I remember the day I brought Robbi home—a golden bundle of fur with eyes that sparkled like sunlight on water. He grew into my shadow, following me everywhere, his tail wagging like a metronome of joy. My favourite memory is the afternoon we spent in the bushes, chasing locusts. His leaps were poetry in motion, and I laughed until my sides hurt.
That night, under a cascade of stars, I whispered, “You’re my best friend, Robbi,” and he nuzzled into my hand as if he understood.
But love, I learned, can falter under the weight of a moment.
It was an ordinary morning. I rushed through the house, late for school. Robbi, ever the playful spirit, darted underfoot. I didn’t see him. My foot came down, and the yelp that followed still haunts my dreams.
The vet’s words were sharp and sterile: a broken rib, internal bruising. I threw everything into his recovery—money, time, my heart. Each day, I sat by his bed, coaxing him to eat, stroking his fur, begging him to forgive me. His eyes, once full of life, dimmed but still sought mine, as if to say, “I trust you.”
One morning, I found him lying still, foam at his mouth. My knees buckled. I cradled his lifeless body, the weight of him lighter than the guilt crushing my chest.
I buried him under the Mopane tree by the goat kraal, where he once flew like the wind. A frisbee lay beside him, a token of happier times.
Now, I sit under that tree every evening, staring at the stars, whispering apologies to the darkness. Love didn’t save Robbi; it killed him. And I carry that weight, one step at a time.
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Kaone Tebelelo Tafila is a teaching graduate, scriptwriter, and weird fiction writer whose passion for storytelling began in childhood.
Currently working on his debut novel, his work delves into the darker aspects of the human experience, exploring themes of fear, vulnerability, and the fragility of the mind. His stories are designed to unsettle and linger long after reading.
When not writing, Kaone immerses himself in books and comics, drawing inspiration from a wide range of genres, from classic horror to contemporary graphic novels. As a devoted lover of literacy, he deeply cares for and cherishes the craft of writing.
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Read – Can’t Take the Heat – A Flash Fiction by Rose Wangari Kinyanjui – Kenya
