Wednesday Briefs - Trouble Comes in Threes 3.2

[image error] Welcome to the  Wednesday Briefs  flash group (click to go to the site). The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. If interested in joining us, drop me a line and I'll tell you how. :)

The prompts are:
"Take it off."
"Love sees no color."
"Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't."
"Go with the flow."
"Time heals all wounds."
"Be good or be good at it!"
“Maybe I’ll feel better if I eat.”
or use: shoes, red hat, ring
or have a laptop crash
or feature a character winning something
or use: tile, hammer, dog"Is glitter edible?""Let me get this straight. You found a unicorn, and your first response was to kill and cook it?""Just because you can add food coloring to something, that doesn’t mean you should."




Trouble Comes in Threes 3.2

I crouched down and held out my hand. Snowball, body low to the ground and ears laid back, eased over to me.“Come on, pretty kitty.” I wiggled my fingers, trying to entice him closer. “I’m sorry, Snowball. I didn’t mean to yell. I just feel like shit, and yeah, who’s to blame for that, right? I’m not used to having cats around, okay? I didn’t think about you being under my feet. Don’t be mad, please?”Blue eyes studied me, tail whipping behind him. He finally sniffed my fingers, ears relaxing. Relieved, I ran my hand down his back several times. My legs ached, so I sat down right there in the middle of the floor and petted Snowball, making sure to scratch under his chin. That got me some heavy-duty purrs.“Guess we’re okay, huh?”Snowball climbed in my lap and used my thigh to boost himself up so he was inches from my face. I didn’t have time to react before he rubbed his face against my chin. That surprised me. He’d done that before and it hadn’t dawned on me how close he was to my throat. Those teeth of his were sharp—I’d seen them—not to mention he was a really freaking huge cat.I scratched his ears but eased him back, the purring making me grin. “Yeah, we’re okay.”Both cats appeared friendly, but I knew nothing about them. I doubted they were strays, but I had no idea if they were up to date on their shots. Were rabies shots still administered through the stomach? I didn’t think so, but fuck if I wanted to find out. Why was I worrying about this? The weather was supposed to warm up in a few days, then it was good-bye kitties. Speaking of the kitties, I guess I needed to get them something for breakfast too. Good thing I had plenty of tuna.I stood up and brushed off my jeans. That reminded me I hadn’t taken a shower last night, and I needed to check the litter box.“Huh.” The litter box was clean. “Nothing. Did you guys not need to use it any last night? Want to go outside instead?”Both cats stared at me.“I promise I’ll let you back in.” [image error] They both headed toward the door. I let them out, and damn, we definitely got the foot of snow they forecasted, if not more. I had to laugh as they tiptoed through the snow, then disappeared around the back of the house.I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. How could I’ve forgotten my coat? “Please hurry, guys.”Moments later they came prancing back. Relieved, I let them inside.“Okay, brrr.” I picked up the plates they ate off last night. Opening the tuna prompted many excited cries, and I had to laugh. Man, they were vocal. The sound of my laughter surprised me again. How long had it been since there had been happiness in this house or my life?Sighing, I put the plates on the floor, to the joy of both cats. “Thanks, guys. It’s been a while since I had a reason to laugh. Now, if I could find a guy willing to put up with my bad luck…”I didn’t see that happening. I was broke, I was alone, and my life was shit. Thanks to stress, I now had a few stands of white in my jet black hair.“Not going to dwell on it.” I needed to stop thinking about this before I depressed myself. “Things have got to get better. I just need to take one thing at a time, starting with my breakfast.”I finished the toast, popped it in the toaster over, and fixed myself a cup of coffee. Sipping the hot brew, I watched the cats eat. The black one was the more dominant of the two while the white one came across as a little more… unsure, but it definitely had its moments. Hell, if I wasn’t careful, the black one could end up bossing the white cat and me around. Which was amusing, since I was six three and two twenty.The toaster dinged. I grabbed a paper plate and fished the toast out, singeing the tips of my fingers in the process. “Ow, ow.” I stuck my fingers in my mouth, mumbling around them.  “Shit, that’s hot.”“Meeeow.” Snowball looked up at me from the floor.“Yeah, I know.” I removed my fingers and shook my hand. “I think my brain is still asleep. Maybe I’ll feel better if I eat. What do you think?”“Mrrrr.”“I shouldn’t have drunk all that, I know, Snowball. But guys, sometimes you just got to let go. Get a little crazy. Relieve stress, you know? Didn’t need to spend that money for the beer, but at least I was at home and not out on the road.”After I finished eating, I felt better. Both cats had settled in the big window in the living area. While they birdwatched, I started a fire with the wood I’d brought in last night. It had gotten cold in here. I wanted to heat the house with the fireplace since it was damn sure cheaper than bumping up the thermostat.A strange chittering sound caught my attention as I waited. Looking up, I noticed a red bird sitting on the windowsill. The odd noise was from both cats. It was kind of cute, even though I had an idea the meaning behind it wasn’t so charming. 

TBC

Rob ColtonJon KeysGrace Duncan  Lily Sawyer Shelly SchulzChris T. KatJC WallaceSarah HayesMichael MandrakeCia NordwellRenee Stevens
Julie Lynn Hayes