he caught it first
on the warm air
dog-nosed open
the shed
the stench was strong
she shut the door
made strong tea
burned the toast

they put it off for a day
hoping it would somehow
go away
evaporate into summer
heady honeysuckle
clad the garden air
hung everywhere

except the shed

so they bit the bullet
went sniffing around inside
a sniffer-hound
he
in the semi-dark
looking for the source
she more reticent
her feline nose
lifting to the scent
his keener then
of course
located a dim liquid form
from where death emanated
on a concrete slab

he retched
she got a shovel

stock still
alert and watchful
he stood
nostrils flared
it’s moving
she said ladling the soup onto
the metal plate
into summer light she strode
cat wailing

whistling
he followed

in the sunlight
they watched the white grubs writhe
in delirium of the feast
it’s a mouse she declared
been
he corrected
she concurred muttering
stay here

he sat down
lapped some milk from a jug

she went off
to their burial ground
to bury
the bones