Gift

 

“Take the plaque—the one with the cats on it. I know you love cats.”

She paused. I expected her to punctuate the statement with a swig from the vodka jar she kept by her side, but she didn’t.

“And those birds, the origami ones—take those too. My friend made them specially for me. My son will just throw them away…

…when I’m gone.

The unspoken words echoed through the silent room.

“They’re coming tomorrow at ten o’clock,” she whispered. “The Right to Die people.”

All I could find to say was, “Thank you.”

Story by Mollie Hunt

Photo by Soroush Zagar at Unsplash

FERAL

She had always shared her life with cats and dogs.  Still, the transformation was a shock.  First came the growth of an undercoat on her scalp.  Next, her fingernails hardened and curved.  When her arms and legs grew excessively hairy, she covered them.  When she could no longer grasp her coffee mug, she dashed it against the kitchen wall.  After several decades of vegetarianism, she craved, then ate, meat. Raw.

On the last morning, she stripped off her nightgown, running out the back door on all fours.  She vaulted the fence.  The pets would have to fend for themselves.

Embellishment for HaikuEmbellishment for Haiku

Image by Martin Arusala via Unsplash.com