Reasons for roommates: if I die in my sleep, who will feed the dogs? One is old and deserves comfort. The other is a baby and deserves at least another decade. Being dogs, they hold pure souls. I do not believe in god but I believe in souls. I believe in the patter of paws in the night. Shining. Soft. The brightest star.

Emma Johnson-Rivard is a Masters student at Hamline University. She currently lives in Minnesota with her dogs and far too many books. Her work has appeared in Mistake House, the Nixes Mate Review, and Moon City Review. Her chapbook, The Witch’s Cat And Her Fateful Murder Ballads, was released by the Esthetic Apostle.