Jack-o-Lantern
Word Count -- 650
Rhona hadn’t ordered anything… or at least she didn’t think that she had. Searching back through her week, she hadn’t actually spent all the much money at all, much less online. And yet here this little package was, sitting in her mailbox, perfectly wrapped and tied. Maybe Lavender had ordered her something? It would be just like her to surprise Rhona like this, so she tore into the package on her way up the step to her apartment, searching for a note.
Nothing.
There was, however, a sweet little ceramic jack o lantern smiling up at her accompanied by a note. An invitation of sorts.
Perniciousa...
The name rang a bell somewhere in the back of Rhona’s mind, but it took her a moment to latch on to something. Even then, it was a tenuous grasp a best, and she wasn’t even sure she hadn’t manufactured the memory of the little boutique on the outskirts of town. It also wasn’t uncommon, of course, for Rhona to forget things. It was possible that she passed it on one of her patrols and had only barely registered it.
But the jack o lantern was sweet looking and she had to give the store props for advertising. The bauble didn’t look cheap, and she couldn’t have been the only one to receive one.
“Look Alois, a new friend!”
The black kitten, quickly growing in a warm home with reliable food, sniffed the jack o lantern with narrowed yellow eyes, yawned, and curled up in the sunlight of Rhona’s bay window. She laughed, gave her his an affectionate scratch, and said, “I think you’re right. He’ll be very happy right here.” And she placed him in the soil of a succulent garden populated by cacti so dark they nearly seemed black.
“Yes. He looks very much at home there, don’t you think?”
The tomkitten didn’t even swivel his ear towards Rhona as she spoke. He never did listen to her, and not for the first time Rhona wondered if he really liked her or if he was just using her for three hots and a cot.
Speaking of which, it was getting to be time to feed them both, Rhona supposed. She had some left overs for herself, and Alois didn’t eat anything that didn’t have tuna mixed in so she set about heating things up and setting the table for them both. Normally they both ate at the same time, Alois sitting on the table while he ate. He was up and ready before his plate hit the surface, but this time he wasn’t. Rhona glanced over at the living room and he was still on the window bench, just not asleep like he usually was.
No, he was investigating. He seemed to be sniffing around the succulents, occasionally mouthing one of them. Odd, since Alois hadn’t shown them any interest until that moment. He raised one paw to bat at a wazy little leaf and Rhona rose, chiding him for trying to ruin her succulent garden. He was unphased, and leaned in to chew on something.
Except for when Rhona got to the pot, she realized that it wasn’t the succulent at all that had Alois’ attention. His tiny little teeth were gnawing against the ceramic stem of the little pumpkin that she’d gotten in the mail.
“Oh, so the one time you show interest in anything that I have it’s this. Come on kid. Let’s eat dinner.”
She lifted him up, the tiny kitten squeaking in protest, and brought him over to the table, where he refused to stay. Instead he ignored his food and hopped down, returning to the little decoration to investigate.
“Fine, starve then.”
And it wasn’t until that night, when Rhona was already half asleep in bed, that Alois left the jack o lantern alone and took his place at the foot on her bed.
Word Count -- 650
Rhona hadn’t ordered anything… or at least she didn’t think that she had. Searching back through her week, she hadn’t actually spent all the much money at all, much less online. And yet here this little package was, sitting in her mailbox, perfectly wrapped and tied. Maybe Lavender had ordered her something? It would be just like her to surprise Rhona like this, so she tore into the package on her way up the step to her apartment, searching for a note.
Nothing.
There was, however, a sweet little ceramic jack o lantern smiling up at her accompanied by a note. An invitation of sorts.
Perniciousa...
The name rang a bell somewhere in the back of Rhona’s mind, but it took her a moment to latch on to something. Even then, it was a tenuous grasp a best, and she wasn’t even sure she hadn’t manufactured the memory of the little boutique on the outskirts of town. It also wasn’t uncommon, of course, for Rhona to forget things. It was possible that she passed it on one of her patrols and had only barely registered it.
But the jack o lantern was sweet looking and she had to give the store props for advertising. The bauble didn’t look cheap, and she couldn’t have been the only one to receive one.
“Look Alois, a new friend!”
The black kitten, quickly growing in a warm home with reliable food, sniffed the jack o lantern with narrowed yellow eyes, yawned, and curled up in the sunlight of Rhona’s bay window. She laughed, gave her his an affectionate scratch, and said, “I think you’re right. He’ll be very happy right here.” And she placed him in the soil of a succulent garden populated by cacti so dark they nearly seemed black.
“Yes. He looks very much at home there, don’t you think?”
The tomkitten didn’t even swivel his ear towards Rhona as she spoke. He never did listen to her, and not for the first time Rhona wondered if he really liked her or if he was just using her for three hots and a cot.
Speaking of which, it was getting to be time to feed them both, Rhona supposed. She had some left overs for herself, and Alois didn’t eat anything that didn’t have tuna mixed in so she set about heating things up and setting the table for them both. Normally they both ate at the same time, Alois sitting on the table while he ate. He was up and ready before his plate hit the surface, but this time he wasn’t. Rhona glanced over at the living room and he was still on the window bench, just not asleep like he usually was.
No, he was investigating. He seemed to be sniffing around the succulents, occasionally mouthing one of them. Odd, since Alois hadn’t shown them any interest until that moment. He raised one paw to bat at a wazy little leaf and Rhona rose, chiding him for trying to ruin her succulent garden. He was unphased, and leaned in to chew on something.
Except for when Rhona got to the pot, she realized that it wasn’t the succulent at all that had Alois’ attention. His tiny little teeth were gnawing against the ceramic stem of the little pumpkin that she’d gotten in the mail.
“Oh, so the one time you show interest in anything that I have it’s this. Come on kid. Let’s eat dinner.”
She lifted him up, the tiny kitten squeaking in protest, and brought him over to the table, where he refused to stay. Instead he ignored his food and hopped down, returning to the little decoration to investigate.
“Fine, starve then.”
And it wasn’t until that night, when Rhona was already half asleep in bed, that Alois left the jack o lantern alone and took his place at the foot on her bed.
