Work Text:
A Story about the Taker and the Giver
0
Puppy is hungry. Puppy is always hungry. Mommy is gone. Her milk is gone. And Puppy is hungry. Even though the air does smell of beans and squash and corn.
1
Winston calls this man the Giver. Because he gave Winston a home. And he gave Winston a name. And he gave Winston a bed. And he gives Winston food twice a day. Everyday. (Usually more than twice.) So Winston lets the Giver take him away from Boston. To visit a strange new house and strange new people. Everyone wears silly buckle hats. Everyone gives Winston something to eat. Beans and squash and corn. The Giver makes Winston a plate all his own. (The Giver is his favorite human.) A man with a big gold collar scratches Winston’s ears. (This one is his second favorite.)
2
The Giver doesn’t go to the other house this time. He has brought someone home. Winston can smell her all over the Giver. This could be a mate. So Winston sniffs the newcomer, and he’s rewarded with pets and sweet squash. Winston decides he likes this one too.
3
Corn, beans and squash - but all bitter and hard, not like what he’s used to. There’s no turkey either. Winston calls this woman the Taker. He doesn’t like her anymore.
4
The Taker takes the Giver out today, and the Giver takes Winston along for the ride. They drive for a long time, past houses that smell like hot, buttered corn. They go to a place, down by the water. They stand around a large, metal human. A crowd has already gathered there. The Taker kneels by the fire at the metal man’s feet.
5
The Giver and the Taker have been arguing. Winston doesn’t like the Taker, but he doesn’t like this either. They go to see the metal man again, but this time the Giver leaves halfway through. His tummy rumbles, but none of the stores are open today. Winston watches the Giver wrestle with a can of pinto beans at home.
6
The Taker and the Giver have been arguing more. They don’t go to the metal man this year. Winston goes back in his box. And back on the plane. Winston wakes up in the other house - with the people in buckle hats. It smells like beans and squash and corn. Winston’s second favorite human scratches his ears again, in just the right way. It almost makes up for the pug sleeping on the couch.
6 ¼
All the people are arguing. But he hears the Taker’s voice the most. And the second favorite human. But not the Giver. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t do anything. Maybe the Taker’s not his mate after all?
6 ½
There’s more yelling from the Taker. But this yelling is… different. Before it was angry yelling. This is scared yelling. The second-favorite human is angry yelling though. Is something hurting them? Winston hops off the couch and goes to see.
6 ¾
There are oily green beans strewn across the floor. It looks like mating. It looks like mating but somehow… not. The Taker is crying. The second-favorite human is yelling. Winston barks. The other human is startled, and the Taker pushes him off and runs. She’s crying. He made the Taker cry. (Winston doesn’t like the Taker but the second-favorite isn’t his second favorite anymore.)
The Taker doesn’t seem to like the Giver very much after this.
7
Yelling. Winston hates yelling - even if it’s the Giver doing it.
“Kirby, it’s-”
“You know how I feel about Thanksgiving.”
“I was going to say ‘my family’. You went last year. C’mon, my parents love you-”
“Oh, I know. At least… your father does.”
“What the hell does that mean-”
“ASK HIM!”
She slams the door behind her when she goes. A bag of frozen vegetables - corn, beans, squash - falls from the table and breaks open on the floor. The Giver picks up his phone.
8
They don’t go to the other house this year. And the Taker doesn’t come to theirs. They order from the only restaurant that isn’t closed and Winston gets a bean burrito all his own. The Giver looks at a picture of the Taker and cries. Winston eats till he’s round and sick and sore. And he keeps eating.
9
The Giver cries a lot now. Winston knows he misses the Taker. Winston misses the Taker too - that’s why he does it. Winston runs. And the Giver chases him. All the way through the city, all the way up to the fire at the metal man’s feet.
Then he sees her.
And she sees him.
10
The Giver always smells of the Taker. The Taker always smells of the Giver. The Taker comes to live with them. Winston eats twice a day. Sometimes there’s corn and squash. Only sometimes, but that’s okay. The Giver is happy. Happier when they clasp hands in front of Massasoit (this it the metal man’s name). He shines even brighter today, sunlight glinting off his skin and off the bands of metal on their paws.
There is no doubt they are mated now.
11
The Taker got bigger.
The Taker got very big. She can hardly bend over. She can’t reach the floor. Not with how her stomach swells. They don’t go to visit their metal friend this year - the Taker screams and clutches her big belly. The Giver rushes her into a room. Another human comes, and Winston is left outside, given cold beans for dinner. When he comes back in, the Taker holds another, smaller human.
The smell says this is a people puppy.
12
The puppy is important to the Taker. And the Giver. The puppy is important to Winston too. He doesn’t want them to take him to see his not-second-favorite. He knows he can’t stop them as soon as they carry him onto the plane. Winston barks the whole way - but the bad man isn’t in the bad man’s house. He’s not in the yard. He isn’t anywhere. Not until the Giver turns on the TV, growling commands Winston doesn’t know how to follow. The Taker opens the fridge and scowls. It’s full of rotten things - old meat, and corn and beans and squash.
13
They stay in the not-second-favorite’s house. He doesn’t come back to it. Puppy is a little bigger now. Starting to walk and bark on his own. Now there’s a second one. She looks like the Taker. Winston loves them both. He misses Massasoit a little, but they don’t go to visit this year. They get in the car - with Winston - and they drive for a long time. And they buy tickets. But there’s no plane, just a boat and miles of gray water. The sun rises over Alcatraz and he turns his face towards it. The others pray.
Afterwards they stay for the meal. Corn and beans and squash.
14
Winston sleeps all day. They leave him to it. Well, not the puppies. They try to tempt him up with sticky hands full of acorn squash. Doesn’t make a difference. Winston is tired all the time now. They go to the island by themselves.
15
Winston cannot stand today. His legs won’t let him. The Giver and the Taker and the puppies sit on the floor next to him. They give him acorn squash and hot corn. He doesn’t move for them. He’s not hungry. The Giver makes a call and his family takes Winston in the car. They take Winston to a place he’s been before, with a strange man and the circle he places on his heart. Someone lights a candle. Everyone’s crying. Winston doesn’t know why. Not even when they put the needle in his leg.
Winston knows he’s dying. Winston has had a long, good life.
Winston is thankful.