PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
The Other Side of the River
Jimmy was so busy rolling his snowman’s head that he didn’t notice Pepper’s leash had slipped off of the rickety step rail.
:::POP:::
:::Yelp!:::
Jimmy’s head swiveled to the sounds. He saw Pepper dragging one leg as she scrambled on the ice to make it back to the other side of the river.
Jimmy looked behind her to see a well-fed man man wearing a coonskin cap and stainless canvas jacket taking aim at her with a rifle.
:::POP:::
Pepper lay still.
“You mangy animals need to stay on the other side of the river,” he spat at her corpse.
[100 words]
Afterword: Dale posted this picture recently on facebook and we talked about the two different worlds on each side of the river and how these enforced separations take place all over the world.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the dedicated host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao Talk 
When I looked at the photo I thought it looked ominous. I’d like to think that couldn’t happen but I know better, sadly. (K)
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Dale had included pics of “the other side of the river” when she posted this one, which is what started the dialogue at the time and today went on to inspire this story. Thank you for understanding what I was getting at. :(
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The divide is so large these days…
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My goodness, what would shoot a dog! That miserable individual probably never should have had access to a rifle in the first place.
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I know what you mean. And with the haves vs. have-nots, how much you wanna bet he won’t be prosecuted for it.
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Lisa…fiction character or not…he needs to be shot now. I can’t even listen to Mr. Bojangles without tearing up because the dog up and died…
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I know, but I have a feeling he will skate :(
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Yea…he will probably get away…forgot about that!
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How very tragic! 🥲
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I know, Sadje. How could anyone with a heart do anything so cruel? Reading world news, I ask that question again and again :(
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My thoughts exactly! Perhaps these people aren’t human!
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It really has me wondering…
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Sub-human/ half-human?
What is a human stripped of humanity!
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Oh no! A tragic story, and I fear the things that divide us and make us hate anyone not of our ‘tribe’ are getting stronger.
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Margaret, I fear the same :(
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That’s a dark tale, but also true of so much of the world and the divide between so many groups.
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I agree. It’s war without a seeming end with the human species :(
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Oh! I like to think the differences are not that big but yanno… This is heartbreaking; more so, because it’s more than plausible. Nicely done.
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Dale, yes it is heartbreaking. Thank you, and thank you for the inspiring photo(s) that germinated this story.
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Oh, and by the way, in this section, it’s not just river that is the border between the good and less-good. Both sides of the river east and west of some invisible borough line show they are no longer in the same place. I was walking today, north, a good four blocks from the river and west, still called St.Henri. I made a mistake. The other side of the canal is called Pointe St-Charles. D’oh! Love that this whole back and forth has had me searching :) See, I don’t live on the Island of Montreal. I’m on the other side of the bridge on the south shore :)
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Dale, I appreciate the additional info on where you are in your part of the world. I don’t have eyes on St. Joe and Benton Harbor, but I don’t think much has changed for them since 1999 when Kotlowitz wrote his book :(
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Thanks. I have always lived on the south shore and always crossed one of the three bridges or the tunnel to get “into town”. I have appreciated this island more and more with time (sans mention of the never-ending construction which actually, keep a lot of people from even wanting to come into town!) Ahhh…
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What a nasty man, just shows what kind of people live on the other side of the river. Unfortunately, there are many border rivers where those sort of attitudes exist.
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Someone, I know what you mean. The idea for the story was inspired by Dale’s pictures (this one and the one taken of the other side) as well as a book I read in college, called, “The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death, and America’s Dilemma,” by Alex Kotlowitz. The two cities it is about are a couple hours south of here: Saint Joseph and Benton Harbor, Michigan. A young man who dared cross the bridge from Benton Harbor to St. Joe ended up dead.
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sad story, but it happens in our world becoming more polarized as we speak.
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Plaridel, yes, it is escalating, and yes, it is terrifying. How far are haters willing to go? Thank you for reading and your comment.
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Perhaps he had his reasons
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I’m sure Jeffrey Dahmer had his reasons also. Humans are the epitomy of rationalizing just about anything.
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Jesus Christ! If there were ever bridges to burn, it’s those that lead to the dog-shooting side of the river.
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Thanks, Nobbin.
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How horrible! What about warning the owner about keeping his dog on a tight leash instead of shooting her? And the fact that she was trying to get back to the side where he was all the more reason why the man shouldn’t have shot to kill her. By the way, my family once had a dog named Pepper. She was our favorite pet.
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Good questions and suggestions, Adele. Cool on Pepper but bad what happened to her in the story :( I had a dog named Pippy as a teenager. I was such an obnoxious teenager my mom and stepdad sent me to a Christian camp. While I was gone they took Pippy and her puppies to the dog pound.
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You must have been very upset when you found out that Pippy and her puppies were taken to the dog pound.
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Par for the course for my folks. I wouldn’t have expected any less/more from them.
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Gosh … the reality is palpable in your story, Jade.
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It breaks my heart :(
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The innocence of animals who trust us humans. 😥
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My heart aches for the pup and for Jimmy, who watched it :(
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Dear Lisa,
The real mangy animal was the one who pulled the trigger. Heart breaking but well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, too true :( Thank you.
Shalom,
Lisa
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There are “us and themes” / “haves and have nots” all over the world … sadly. A powerful depiction, Lisa.
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I’m not sure why I’m anonymous…it’s Brenda. 🤗
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<3
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Indeed, Brenda. Thank you very much.
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Someone needs to call RCMP and have this criminal arrested.
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Agreed. The enforcers need to be called — and then do their jobs.
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Oh dear. This made me terribly sad. Lisa. Why does it have to be this way?
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Honestly, I think that humans would like to think they aren’t animals, but we wear but a thin veneer of civility for the most part :(
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Very true. People can be wretched creatures.
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Oh my gosh, that horrible beastly man. I hope the kiddo runs, because that guy is not gonna stop at just a dog…
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Laurie, I think you may be right. He probably won’t be prosecuted but he may not want any witnesses, just in case.
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That’s cold. Cold-blooded murder. What did peper do to anyone. So much senseless killing in this world. Breaks my soul.
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There is no justification or rationale for that kind of senseless killing, yet it goes on and on :(
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This story is sad, but true, this could and does happen sadly. X
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Yes, it does :(
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