Tell a Tale Contest Entry: Short Story
Another entry for the tell a tale contest under the short story category. You can find details of the contest right here. You can also find my other entry right here. The other one is chapter 1 from a novel I used to work on but left on hiatus.
Isn't this orange cat cute a fluffy? I'm loving Paint Tool SAI.
Summary of the Post:
Story
Footer
Meow! Meow! Meow!
I continued to type in my assignment. I couldn’t hear the taps I made on my laptop. Noise should be impossible. And yet the damn ear plugs didn’t work at all.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
The noise continued to intrude my ears. It felt more like they have invaded my mind. I got off from my seat went for the door. One way or another I will finally send that pest back to its maker. I placed the plugs in my pockets. My hand was on the door knob and with a deep breath I opened.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
The door was the only boundary I had from that thing. It was an illusion. Like a simple door could keep that animal intruding my space. I opened the door irate. A shoe box with holes in it was there to greet me by the doorstep.
The sounds ceased. It sensed me closed. I took a deep breath and stared at the shoe box. I glared at it hoping my animosity to permeate its contents. It made no sound. I took a deep breath once more. I stomped on the box. Not once, not twice, but more than I could count within the following seconds. My foot felt little resistance. I felt tiny cracks. These didn’t stop me. It satisfied me.
The shoe box and its contents proved futile resistance.
The skies poured heavy that afternoon as I walked home. With only a backpack and an
umbrella I began the journey from school. Thoughts about tomorrow’s hurdle occupied my mind.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
I heard the cries nearby. I was heading towards it. Just a few feet away from my path, an orange kitten cries. It was small. Probably only a few days old. Not yet able to eat on its own. No signs of its mother nearby.
My eyes trailed from the entire street and towards the skies. Less likely a stranger would come to its aid. I concluded in mind.
This kitten must’ve been thrown by unwilling owners. If it’s mother left it carelessly on the sidewalk, I doubt it was looking forward to brave through the rain. If human hands touched it, its mother would likely abandon it due to scent. I weighed my options.
I walked away.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
I stopped on my tracks. It was a newborn. It’s going to die of cold. I took a few steps back and picked it up.
“If you’re going to die, might as well make your life a bit meaningful for others. Lucky for you I haven’t fed my pet snake in a while.”
The kitten struggled. It was surrounded with an unfamiliar scent. I felt it shiver. I felt its tiny claws scratching. Its struggles in life will end in a few moments.
“Can you smell that?” a classmate called my attention.
“What?” I replied. My nose picked up an answer.”
“Like something dead and dried up is in your bag.”
I searched my bag. The orange kitten’s corpse was there. A bit more dry than the last time I saw it.
“Why did you bring a dead cat to school?” they eyed suspicious.
“Someone must’ve played a prank on me back at home” I lied quickly. I glared at the corpse before disposing it in the garbage can.
The kitten never ceased its struggling until I let it lay on the floor for a moment. I felt my face create some wrinkles while looking at the muddy palms. I proceeded to tap the glass tank where I kept my reptilian friend. I snatched up the kitten ignoring its screams.
“Got something for you…” I tapped the tank again. No movement was registered on my vision. Snakes were slow creatures when nothing interests them. I flashed the kitten in front of the tank. Still no movement.
My snake was already dead. I forgot to feed it for a couple of weeks. I scanned the tank for the bony remains. It was there alright. Dirty white bones under a pile of branches. I looked at the kitten and sighed.
I guess I have to find a medicine dropper and a spare shoe box for it.
The kitten died the next morning. I realized my mistake afterwards. After placing it in a shoe box and locating a dropper, I decided to do something else which occupied me for the rest of the night. It probably died out of hunger or cold. Its fate was decided long before I encountered it. It made no difference even if I bothered.
The logic made sense and I disposed of the shoe box and its contents.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
I continued to type in my assignment. I couldn’t hear the taps I made on my laptop. I should not be able to hear any noise. And yet the damn ear plugs didn’t work at all.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
The noise continued to intrude my ears. It felt more like they have invaded my mind. I got off from my seat went went for the door. One way or another I will finally send that pest back to its maker. I took off my ear plugs and stored them on my pockets. My hand was on the door knob. I made a sigh. I was sure I threw that box away. Yet it was there in front of me. The cries continued but I couldn’t see its owner. The kitten was still inside the box. I opened it.
The raw stench of death invaded my nose as soon as I lifted the top of the box. Like a grenade with its pin off, I received the blast. Maggots covered the kittens body. It was dead alright. No traces of living movement.
I stared at it processing what happened. I knew what I heard. I know what I was seeing. My eyes trailed from the door back to the glass tank. There was a small on its corner. The very same corner where my pet snake loved to peck on the wall.
I took a deep breath and tried to processed it all. I made up my mind. The box was lifted and move in front of our home’s driveway. I reached for the lighter fuel and doused the contents of the box. The box burned.
“What an ephemeral beauty.” I said in satisfaction.
I tried throwing it away. I tried burning it. I tried using acid on it. I even made it into a taxidermy. It just keeps coming back to the way I found it. Dead and fresh. As frustrating as getting rid of it, I’m more pissed about the costs I received for making it into a taxidermy. An expensive and time consuming hobby.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
I continued to type in my assignment. I couldn’t hear the taps I made on my laptop. I should not be able to hear any noise. And yet the damn ear plugs didn’t work at all.
I had enough. The routine lost it’s fun after day 5. I opened the door and lifted the top of the shoe box. Dead and fresh the critter’s lifeless form greeted me. I felt a sudden chill ran down my spine. Its head started to twitch and snapped looking at my direction.
I fell a few steps back. The corpse left its container.
“You think you’re the only one who can play this game?”
It continued its advance with a Cheshire Cat’s smile. It’s bones clicked in a familiar rhythm. An attempt to mimic purring. I stood my ground looking at supernatural.
Come to think of it, I haven’t exhausted all methods yet. I placed a palm on my face at my own lack of imagination.
“Are you ok? You’ve been coughing nonstop since the class started.” My seatmate inquired. His brows knit with concern but it didn’t invoke anything from me. I was coughing nonstop. It felt like something was clawing my throat.
My stomach gave in and with an expulsion of its contents, I delivered the little fur ball on my desk. Decayed, rotten, and dead. I saw the the horrified faces of my classmates.
“Well I thought I could try thinking outside the box?”
The noise continued to intrude my ears. It felt more like they have invaded my mind. I got off from my seat went went for the door. One way or another I will finally send that pest back to its maker. I took off my ear plugs and stored them on my pockets. My hand was on the door knob. I made a sigh. A large basket lay in front of the door. A newborn baby continued its shrill cries.
art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics
Hey @adamada thanks for the second entry for the contest. This one made me think whether the person is somehow a schizophrenic or hunted by a ghost of someone. Overall I did enjoy the content piece. It is a short yet powerful story about animal cruelty as well.
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