Ten feet of dirt lie between life and death for Mudni. Trapped down a hole with his pet, he faces the approaching night with the knowledge the monsters of the Preserve will not allow him to survive until morning.

Yet no one knows he is here, least of all the grieving father he was running away from. After painful years of silence and questions, now Mud must find his own answers. Badly injured and separated from his supplies, his strange alien pet might be his only hope. 

This is a short science fiction story about hope, strength, grief, and finding the things that matter.

"The Hole in Things That Matter"

by D.H. Dunn