Imagine a pet that only appears when it senses affection from its owner

Thanks to the Mechanics Institute Review for publishing my short story Sugar Tiger

Here’s the intro

i rage about how jude is a fucking joke as a partner, and my mate cathy squints and purses her lips like she wants to say something clever. 

you need a hindolyne, she tells me.

what the hell is that? 

it’s a small creature, with short legs and a curved back, similar to an otter. it has the fur of a mink, the claws of a cat, and the tail of a fox, which wraps around its body to keep it warm and help it sleep. its coat is striped in white, black and ginger, and its odour is a blend of earth and caramel, so people call it the sugar tiger. 

where does it come from? 

historical accounts reveal it has always lived in every continent, and modern research details how the hindolyne does not mate, and has never given birth to children. 

how can it exist?

nobody knows.

where do i get one?

when you’ve lost a close relative or friend, or have left a long-term relationship, or you don’t want to return to where you live or go anywhere else, or what you expected to happen in your life is not happening and may never happen, you might be sitting on a bench in a park, staring into space, wondering what you should do, think and feel. something stirs in the dark of the trees, and the hindolyne creeps towards you. its tail brushes against your legs, and its eyes hood half-way. you lean down to pet the animal and tickle it below the chin, and its snout rubs against your knuckles. once it knows you’re friendly, it aches for your arms, and you carry it home.

To keep reading, please go to MIR Online – Sugar Tiger