"dogs" by arthur bradford

this summary is from my very much loved 2000 o'henry collection, the story was short-listed, originally published in esquire, 1999.

a man has sexual relations with a dog and spawns a litter that includes one human offspring in miniature. the father casts the child off, moses-like, in a shoebox. later the child returns, disguised as a singing muskrat, and is accidentally killed by one of the other dogs in his litter. but the little man has impregnated a woman in an iron lung who gives birth to a litter of singing pooches.

the story also appears in his short story collection, Dogwalker, i just found out after googling. i've wanted to read this story for ages. well, since 2000. maybe it is the time i buy the collection.

interestingly, bradford also worked / works with adults with developmental disabilities. unlike me, however, he believes that his stories should be entertaining and easy to read. i don't know what i believe about my stories. my humber mentor has been gently prodding me towards accessibility. i'm trying. but i generally like a bit of mystery and wonder and maybe even some subtle confusion in the stories i read, and write.

oh, and i think the miniature man survives, as obviously he is Fernando, the lover of my nameless protagonist in Postcard from Brazil, my yet unpublished flash. heh heh. i actually didn't think about this summary when i wrote this story. but maybe it has been in my subconscious for too long.