Duchess had been dozing in the afternoon sun near the window when the visitor arrived. She trotted over and sniffed his shoes and shiny pant legs. He smelled of cat and fish. Nothing interesting so she went back to her nap in the warm sun. After a few minutes of polite conversation, the man said something that made the Duke roar with anger. The same kind of voice he used when the Duchess had an accident. She heard a scuffle ensue and opened her eyes. She jumped up when she saw the Duke fall. She rushed toward the fish-cat smelling man and growled, but the man quickly backed away when he saw her. Then, he hurried out the front door, and slammed it shut. If only she had been awake, she might have been able to stop the man from hurting the Duke. If only she had been quicker, she could have bitten him.
She sniffed her master once more and pushed her furry nose next to his bulbous…
