Miss Columbo was kind. Very kind. Dog knew that much. Every step of the way, She was just…nice. So very different than all the others in the Kennels. And yet…this very morning, it all seemed to be much more than before. Almost too much. Dog couldn’t help but think it didn’t deserve all this kindness. It stared at its plate again, nervous to look directly at Miss Columbo. “Um…Miss?” “Yeah?” “Did…did something happen last night? You seem kind of…different.” Columbo puts her coffee down, and begins to stare at it. Stare at it long and hard. Dog looked up at Her, and it seemed as though a mask was falling off of Her face. Gone was that kind, cheerful face, replaced by a truly weary woman with an utterly haunted expression on her face. It twists and contorts as She wracks her brain, considering everything on Her mind. Eventually, She leans back in Her seat, and pulls out Her cigar and a matchbook from Her coat. Miss Columbo sighs. “I guess it’s a bit obvious, huh. Well, I just…had a bad night. A lot of stuff’s been bothering me, and I couldn't sleep at all. I’ve been up all night trying to think about….everything. Haven’t been able to get anywhere.”
Miss Columbo puts the cigar in Her mouth and lights it. She takes a few puffs from the cigar, savoring the smoke for a bit. “You know, I’ve been trying to quit these things for about a couple of months now. Terrible vice, really. Doctor says they’re no good for me, messes with the estrogen. My wife agrees with her, and tries to get me to try all sorts of things to get me to quit. Had actually been making good progress recently. Heh. So much for that, I guess…” She inhales deeply and expels the smoke above Her. There, She continues to stare up at the ceiling with a grim expression. “Sometimes I just wonder about…what I can actually do here. Even if I solve the case, will it actually mean anything?” Miss Columbo lowers Her gaze back to Dog for a second. For a second, She struggles to give a reassuring smile to it. A kind smile that says there’s nothing to worry about, all is well. She fails.
Whatever She’s trying to hold back finally breaks though. All too quickly, the crushing weight of everything comes crashing down on Her. It’s too much. It’s far too much. Miss buries Her head in Her hand, and begins crying. “What can I even do? What the fuck can I even do about any of this?” Dog didn’t know what She meant. All it could tell was that Miss was in deep pain. It wanted to be able to help lift that pain off of Her shoulders, carry some of that weight. Except, it was just a dog. All that it could do was crawl over to Miss Columbo, and nuzzle up to Her, showing Her its affection and love for Her. Miss stopped herself, looking at Dog for a second, and then patted the pilot on its head. The two of them sat in silence for a while like this. Dog didn’t know how to truly help Her, but perhaps this would be enough for now. It had to be.
The draft for MURDERHOUND Act 4 is done. It’s still got editing and feedback stuff to go over, but it’ll get released Soon ™️
In the meantime, I’ve got another preview snippet to share!
30.11.2025 18:58 —
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