Monday Flash Fics: Nine Lives

Today’s flash is more like a prologue to a longer story than a stand-alone short. I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway. This beautiful image was suggested by Theo Fenraven and as always, more flashes inspired by the same picture can be found on the Monday Flash Fics Facebook page.

273 words

Nine Lives

We jeered when they told us the end was coming. We laughed in their faces and turned away, unwilling to listen and unable to wrap our minds around the idea of total destruction.

And then it came, just as they said it would. Not slowly and gradually but like an explosion in the middle of the day. I assume it happened everywhere but I can’t be sure because all modern technologies stopped working. People didn’t die – at least, I never saw any bodies – they just disappeared, as if they’d been hovered up by a big vacuum cleaner in the sky.

I don’t know why I’m still here and I don’t know where I’m going either. Behind me everything is barren and dark. Ahead of me I see an inviting light. A voice in my head warns me the light may not be the friendly, welcoming phenomena I want it to be but it scares me less than the empty darkness behind me so I keep on moving forward.

I have no idea where the cat came from although I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen it before. It accompanies me towards the light and I’ve decided to take it as a good sign. After all, everybody knows cats have nine lives and this one looks young enough to still have most if not all of them left.

When we reach the light it embraces us. My feet leave the ground and I stop being curious and afraid. New beginning or end - I don’t know and no longer care. I concentrate on the cat’s meows and think nine lives before closing my eyes. 

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