In their dreams they sleep with the moon.
–From Mary Oliver, “Death at Wind River”
Once pampered, now refugees, at dawn they slink in grimy, forgotten shadows of Oldtown to their den until dusk falls. Their fortress is woven with plastic, glass, and metal discarded by the giver-of-treats who will never again pet their once-luxurious fur. Mlady and Dotty, who before competed fiercely for their mistress’ favor, now curl together for warmth and comfort. In their dreams they sleep with the moon.
A whiskey bottle shatters like an alarm clock.
Mid-September’s chilled evening lessens the stench, but food is still easy to find. The real danger lies in becoming prey for the other night hunters: winged, clawed, two-legged. Hugging darkness, pupils black holes, Mlady spies food and gives a chirp for Dotty to follow.
The arm of a Covid-19 casualty has been tossed aside by bigger predators. Still fresh, they drag it behind a dumpster and begin to eat.
[144 words]
Merril is today’s host for dVerse. Merril says:
Write a piece of flash fiction or other prose of up to or exactly 144 words, including the [quote at the top.]
Image: “A Cat Watching the Moon in a Dark Street” by Luis Beltran
Tao Talk 
Oh, nice – topical and disturbing! Love the names you chose, too.
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Those are my cats’ names.
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Brilliant. I hope that not you they’re munching on…
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I’ll leave that part to the imagination. Thanks, Sarah.
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Oh, the perspective of once pampered pets is truly ingenious. Love it, though the end is a bit hard to swallow… I can see the world being reclaimed by animals.
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Thank you, Bjorn. I worked at the cat shelter yesterday. Combined with my younger son telling me that MI is back up to April levels of Covid-19 cases, my mind mashed them together. I can see that also.
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Your story brought a tear to my eye, Lisa; it made me wonder what would happen to my girls if anything should happen to me. I pamper my cats, not too much, just enough. I suppose they would survive in a similar way to the ‘once pampered, now refugees’ you describe, and would ‘curl together for warmth and comfort’. When I read the final lines, my jaw dropped!
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It is a very sobering, tragic, and horrible thought that things could degrade this far, but you never know…
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Oh…..you’ve gone to the dark side….the humanizing with names is an excellent touch. Covid preys on all….and some feast on the ills of others.
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Thank you, Lillian. The scenario is what would happen to my cats (Mlady and Dotty) if something happened to me and Covid-19 has its way. I pray that day never comes, but there is a lurking shadow that hovers on the edge of possibility in my mind.
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This is incredibly dark and brooding! I agree with Bjorn, an effective use of analogy 🙂
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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Wow, indeed dark! Very disturbing, and such an intriguing read and take on the prompt.
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A great job, but so sad and disturbing. The thought of our house pets having to fend for themselves is scary.
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Thank you, Merril. Seeing the poor cats that get picked up off of the streets at the shelter where I volunteer is heartbreaking.
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Our cats were shelter cats.
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❤
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Beautifully crafted 💖💖
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A Dark one, a tear jerker
Happy Monday
Much💛love
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Thank you very much, Gillena ❤
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Enjoyed your writing thanks
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Glad to hear it, thank you.
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Oooooo!
A post-Trump victory apocalypse.
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I had a cat once. DELICIOUS! (Ya gotta be sure they’re properly barbecued, though.)
I’m not saying anything about your outstandingly wonderful story, though, because, um… I dunno; next year it might not be fiction, eh?
Seriously, Lisa, way to go.
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Thanks for reading.
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Whoa. I love it when take a walk on the dark side. You are SO good at it! Excellent write. Wow…
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Thanks much, Susan.
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Wow Lisa, engaging in a disturbing kinda way What a wonderful piece!
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Thanks Rob, it’s a deep fear, so writing about it brings some relief.
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Wow, you have taken us down nightmare lane for sure with this one. Very nicely done. What at twist at the end!
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Thank you, Dwight, it is a dark fear, put into words.
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Yes!
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Oy vey, that went all KINDS of places in not very many words … well done!
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Thank you, Na’ama. It wrote itself.
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As long as it doesn’t cannibalize itself … 😉
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Eek! Very dark, but I loved it!
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Thanks much!
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Very good poem.
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Thank you, Sadje.
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You’re welcome Li
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When pampered pets are left behind or set out to fend for themselves… my goodness. I can’t imagine what mine would do. Mind you, she does bring us the bodies of her kills so methinks she might survive… Dark, you went, young lady!
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Thanks much, Dale. I should have saved this one for next month.
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For Hallowe’en? 😉
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A peek of the dystopian underbelly of your imagination. If a cat’s owner dies, it will dine on the corpse, whereas a dog would lie by the side until death or someone comes for it.
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I like your assessment of the story and the rest. Too true.
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DDMG………………..Deep, Dark, Mysterious and Gruesome. It’s more than a story…it’s a mood written out. Good job Lisa.
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I like your seal of approval, thank you. Great acronym as well, Max 🙂
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The animals take their revenge! Can’t say I blame them, either. A great, atmospheric piece with a film-noir kind of edge to it.
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I like that spin of revenge you put on it. Thank you for reading and your comment.
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… nice description and parallel to what we are still struggling with
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Thank you, Patricia, yes.
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In a near future, where old favourites still exist, like poverty, cats and Covid 19…
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The dystopian future present, wonderfully woven, deliciously dark, never piss off you cats I say 🙂
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Dogs are the sentimentalists. Cats are more pragmatic 😉
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😉
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Oh, my. Dark. Topical. The reminder that cats don’t necessarily want people with good taste, just those that taste good.
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🙂 So funny, D.
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Amazing contrast of the cats and the covid arm!
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Thanks much.
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