Flash Fiction Challenge Jan 2017
As I said in last week’s post, I am going to start doing writing contests and challenges. Chuck Wendig put up a Flash Fiction Challenge with the theme THE APOCALYPSE. Except it has to be something not seen before. I took this to mean no: zombies, alien invasion, nuclear war, the rapture and the like. Not really much else to say about it except I hope you enjoy this short story fulled by leftover NYE wine about our future overlords.
“I wish one of them would adopt me.”
“We all wish one of them would adopt us so just shut up already.” The scruffy man in the kennel across from Melanie barked.
“But,” she cried, “I really want out. This place is cold, it smells, and there’s no place to pee.”
“What do you think that box of sand is for?” The man scratches his beard. “You crap in there too.”
“No! That’s how you get your poop on your feet!” Melanie hits the bars of the kennel with her fists. “I! Want! Out!”
The door at the end of the hall clicks open. A large, orange fur covered cat wearing jeans and a white tank top walks into the kennel hallway. Behind him was a female black cat dressed in a floral print top. Gold hoop earrings dangle off her ears. Her child, a gray tabby in a pink dress, bounds in from behind the two adults.
“Oooooohhhhh!” The child purrs when she sees Melanie. “Look at this one. Her head fur is yellow.”
“Yes!” Melanie squeals as she jumps. “Take me home! Take me home!”
“Momma, this one acts like she’s trying to talk. I think she likes me.”
“Yes, but what about this one?” Momma walks to the kennel with the scruffy man. “Fluffs, look at this one. It seems very calm.” Momma puts her paw through the kennel bars and pats the scruffy man on his head. “That’s a good human. Much less likely to jump out the window and break a leg like your last one.”
“Nope. He’s cranky, I can tell.” Fluffs puts her arms through the kennel bars and rubs Melanie’s belly. “Good human, pretty human, meow meow meow.”
“Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!” Melanie wiggles.
“She likes me. Momma, I want this one.”
The orange cat takes a set of keys off his belt, flips though until he finds the right one, and unlocks the kennel. Fluffs grabs Melanie around the waist and hugs her. “I love you already I’m going to name you Momo.”
“Oh Momo, you trying to talk is so cute.”
“Come on, Fluffs. We still have to make that Cardinal Casserole.”
“Ok, Momma.” Fluffs runs out of the kennel. Melanie’s legs dangle from her arms.
“See you in a couple of months, Mrs. Isis.” The orange cat smirks.
“It’s good they breed so darn fast.”
Fluffs flings open the front door.
“Welcome home, Momo.” Fluffs holds Melanie high in the air above her head before setting her down on the plush carpet. “I’ll get my dolls so we can play dress up. I bet you’ll fit in the stroller. We can put it on PawTube.”
“Do your chores first.” Momma said. “Or do I need to take Momo back to the pound?
“No ma’am.” Fluffs frowns and pets Melanie’s head. “I’ll be back.” Fluffs skips into the kitchen after her mom.
“My name is Melanie.” Melanie sobs. “Why can’t she understand that?”
“Because.” Says a honeyed voice. “That’s just how it is.”
Melanie looks up. On top of the couch sits woman. She stretches her arms over her head and yawns. “I’m Miss Baby, and you are?”
“No. Not your birth name. What did the kid say she’d call you?”
Miss Baby smirks. “Momo. Huh. You’re the third one this year. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good name. That’s why the kid keeps using it. The first Momo died of old age.”
“She didn’t like that the kid kept putting her on PawTube and tried to run away.”
“Yeah. She jumped out the window but it was too high. I heard Momma say she was too expensive to fix so...” Miss Baby shrugs.
“Oh.” Melanie’s lip starts to quiver. “I don’t want to be put down.”
“Then don’t jump out the window.” Miss Baby hops off the couch. “You’re young. Just act cute. Let the kid dress you up in her doll clothes. Eat when they feed you and use the sand box.”
“Again with the sand box.”
“You’d better use it, or they’ll take you back to the pound.”
“I’ll show you.” Miss Baby walks towards the kitchen. “Come on.”
Melanie walks after Miss Baby, stopping every few steps to look at her surroundings. Everywhere was furniture that was too big for her to get on without jumping or climbing. She had a vague memory of there being furniture that was her size, of her own momma rocking her as a baby in the chair.
“You coming?” Miss Baby stands in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips.
“Yeah. I’m just checking out the place.”
“You’ll have plenty of time for that. Come on.” Miss Baby grabs Melanie’s hand and drags her through the kitchen. Momma stands at the stove chopping something. “Mmmmmm. That smells good.” Miss Baby lets go of Melanie and walks up to Momma. “Hey. Hey. Heeeeeeey.” Miss Baby taps Momma’s leg.
“Stop begging, Miss Baby. You’re going to teach Momo bad habits.” Momma gently pushes Miss Baby away with her foot. “Shoo.”
“Fine. Didn’t want your stupid cooking anyway.” Miss Baby sulks as she walks back to Melanie. “Come on.”
The two women walk down a hall with four doors. “The sand box is in there.” Miss Baby points to the first door on the right. It’s partially open. Melanie peeks inside and sees a big white chair against the wall, a white pedestal, and a box with sand in it. “The cats do it in there too, but on the white chair.”
“I know. Ok, the the Pawtube is in here.” Miss Baby points at another open door at the far end of the hall.
Inside the room was all pink. A soft, fluffy, pink bed. Pink miniature furniture. Dolls in pink clothes. The only thing in the room that wasn’t pink was a set of white drawers and a white desk. The chair for the desk was pink, of course.
“It’s up here.” Miss Baby grabs onto the rim of the pink desk chair and pulls herself up. She repeats the climb from the chair to the desk.
“Stop being a scaredy person.”
Melanie proceeds to climb up the chair. She has a hard time pulling her body up but eventually makes it. She jumps from the chair to the desk with more ease. Melanie breathes heavy as she bends over. “That. Was. Hard.”
“You’ll get used to it.” Miss Baby kicks a half rounded object. A flat black surface towards the back of the desk brightens with light. “I’ve watched Fluffs do this a lot.” Miss Baby puts her hand on a multi-colored circle at the bottom of the screen. The picture changes. “This is Pawtube.”
Melanie stares at the screen. In the middle was a large picture of a male human in a bonnet looking displeased. On the picture was an arrow pointing to the right with the words ‘watch again’ under it. To the right of the bigger picture were moving pictures of other humans. ‘Humans play with yarn.’ ‘Humans knock things over.’ ‘Top Ten Funniest Human Compilations.’
“What is this? Are they trapped?” Melanie touches one of the pictures to the right. It gets bigger and starts to play. “Ack!” Melanie jumps back, almost falling off the desk.
“Ha! No. They aren’t trapped.” Miss Baby sits and watches the screen. “I’m sure there will be one of you up there soon.”
“How am I going to be in this thing?”
“Miss Baby! Momo! Why are you two on my desk? Shoo!” Fluffs storms into the room, her fur puffed out. Miss Baby jumps off the desk and runs under the bed. Melanie freezes, her eyes wide.
Fluffs smiles. Her fur smooths down as she picks Melanie up to pet her. “I’m sorry I scared you, Momo. Here. You can sit on the side of the desk while I do my homework.” Fluffs sets Melanie on the corner of the desk.
“Riri. Stop playing Pawtube.”
The video on the screen stops playing the video. Fluffs sits at her desk and takes her homework out of her backpack.
“Question one, name some of the reasons that made the modern Cat the top mammal during The Enlightenment of Feline. Hmmm. Riri, look up Enlightenment of Feline.” The screen blinks before several article suggestions pop up. Fluffs clicks on one by Science ACatamey. “There are many theories of what was before the Great Enlightenment of Feline. The most common among them speculates that humans were much larger and more intelligent than their current state. Some in the scientific community believe there was a great devolution among the humans caused by- oh this is not what I want. Riri, pull up another article on the Enlightenment of Feline. History, not science.”
Melanie hugs her knees to her chest and rocks back and forth. “Devolution?”
