Chapter 1
“The Gift”
Mid August-The Perseids (meteor showers) were in full swing. Named The Perseids from the constellation Perseus (A Great Greek hero), slayer of monsters and most notably, the Gorgon Medusa.
High winds made for a clear night. 100 miles above Earth, a gamma ray infused meteor, ignited as it entered the the atmosphere. Evaporating layers of ice, rock and carbon, left a vapor trail streaming across the night sky. With a loud bubbling thud, the glowing meteor landed in a small pond located next to a scrap metal junkyard in rural US of A.
The impact of the space rock stirred a little dust in the makeshift den in the nearby scrapyard, a scrapped 69 Chevelle. A cob web broke free, shimmering in the sliver of white linen moonlight, floating for a moment, then landing onto the nose of a soft fluffy fur ball named Bella. Bella was solid black from head to toe. In dim light it was hard to make her out from a shadow. She found herself alone as her mother had left earlier that evening in search of food. She had been gone for what seemed an eternity.
Determined wind gusts swept through the junk yard, making Bella’s petaled ears perk up. As the night wore on, the wind calmed and with a deep sigh, she drifted off to sleep.
A loud roar of a front end loader’s diesel engine startled Bella awake. The rusted lime green shelter began to heave and vibrate, Bella bolted into the blinding morning sunlight and sprinted toward a gap in the chain link fence., CRASH!! Her den was no more. 
In a flash, Bella raced through the fence leaving behind the smell of used oil and radiator fluid. Her large puppy head gave her a teetering stride as she ran into an open field. It was the first time she had felt grass beneath her tender paws. She ran until she was out of earshot of the clanking junkyard.
Bell’s long tongue darted in and out of her open mouth while saliva bubbles foamed along her burgundy gum line. Closing her mouth between breaths, she drew in the scent of nearby water. Near exhaustion, she willed her bow-legs forward in the direction of the yet unseen oasis.
Approaching the pond, Bella walked into the shallows. The cool water felt good on her delicate paws. Lapping up the cool water, her mind cleared. The meteor laced pond water was like nectar. She felt invigorated. As she walked onto the bank, she noticed that wherever her fire had gotten wet, her paws and down her chest, had changed from black to white, looking as if she had walked through a pan of white paint. Not thinking much about it, Bella followed the dirt road moving away from the junkyard and pond towards town..
The dirt road met a paved road where traffic was buzzing by. Suddenly through the blur of cars, she saw a bright red fox trapped on the median of the busy road, unexpectedly it darted across, towards her. Unsure what to do, Bella froze. BAM! A speeding car plowed into the fox. Time suddenly slowed down, as she watched the fox’s body vaulted into the air as if from a circus cannon. The crimson canine landed squarely in front of her paws.
Almost standing on her back paws, Bella’s back tightened, body twisted, as she tried to get away. Bella’s senses were overwhelmed by the scent was of musk and dog urine. The foxes’ body convulsed as if it were choking on a chicken bone, their eyes met. The foxes amber eyes froze, not blinking, it’s body convulsed and lay still.
Bella’s stood over the dead fox, her ears were ringing as if in a sound tunnel. As she closed her mouth to take in a curiosity driven whiff of her fellow canine, a drop of drool fell from her tongue landing squarely on the fox’s nose. Immediately the foxes’ pupils dilated, It blinked, began to breathe, pounced to its feet, took one look at Bella and jetted off in the direction of the junkyard.
This is my first attempt at a chapter book. I hope you enjoy it and come back for the next installment. Thank you for reading and your comments are much appreciated.
Peace-Goroyboy
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