An Open & Shut “A to Z” Caper July 29, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Fiction, Humor, Life Balance, Word Play.comments closed
Attic Rat sniffed around the corners of the trap. Baited with banana and Snickers, the trap beckoned. Cautious by nature, Rat sat, wondering why he smelled a rat.
Downstairs, Two-Legger got up to feed hungry Cat.
Enticed by fragrant banana and chocolate, Rat decided to follow Nike’s advice, “Just Do It.” Front paws with leggy claws stepped from the foamy insulation onto the trap’s smooth hard surface. Grinning at the aromatic prize, Rat leaned further forward.
Hunched over his food bowl in the kitchen, pampered Cat inhaled breakfast.
Inching forward, Rat reached for the baited breakfast with bated breath. Just a bit more and he’d take a big bite of banana. “Kind of Two-Legger to think of Rat up here in my humble attic domain.”
Licking his paws and rubbing his face and ears, Cat gave himself a quick bath.
Motionless, Rat sniffed the redolent air. No danger apparent. Only a hint of something pricked the edge of Rat’s consciousness ~ an intuitive warning?
Paws curled under his chin, Cat readied for morning nap . . . number one.
Quiet as a mouse and quick as a flash, Rat craned his neck to snatch the bait with sharp pointed teeth. Rats! Steel jaws clamped down, trapping him with a SNAP!
Tense Cat, startled from slumber, ears alert, heard trap snap Rat’s neck.
Unseeing, Rat breathed his last. Vaulting up the ladder, Two-Legger peered into the stuffy attic and spied Rat, dead in the trap. “Well, that’s that.”
Xenophobia had attempted to save Rattus Rattus from the baited banana trap, but Rat failed to heed the whispers within. Yawning, heavy head on soft paws, Cat returned to morning nap . . . number one, determined to stay on schedule.
“Zip-lock bags,” thought Two-Legger, “are perfect for disposing of long-clawed Rats caught in steel traps with a resounding snap.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related post: WP Daily Prompt ~ A to Z (Create a short story, piece of memoir, or epic poem that is 26 sentences long, in which the first sentence begins with “A” and each sentence thereafter begins with the next letter of the alphabet.)
Spirit Lights The Way 