There was a soft click of the key turning into the key hole. Lillie, the pleasantly pudgy housekeeper, bustled into the dead silence of the deserted apartment. Deserted temporarily coz my family was out on a vacation. I was left home as usual for reasons best known to them.
She put on a flowered apron and started her daily activities.Vacuuming carpets.Wiping the shelves clean with a colorful fluffy duster. Cleaning the wash rooms. And generally pottering around. On particularly happy days she would whistle merrily as she went about her chores. On some days one could hear her hum softly under her breath. And you would know all was not right when she wouldn’t do either of the two – which was today.
The last meal I had was two days back, just before my folks left. It seemed like decades ago. I was ravenous. To top it, Lillie was happily munching on the freshly baked cookies that she had just got in! I looked at her expectantly as she came closer to me. She frowned and started cleaning the area around me not giving me a second glance. God! Hadn’t she been instructed to feed me? I agree, I’m not a baby anymore but I still depend on people for my grub. My heart sank when I saw her leave. I wished I could scream out to her or at least say what I wanted to. But I could do none.
The next day she was back. By now my tummy was growling fiercely. Today she was whistling. Yay! Food at last, I assumed. I waited patiently to finish her tasks on the other side of the house and come to me. Finally when she came to my side, she was pleasantly lost in her thoughts. I tried to grab her attention. Put up my best pout for her. Paced around for a wee bit. Drew circles around me. Finally glared at her in rage. And when none of it worked I started throwing flying kisses at her. Ah that worked! She came closer, smiled at me. At least, that is what I thought. But I was wrong. I desperately pressed my nose flat against the glass that separated us, but all she did was smoothed her hair looking at her reflection in the glass. Grrr…women, I tell you…they are the heights of vanity! No…don’t go! Not yet…gimme me my food lady! The words remained trapped in my mouth and sometimes came out as bubbles.
The next morning when Lillie walked into the house, the sight she was met with was a late reminder to the task she was asked to prioritize by the house owners. The can of fish food stood untouched next to the bowl for days together. Jughead the goldfish was floating on his tummy – dead in his fish bowl.
Unfed and forgotten.
Linking this to Day 2 of theΒ UBC July 2014Β andΒ NaBloPoMo July 2014
42 Responses to Jughead Goes Hungry
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
About Author
Vinodini
Vinodini is a writer, novelist, and design professional. She has worked in the retail sector as a visual merchandiser and a fashion stylist for various well-known brands. She is a published author with an epistolary novel to her credit. She has also contributed various pieces published in anthologies, websites, and a coffee table book. She writes content on a range of topics for various domestic and international brands. This blog is an amalgamation of her thoughts, experiences, and pieces of fiction woven in her mind which find themselves translated into narrations here.
Liked what you read here?
Join 1,031 other subscribers-
Recent Posts
- A Loving Tribute to Sam July 10, 2023
- Chasing the Blues with Yellow May 28, 2021
- Welcome Home Sam! April 6, 2021
- Thoughts for 2021 January 13, 2021
- Cheesecake without Cream Cheese July 26, 2020
Archives
Categories
Follow me on Twitter
My TweetsGoodreads
Spam Blocked
A wonderful read, Vinodini! Poor jughead. It had to die of starvation. And wonder what will be the maid's prospect after the owners return? Planning a sequel for this one? π
Hey thanks Beloo! I did not think of a sequel for this but now that you ask me, sounds like a good idea.
I'm trying to stick to short stories for UBC this time, but am not sure if I would be able to pull it through with stories for 29 more days. Let's see, no harm in trying.
Cute Post…sad ending. The title of the post grabbed my attention.
All the best for UBC.
Thanks Vyoma. I had a vague inkling that the name Jughead would induce curiosity from avid Archie fans.
But since it was about food, Jughead seemed to be the apt name.
ohh dear!! how callous of her. Initially I thought it was a dog π Well written
Yeah Rajlakshmi, I did suspect that people might end up thinking its a dog at the start. Sadly, a lot of people do treat animals callously.
Thank you for your kind appreciation.
Hi. I've come here through Ultimate Blog Challenge and found your story gripping. You are a wonderful writer.
Romi @ Letters from the Land of Cherry Blossoms
That's a very uplifting compliment Romi. Thanks for dropping by and do keep coming back. Will hop on to your blog soon. All the best for UBC.
Ohhh :(.. It was quite an unexpected climax! Beautifully narrated though π
Thank you Vinay. Sad ending but that's how life is π
Awww… That was so sad. π I feel so bad for Jughead. Pets spend their lives with us being faithful to us and we forget their basic needs on some occasions. Nicely narrated. π
You're right Eloquent Mind, pets are often not given love the way they give it to us – unconditionally. Thanks for dropping by. Keep coming back for more π
Aw poor fish but enjoyed reading x
Thank you Rachel. Glad you liked it π
Unique and wonderful.. All the time I was wondering who is Jughead!! A post so different from all that I have read till date. Kudos Vinodini!!
Oh that makes my day Anushree! Thank you π
A cute post so well written. But the end is touching.Poor Jughead !!
Thanks Usha ma'am. Neglected pets do have a sad ending.
Awww π
That is such a sad ending to a cute tale!
Bhavya
My UBC Day 2 post
Yes Bhavya, sad it had to be. He was left to the mercy of a person who wasn't pet friendly at all.
Wish you the best for UBC!
What an unexpected climax,,,but what an interesting story!! You write pretty well π
Hey thanks Kajal…I'm smiling now! I'm happy you enjoyed it.
Gosh! Poor Jughead! I was wondering who was not able to scream and get Lillie's attention! Wonderful write-up!
Thanks Shilpa, if only Jughead could have been able to scream…Lillie would have been deaf by now!
Awww.. I wish somebody could feed Jughead. That's so sad. Such a nice story! I was a attached to it while going through it!
Thank you Umang. Yeah, its not difficult to get attached to pets – in real life and fictional ones too π
Beautifully written, Vinodini. Love the super creative ending:)
Thanks for your generous compliment Vishal!
Ouch! When it started off, I thought it was going to be about the Jughead on the first picture! Loved it, Vinodini. Didn't see that one coming!
Thanks Aathira! The name Jughead came to me coz it was about food and Archie's happens to be my favorite comic series.
I knew it was a pet, but the ending was still sad π
Leo, it indeed was a sad ending for Jughead. Happens all the time with neglected pets.
Awww… so sad! Poor jughead..but nicely written.. enjoyed reading it π
Thanks Reema. Glad you liked it π
noooooooooooo little jughead nooooooooooo…
This was written well but the ending made me a little bit depressed!
Thanks Red, but that's the reality of life. Not all endings are happy.
I wish you would let the poor fish live π
Mridula, it wasn't me – it was Lillie who did not let him live π Sad, but we do have such careless people around.
ohhh… Poor little Jughead π
Tina from The Sunny Side of Life
Yes, Tina …poor Jughead. If only pet keepers were more responsible, such sad endings could be averted.
Oh dear. Poor little Juggy π I do admire the range of stories in your repertoire, Vinodini!
Yeah poor Juggy met with a sad fate. Thanks for your constantly uplifting support Shailaja. I'm glad you like it.