Groceries
Ren looked down and saw Maria halfway down the steps already. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Ren came down the rest of the stairs. The soft breeze of air against their fur reminded them that they were nude, something that wouldn’t have been bothersome if not for the presence of their clothed sister. While making their way to Maria’s car a truck passed by on the street. Whoever was driving would’ve seen the 6 foot yellow fox monster following their human to the curb. The truck did not brake to a halt or come back around for a double take. It drove off like Ren was nothing. So there has to be more of us out there.
They were lost in thought while Maria popped open the rear door of her car to reveal a backseat loaded with groceries all stacked inside plastic bags. She grabbed a couple and turned around to find Ren standing there, waiting to help. “You know the drill. Arms up.”
Arms up? What am I, surrendering? If Ren knew the drill, then their next instinct should’ve been the right answer. They lifted their arms into a T-pose. Is this right? Apparently so, as Maria slid the grocery bags down Ren’s arm down to the bicep, letting them hang by the handle. Without another word she went to fetch some more. Ren stood there with their arms out like some inanimate 3D model, waiting for their arms to become laden with foodstuffs. They found it kind of funny. I’m a superpowered digital monster and here I am being used as a rack. “What am I, a grocery Christmas tree?”
Maria was bringing up the next few bags and putting them on Ren’s arms when she gave them a wry smile. “Hey, you’re the one who volunteered to do this a while ago. You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”
I did? “No, it’s fine. They barely weigh anything.” That was true. Even with one bag being dragged down by a heavy gallon of milk it felt totally weightless on their bicep. More was put on, and Ren’s arm showed little to no signs of sagging under any weight.
“Yeah, well they do to me,” Maria said. “Which is why it’s real nice that you do this.” She stood back and raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully quippy today. Something’s got you in a good mood?”
Geez, I must be some kind of sourpuss here. Ren thought of what to say, then told the truth. “I guess I’m just happy to see you.”
Written by TheGreatJaceyGee on 14 December 2025
The end (for now)