Short Stories and poems

Karma Hotel

Karma is a Hotel

A male Dalmatian dog laid in a dog bed, alongside of a female German Shepherd dog. Their owners, a male human and a female human, were typing away on their respective computers.

“Long day at the fire station?” the woman asked.

“You would know,” the man asked. “Jewelry store looks like it was set on fire to cover up a robbery.”

“I know,” the woman said. “I think it might be a case of insurance fraud – steal the jewelry, set the fire, get the money for all of it.”

“Well, you tell those police boys to work on that part,” the man said. “Mine will work on the fire part.”

The woman chuckled, as she got off of her computer, walked over, and kissed her husband. “As the Fire Chief, I expect you to be able to do that part.”

The man smiled. “As the Police Chief, I expect you to be able to catch them.” He kissed her right back.

The two dogs got up, and came over to them.

“Ah, are you two feeling left you?” the man said, as he started petting the Dalmatian. “Who’s a good boy?”

“Looks like it,” the woman said, as she started petting the German Shepherd. “You’re so precious.”

There was the sound of glass breaking.

“Neighbor kid must have taken out the window again with his baseball,” the man said, as he got up. “I’ll have him working his tail off all summer to pay for it.

“That wasn’t the window,” the woman said, as she ran to her desk, and got out her off-duty handgun, heading towards the back door.

“Suchen!” the man shouted, causing the dogs to go seek out the source of the noise, as he got his own legal handgun, if only to back up his wife.

That was when he heard the sound that sent chills down his spine – a shotgun being fired. There was a series of barks, growls, screams, and more gunfire.

The man ran, ready to protect his wife and dogs, only to catch a blast to the chest for his troubles.

Two masked figures were at the back door, one holding their arm.

“Damn mutt bit me good,” the injured one, a man, said. “Won’t be able to drive with this thing.” He passed a set of keys to his partner.

“You know I can’t drive stick,” they said, in a female voice.

“A fine time to learn how,” the man said. “Let’s go.”

The pair ran.

Back at the doorway, the dogs, both dying of their injuries, crawled to their respective owners, the Dalmatian to the man, the German shepherd to the woman. A smile came to the man’s face, as he felt his dog nuzzle him, and placed his hand upon the dog’s head.

“God, if you’re listening, I’ll accept any form, if it means being together with my wife again,” he said. He heard some coughing. “Mary? Still alive?”

“For the moment, George,” the woman said. “I’d accept any form if it meant being with you again. I’d also hope that I could return the favor to the assholes that killed us.”

“I don’t blame you there,” said George. He looked at his dog, his vision fading. “I also want Pongo and Princess with us, somehow.”



An hour later, the police were investigating the scene, with the help of a few other law enforcement agencies.

“Not easy investigating the murder of one of your own,” said a Police Captain. “I’m glad that you State, and County, boys are willing to aid us.”

“One of ours as well,” said the neighbor, who was a fireman, and lived half a mile away. “Heard the shooting, and the barking and growling of the dogs – it was that loud. Thanks to the field, I saw two people in dark clothes running, and they got into a dark colored truck. I think the dogs got one of them – they were holding their arm, like it had been injured in the struggle. By the time I got here though, it was too late. All four of them were dead, including the dogs, which looked like they’d crawled up to their respective owners, Princess to Mary, Pongo to George. At least they went together.”

“There is that,” the State cop said. “Together in death. They were good people. They probably went someplace nice.”

It was at that moment, a regular police officer ran up to them. “Captain. Just got a call from Crazy Pete, about five miles away. Says he was doing some fishing when he found a wrecked truck. Occupants were both dead, a man and a woman – dressed in black, and the man looked like a wolf or coyote had recently had a go at his arm.”

“So, who’s Pete?” the state officer asked.

“He prefers Crazy Pete,” the Captain said. “Claims to be a shaman. Harmless really. Got funny ideas about Heaven and Hell.”

“What kind of ideas?” the state officer asked.

“He thinks that they are one Hotel – folks are nice to you if you deserve Heaven and terrible if you deserve Hell,” the Captain said.

“What if you were in the middle?” the state officer asked.

“In that case, he says that one should be nice to the employees. They might be inclined to give you Heavenly treatment. Otherwise, one might get the Hell treatment.”



In an area filled with a thick fog, the man whose arm had been bit was surprised to find that his arm was in working order. “What in the world?”

“Alex? Is that you?” a familiar voice asked.

“It’s me, Sally,” the man said, as he looked over in the direction of the voice.

A figure came to him, and Alex recognized that it was Sally.

“Sorry about the truck,” said Sally. “I’m not used to driving stick.”

“We can get another truck,” said Alex. “On the plus side, I don’t think that bite was as bad as I thought that it was.”

Sally looked at his arm. “I guess it merely looked worse than it was.” She looked around. “Where are we? It’s pretty foggy. I remember crashing, but I don’t remember getting out.”

“Might just be adrenaline,” said Alex. He gave another look, and saw a dark shape. “I see something. Might be a house. Maybe we can call for a ride, or just steal one.”

“At least that police chief won’t be after us,” said Sally, as they started walking. “Wish that we didn’t need to kill the dogs though – they looked like purebreds that would be worth money.”

“We didn’t have the means of keeping them,” said Alex. “On the plus side, you got the fire chief.”

“Would have been nice to set the place on fire,” said Sally. “Nothing like a nice fire.”

“You set my soul on fire all the time,” said Alex.

“You steal my heart all the time,” said Sally. “We got a good haul from the shop.”

“Speaking of that, where is the loot?” Alex asked.

“I thought you had it,” said Sally.

Alex sighed. “Must have left it in the truck.”

“We’ll get it back,” said Sally. “Might have to burn down a police station, but we’ll get it back.”

Alex chuckled. “Alright. It’s a plan.”



They soon found themselves at the place, a large building. There was a sign that said Pearly Gates Hotel – Vacancy.

“Funny name,” said Sally. “Must be owned by some religious person.”

“Well, at least they’ll have a bed for the night,” said Alex. “I wonder what the star rating is on this place?”

They stopped by a doorman, who looked them over.

“Um, do you have a room for the night?” Alex asked.

“We have rooms for all of eternity,” the doorman said. “Folks call me Peter. The answer is yes; we have room for you two, and everyone you knew, or didn’t know.”

“You’re sounding like a smartass, you know,” said Sally.

The doorman chuckled. “Got to move with the times.”

“How come I’ve never heard of this place?” Alex asked.

“Try Revelations 21:21, especially the bit with gates being made of pearls,” the doorman said. “Twelve stars by the way.”

“Wait, you don’t mean that this place is the actual Pearly Gates of Heaven, right?” Sally asked.

The doorman nodded. “You are correct.”

“Are you saying that we are dead?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” the doorman said. “Seems Sally lost control of the truck, and crashed into a tree. On the plus side, your deaths were quick, and painless. On the minus side, well, you are dead. Your life is over – no tomorrow, no future scores, no nothing in the world of the living.”

“So, what happens now?” Sally asked.

“Either Punishment, or Reward,” the doorman. “Although for some, Punishment is a Reward – those SMBD folk are an interesting bunch, and the demons enjoy having a victim that’s actually into the stuff – and for others, the Reward is a Punishment, like the fella that thought that he was in the Good place, only to find out, he was being Punished with Boredom, for he’s always winning with his bets, and would like to lose, but never can, as he can’t have the thrill from chance.”

Alex gulped. “And us?”

The doorman grinned. “Your punishment will be quite fitting. You see, that couple, that you killed, had a simple request, to be husband and wife once more, regardless of form, and to be with their dogs. Of course, the wife wanted to be able to return the favor of being killed by you, and the husband doesn’t blame her, and thus has no problems joining her in punishing you two.”

“In what way?” Sally asked.

The doorman chuckled. “The couple was given bodies that resemble the dogs that they owned in life, and the wife is currently expecting twins, and what better way to celebrate such information than with a nice and expensive meal.”

“So, we’re to serve them this meal?” Alex asked.

The doorman shook his head, with a grin. “You are the meal.”

The eyes of Alex and Sally went wide. They ran back into the fog, only to come upon the hotel. They ran another way, and the hotel showed up again.

“Best to stop running,” the doorman said. “All it does is delay the punishment.”

“Is there an alternative punishment, like the lake of lava?” Sally asked.

“You’ll be dealing with something similar, soon enough,” said the doorman. “The restaurant has a very nice oven, and the drinks will be served with crystal glass, with the plates being the finest porcelain.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Alex asked.

“If you accept the punishment, and are remorseful for your actions, the process will not be painful,” said the doorman. “Earn the forgiveness of your victims, and we’ll see what we can do about upgrading your accommodations, as well as reducing the frequency of Punishment, until we feel that you have indeed redeemed yourself. Funny enough, some come to enjoy their Punishment. Currently, your punishment will take place at every mealtime, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. After every meal, you’ll be reformed. You’ll also be required to sleep on the floor of their room, at the foot of their bed, and you will be naked at all times, as you will also be their pets.”

The doorman snapped his fingers, and Alex and Sally found themselves naked.

They looked at the doorman.

The doorman grinned. “Can’t bring anything with you, I’m afraid. Still, prove worthy of forgiveness, and you’ll get to wear something reasonable. Now, let’s get started – those two have been patiently waiting for you.”

The door opened.

The pair looked at him, and then back at the fog. They then looked at each other. They could see that there was no escape.

“Alright,” said Alex.

“We’ll do it,” said Sally.

They both looked at the doorman.

The doorman smiled. “This is but your first step towards being redeemed. Now, enter.”

Alex and Sally entered the place, where they saw, sitting in a set of chairs, a humanoid male Dalmatian and a humanoid female German Shepherd, who was pregnant.

“We didn’t introduce ourselves when we last met,” the German Shepherd said, with a grin. “I’m Mary Jorgensen. My husband here is George.”

The Dalmatian chuckled. “Nice to meet you.”

“Would it help if we apologize?” Alex asked.

“We’re really sorry about killing you and your precious dogs,” said Sally.

“What are your names?” Mary asked.

“Alex.”

“Sally.”

“Last name of Jones?” George asked. “Same pair that have robbed and burned several jewelry stores in ten counties, in three states?”

The pair looked at each other, and nodded.

“Well, that’s few cases closed,” Mary said, with a chuckle. “Still, there’s the issue of you killing us.”

“Peter told you how the Punishment for you works, right?” George asked.

The pair gulped, and nodded.

“Good,” said George. “I’ve been meaning to take my wife out to a nice diner, but never had the time. Now, we do have the time. Mary, you get the first pick.”

The German Shepherd walked up to Alex. “Given that I’m expecting, I need the extra meat. I’ll have this one done up like a honey-glazed ham, and stuffed with pineapple and garlic, like my grandma used to do.”

“I enjoy that recipe,” the Dalmatian said, as he walked up to Sally. “Alright, I want her done up like a stuffed turkey, like on Thanksgiving, like my mother used to make.”

“She always did make good turkey,” said Mary. “I hope she can visit at some point.”

“That can be arranged,” the doorman said, as some chefs entered the lobby. He then turned to Alex and Sally. “Remember, cooperate, accept your punishment, be remorseful, and the process will be painless. Otherwise, well, I’m sure that you can imagine the amount of pain you’ll feel from the whole process.”

The two looked at each other, and then at the chefs, who were consulting Mary and George about what was to be done with them.

“Are you sure that this will be painless?” Alex asked.

“As long as you accept your punishment,” the doorman said. “There’s a fella that’s punished by being impaled with a spit and then roasted over a fire, before being carved up. Having your major cavities stuffed, and then being placed into an oven to cook is nothing by comparison. Besides, if you behave, you two will be placed in the same oven, so that you could hold hands.”

At this point, the Head Chef came over to them. “I trust that there won’t be any trouble from you?” The look on their face was the sort that wouldn’t stand for any trouble. He looked to be the sort that even a Marine might, if briefly, give pause to.

Alex gulped. “You won’t have any trouble from me.”

“Same here,” Sally said, nervously.

The Head Chef gave a rather evil-looking grin. “Good. Now, come with me.”

The reluctant pair followed after the Head Chef, and in turn, they were followed by the other chefs. It was rather clear that running wouldn’t be an option. They soon came to what would be a kitchen found in a very high end restaurant. The one thing that Alex and Sally noticed was, at the very least, they weren’t the only ones on the menu.

“I see that we aren’t the only ones getting this as a Punishment,” Alex said.

The Head Chef chuckled. “For some, this is a Pleasure.”

“A Pleasure?” Sally asked. “They see being treated as Thanksgiving turkey or ham a pleasure?”

“I’m not going to judge,” the Head Chef said. “That’s already been done. If they think that this is fun, I’m not going to deny them. That and there’s customers that like willing meals. Of course, there are those that like unwilling ones too. What are you?”

Alex gulped. “Reluctant, but willing.”

“We don’t want to be troublemakers,” Sally said, nervously.

“Good,” the Head Chef said. “That being said, I enjoy putting unwilling meals in their place – into a happy customer’s stomach.” He then pointed at some chairs. “Sit there and behave while we get your stuffing ready.”

Alex and Sally sat down, and looked over at the other Meals-to-Be. Some seem to be handcuffed to their chair, others seemed resigned to their fate, and others still seemed to be excited. They then watched those being prepared – the willing ones that liked the treatment seemed to be in various states of pleasure or bliss, unwilling ones that struggled were in one state of pain and or discomfort or another, while those that were unwilling, yet resigned to the treatment, were in neither a state of pleasure, nor that of discomfort, as they simply accepted it.

Eventually, it was their turns.

“Thank you for waiting patiently,” the Head Chef said, as they got on the counters, and were bound with sinew. “For that, we’ll start by filling your stomachs. Open your mouths nice and wide.”

Alex opened his mouth, and a tube was shoved down his throat. On the other end was a funnel that was filled with the pineapple and garlic concoction. He could feel it enter his stomach. He glanced over, and saw that Sally was in a similar position, with her stomach slowly being filled with stuffing. She was also looking at him. Once his stomach was full, the tube was pulled out of his throat, and an apple was shoved into his mouth, held in place by more sinew. He was then repositioned, and Alex could feel something being inserted into his anus. A glance confirmed that a tube had indeed been shoved into his ass, said tube being attached to another funnel, to fill his colon and such. Another glance at Sally showed that she too was going through something similar, but it wasn’t just her anus that had a tube shoved into it. When that was done, Alex saw that Sally had several large carrots shoved into her, just as something was shoved into his anus again, and not removed. That was when the glaze and gravy were poured onto them.

“Time to put you two into the oven,” the Head Chef said. “Of course, since you did behave, we’ll place you into the same oven, and let you hold a hand of your partner as you both cook.”

Alex watched, and felt, as both he and Sally were placed into a warm oven. Each had a hand freed, allowing them to clasp the other’s. The hands were then tied together. The door was closed, leaving them with themselves, as the heat of the oven did its work. Unable to move or speak, they simply looked at each other, with a mix of shame and regret for what had happened to them.

After a while, they were taken out, and placed on a trolley, which was wheeled out into a fancy dining room, where George and Mary waited. As they were moved, Alex and Sally looked around – others were in the process of being eaten, one way or another – willing meals in a state of pleasure, unwilling in a state of pain, while those that had resigned themselves to the fate simply got eaten.

“Smells delicious,” said George, as the pair was brought to their table.

“Very mouthwatering,” said Mary.

“Do you want them carved up, or do you want to swallow them whole?” the Head Chef asked. “Either way, neither of you will have any issues eating everything, including bones, and even with carving, there will be no need to worry about things like blood.”

Alex and Sally glanced at each other. Either way was going to suck.

Path – Swallowed Whole.

“I think I want to try swallowing them whole,” said Mary, as the German Shepherd gave a grin. “Let’s do it Feet-first, so that they can watch the other go down the other’s throat.”

“Sounds like fun,” said George, as the Dalmatian chuckled. “Let’s leave their hands tied, until we are about to kiss, like in Lady and the Tramp.”

Alex was then placed by Mary, and Sally by George, in such a way as they could only watch what was about to happen to the other. Alex and Sally looked each other in the eyes, and their victims in life, starting feet first, started to swallow them. They soon felt the teeth and tongues of the dog people coming up their bodies, watching as the same thing happened to the other. Knowing that things would be worse if they struggled, both of them simply took it, watching, and feeling as they were both swallowed, their last sight of each other being their respective heads vanishing behind the teeth and lips of the dogs. They held onto the others’ hand, until they felt the lips of their eaters at their wrists. That was when those strings were cut. That was when Mary and George decided to kiss, and used their tongues to make things difficult for Alex and Sally to hold onto each other, forcing them to let go.

Alex soon found himself in Mary’s stomach. While he was able to remove his gag, and some of the sinew binding him, there wasn’t much he could do. While he wasn’t particularly religious, he muttered a quick prayer, and hoped that things would work out for him and Sally.



Path – Cut Up.

“I think that I want to try them cut up,” said Mary, as the German Shepherd licked their lips. “Sounds more civilized.”

“I have to agree with you,” said George, the Dalmatian having an eager grin. “Sounds delicious.”

Alex and Sally glanced at each other, as the Head Chef got out a cleaver. It didn’t take the Head Chef long, as he sliced through one joint, or another. By accepting what was going on, the process was painless for them, albeit humiliating. Just as humiliating though was watching their murder victims devour their body parts. Soon enough, they were all chopped into pieces, their heads sitting on the platters, watching as their former victims eventually finished everything else.

“That was delicious,” said Mary. A belch escaped her mouth. “Oops. Excuse me.”

“My compliments to the Chef,” said George. “So, what to do with the heads?”

“Depends really,” the Head Chef said. “Their bodies can only be reformed if their head is destroyed, such as by eating and digesting it. So, if you don’t think that they deserve to have bodies, keep their heads as trophies.”

“Tempting, but Mary wouldn’t let me keep deer heads in our bedroom,” said George.

“That’s because you spent more time talking about them than you did me,” Mary said, with a chuckle. “Always talking about their racks instead of mine.”

“I had fond memories of those hunts,” said George.

Mary grinned. “Mine tended to be bigger. Always getting spikes, you were.”

“Ah, but I remember my big one,” said George.

“It was just a four point, while mine was a sixteen,” said Mary. She then looked at the heads. “So, do you want to have you bodies back? Blink twice for Yes.”

Alex and Sally both blinked twice.

“Good,” said Mary. “Now, I’m feeling generous, so, if you agree to keep a civil tongue, George and I will remove your gags, and let you kiss, before tossing your heads down our throats. If you don’t keep a civil tongue though, even after the kiss, your heads will be our trophies, and you’ll be gagged. Blink twice for Yes.”

Alex and Sally glanced at each other, before both blinked twice. Mary and George removed the gags from their mouths, and, carefully, let the two of them kiss the other’s lips. After that, they found their heads entering the mouths of the dog people, and going down their throats, into their stomachs, awaiting digestion.

The Overall Ending

A while later, a Dalmatian dogman laid next to his wife, a German Shepherd dogwoman, as the two of them enjoyed their bed.

“I have to admit,” George said. “This place isn’t bad. Five out of Five stars.”

“Can’t complain too much,” said Mary, as she looked at her belly. “They allow children, and pets.”

“It’s nice to have Pongo and Princess joining us eventually,” said George. “They were our children, in a sense. Nice to actually have them as children.”

“I just hope that they are nice to their new pets,” said Mary.

“I just hope that our pets behave themselves from now on,” said George.

The two of them kissed.



Laying at the foot of the bed, on the floor, Alex and Sally were holding each other.

“I’m sorry about this,” said Sally. “Maybe if I knew how to drive stick, we wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“Something tells me that we would still have been sent here, but I feel that things would have been a lot worse, especially if we didn’t just accept the punishments,” said Alex. “I mean, they’re just eating us, and aside from being their pets, and being naked, they aren’t really forcing us to do much.”

“You have a point there,” said Sally. “Wish that we were on a bed though.”

Alex smiled. “At least we have each other. It would be Hell to not have you around, which would be even worse than being eaten.”

“I suppose,” said Sally.

“Hopefully, if we behave, we’ll get a bed, and clothes,” said Alex.

“In that case, let’s make the most of what comforts we do have,” said Sally.

“Agreed,” said Alex.

The two of them started kissing.