This is the post for which you, the lovely readers, chose the inspiration. There was a tie between “cat” and “crimson”. A huge thank you to all of those who participated in the pool and all who have been reading!
Crimson liquid dripped, dripped, dripped onto the kitchen floor.
He stared at it in disbelief. His mind hidden in a fog and his hands shaking. He stumbled over to the sink. Turning on the tap, he grabbed the nearby sponge, knocking the soap dispenser over with his elbow in the process.
He could still hear the liquid dripping. It was all he could hear.
Drip, drip, drip.
He made his way over to the puddle on the floor. He couldn’t focus. He tried to pay attention to the pool of liquid in order to soak it up with the sponge, but he couldn’t will his hands to move.
He sat back on his heels, sponge in hand and eyes full of tears. He couldn’t quite believe it.
What had he done? What would she think? Would she ever forgive him?
He shook his head, attempting to clear it of thoughts.
Drip, drip, drip.
He tried again to move his hands towards the puddle. This time, his arms responded and jerked forward. He slowly, painstakingly soaked up the pool of crimson.
He returned to the sink, slowly and groggily. He rinsed the sponge in the water still streaming from the tap. He moved over to the counter. Three large chunks of glass had scattered across the tile. He gingerly picked them up and threw them in the trash. They were useless now. He felt a connection with the pieces of glass as they hit the bottom of the garbage bag.
Drip, drip, drip.
He moved to the mess again and began to soak up the liquid that had migrated along the grooves between tiles and fallen again onto the floor.The sponge was full and he rinsed it out again.
He repeated this process, again and again until every last drop of crimson on the counter and floor had gone down the drain.
His head was a little cleaner now. He stood at the sink, staring out the window.
He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but before he knew it he heard the keys in the door. His stomach sank to his shoes with worry.
She called out his name, letting him know she was home. He heard her footsteps approaching the kitchen.
He turned to face the door but kept his gaze on his feet.
“Are you alright?”
He shook his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Did something happen?”
He nodded.
“What happened?” Her voice was kind and loving.
He couldn’t take it anymore. The words spilled out of him in a rush. “I’m sorry! I know you left me here alone, ’cause you trusted me. I’m sorry! I accidently let the cat out the door and I broke the juice bottle.” Tears were streaming down his face; his shoes were blurry now.
She lifted his chin and looked into his eyes. “Honey,” she sounded kind and caring. “It’s okay. These things happen. It looks like you cleaned it up and we’ll find the cat. She never goes far. Come here.” She tugged him forward, knelt down and wrapped him in a warm hug. “I love you, sweetheart. Thank you for telling me. I love you.”
“I love you too Mama.”
I was thinking that this was one of those classic “whodunnit” stories and was totally surprised by the twist at the end. Great job, Acire!
Thank you! I enjoy adding in twists, it keeps people on their toes ?
I was thinking that this was one of those classic “whodunnit” stories and was totally surprised by the twist at the end. Great job, Acire!
Thank you! I enjoy adding in twists, it keeps people on their toes ?
The initial tone of the story and the way my first thought was to scream “blood!” immediately made me realize it probably wasn’t something quite so drastic. So I knew it had to be something like wine or some such drink. Where else could the twist be? 🙂 But I adored your story all the same. Reading the initial intense bits while already guessing at the ending made it so darn cute. Lovely work, Acire.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and enjoyed the twist 🙂
The initial tone of the story and the way my first thought was to scream “blood!” immediately made me realize it probably wasn’t something quite so drastic. So I knew it had to be something like wine or some such drink. Where else could the twist be? 🙂 But I adored your story all the same. Reading the initial intense bits while already guessing at the ending made it so darn cute. Lovely work, Acire.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and enjoyed the twist 🙂