I didn’t swerve to crush the squirrel in the road.

I didn’t round the block and try again.

I remember vividly: the squirrel, lying on his back in the middle of the road, legs flailing, writhing in pain.

I should have killed him. I left him suffering and cannot forget.

Harry Demarest has retired after careers encompassing scientific research, teaching, Computers, the internet, and politics. He is now writing and spending time with his grandchildren. He has published a dozen fifty word stories, and a couple of longer ones.