It just lay there on the
living room floor, this
gaping wound, ugly as
sin, oozing even. It is
a good thing the floor
is laminate they rumin-
ated. The wound could
be cleaned up quickly
before anyone stopped
by, but the smell, (What
about the smell?) — the
permeating, sickening,
all-pervading stench of
the cancerous behavior,
yes, the cancerous
behavior. Even with
air spray, they still
could smell it and it
sickened them to the
marrow of their bones.
The dog finally came
out of the bedroom,
lifted his nose, flared
his nostrils and shook
his head before walking
to the door to ask to go
out and do his business.