3176. Soup bones © Bruce Goodman 15 April 2025

Bessy had a freezer – not a very big freezer – which she kept in her garage next to her little car. She didn’t need much freezer space; just room for a few frozen vegetables, some fish, various soup bones, and a package of chicken drumsticks. She always bought a packet of six chicken drumsticks, even though she ate only two during the meal – the other four drumsticks were frozen in packets of two. She also always kept a good supply of bacon bones, and oxtail bones, and pork bones, and mutton bones. These were always good for making soups in winter. Soups could be made straight without defrosting first. One evening she went to the freezer only to discover she was out of pork bones. “That’s funny,” she thought. “I’m usually pretty meticulous about replenishing supplies when things get low.” Later she noticed that there were no chicken drumsticks in the freezer. Something strange was happening. Surely someone wasn’t coming in and taking stuff. Her garage was never locked; in fact it couldn’t be locked. Next she was out of bacon bones just when she was ready to throw some in to make a cabbage stew. And then she caught the thief. It was Freddie, an old man who lived alone across the road. He had a dog he’d had for years. He had been told that if he couldn’t afford to feed it then he would have to get rid of it. It would break his heart. “Why didn’t you say?” said Bessy. And from that time on she always bought enough bones for her soups and for Freddie’s dog. It was the most well fed dog on the street, and they all lived happily ever after. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story