A Cat Called Chicken

It started when I brought this kitten home.

I'm not a cat person, but I couldn't leave it there on the bus. It had hit the window awkwardly when the tramp woke with an unintelligible yell, pulled it out of an inside pocket, and tossed it aside.

It could've been injured. I couldn't assume some other do-gooder would step up because there was no one else. The tramp staggered off in a fug of booze fumes, and the gnarled-looking driver looked apt to toss it out on to the road. I don't like cats, but I didn't hate this one specifically. Besides, it was kinda cute. Grey. Blue eyes. Little pink jellybeans on its feet.

I know you're judging me for saying it. Here's the thing, and hear me out: I don't think it's really a cat.

The first clue was that it looked a little bit different every time I looked at it. Just small changes at first. Did those eyes look more green? Is that a trick of the light? Are those whiskers a bit longer? Is it fluffier?

Then one of its paws turned white. I knew it'd been solid grey. The little white sock moved from paw to paw, laughing at me.

The gaslighting little shit pawed a loose thread on my wool skirt and blinked at me.

Over 12 hours, it grew from kitten to adult cat with varying amounts of white fur. Next morning, it was a blind, mewling scrap I had to rush out and buy formula for.

After it'd been here several days, it started affecting me as well. I woke up one morning, and I could only speak French. Last week, I spent two days as a middle-aged man called Ricardo.

Why don't I get rid of it? Well, two days ago I also woke up to find my flat had been thoroughly deep-cleaned and there was a large box of used twenties on my doorstep. Yesterday no one at work recognised me, and I developed a dangerous nut allergy overnight. But on the upside, my mother's terminal cancer had miraculously vanished.

I get it, now, Guy-on-the-bus. One day that could be me. Playing chicken 'til then.

~o~

Word count (excluding note): 366

Submitted on 21st January at 12.05PM

* * * Quick Author's Note * * *

As always, thank you so much for reading! Your thoughtful engagement is very much valued. Please leave a comment so I can reciprocate the read. If you enjoyed it, the best compliment you can give is to share it, or read another.

The story behind the story: Look, it's not a dog story, OK? I'm taking a break from Moira while I tidy up her police interview.

My "story every day" project: I'm writing a story every day this year. This one makes a 21 day streak. You can find all of them in my Index post, which is pinned to the top of my profile. (I would link to it at the bottom, but Vocal is playing Silly Buggers and won't let me embed the link.)

If you're joining me on this "story every day" madne adventure, please leave a link in the comments. Whether you're on a creative bent, like me, and writing mostly microfiction/stories, or whether you have your own, self-imposed criteria, I'd love to see what you come up with for today. I'll try to come back and edit this to link to your piece at the bottom.