Flash Fiction Friday (Sunday Edition): Paranoia

Every Friday, Strange Animal Publications will be featuring a new piece of short-short fiction. Due to an attack by the flu, this week’s edition arrives today.

Paranoia

“You’re being paranoid,” he said, pulling up the covers. 

“I’m not.” Her voice drifted, tightened.  ”The spiderdogs are out there.”

“There are no such things as spiderdogs!”  Frustrated, he exhaled.

“Don’t roll your eyes,” she snapped.  ”We can’t have any idea what’s  happening outside at any given moment, since we’re here in bed, so I have just as much reason to think the spiderdogs are out there as you do that they aren’t.” 

“But there can’t be a dog with spider’s legs.  It doesn’t happen!  It’s scientifically, biologically impossible!”

“How can we really be sure?” She squirmed.  ”What about that documentary we saw on physics and string theory and higher dimensions?  Isn’t it true that if each quantum possibility branches into a new universe, and that all possibilities must occur, provided they don’t break the laws of physics, that there must be some universe where packs of spiderdogs run through the streets at night?”

“Well… that’s not really how parallel universes work….”

“And isn’t it also statistically probable that at least one universe exists into which things from alternate universes can travel?  What if that’s our universe?”

He smiled.  ”Don’t you think that if there were packs of spiderdogs roaming around, we’d have found some kind of evidence?”

“But why does something need to leave evidence to exist?  What if they only appear when you’re not looking at them?  What if they come from a place with a different kind of visible spectrum?”

Exasperated, he fell back against his pillow.  ”This is getting ridiculous.  THERE ARE NO SPIDERDOGS.  Jesus!”  Turning his back to her, he switched off the light.  ”Now please!  Let’s get some sleep!”  He closed his eyes as she sat awake, shivering.

At two AM, she was still sitting up as some ghastly thing skittered past the window.