One: Cat

He wasn't sure what to do now that his cat was dead. She was buried in the little backyard. There was no marker; the soil was frozen solid and it had been hellish just digging a hole deep enough. He worried he hadn't put her far enough underground. A dog will dig up her body, he thought. Anyway there were now two feet of snow covering the little hump, an unexpected early morning discovery. He stood shivering on his porch, listening to the harshness of his breathing. He heard what sounded like a gun shot echoing bleakly from the trees.