Trying again on Flash Fiction February, last year I only ended up posting two pieces. I’m going to set the bar really low and try for three this year. Hot writing take here: you only have to be better than your past self. This short fiction is based on a game I played over the weekend, this one goes out to the crew of the Hawk’s Nest.
time
They say it’s lonely out here in the void. I don’t think they were counting on a ship full of kittens to keep them company! Stirring the soup for tonight’s crew dinner, I keep finding tiny balls of fluff in my way. The pile of leeks in front of me mews uncharacteristically, and I shift them aside to reveal Sif, a puffball of white with wide blue eyes. Vegetable clippings stick in her tufty fur and fall onto the floor as I place her on my shoulder.
“At least I know where she is now,” I think to myself, starting to hum a tune as the veggies fall into cubes under my chef’s blade. Sif mewls in protest, then settles in a ball on the crook of my shoulder. Our newest crew member was able to charm the shopkeeper on-world to sell her some cheese at a discount, I think even the Captain will enjoy tonight’s fare.
Another soft mew as I dunk potato slices into the waiting broth. Baldur awaits any snips of cheese at my feet, tail twitching but eyes focused on the wax-wrapped treat. Hel, his shadow, is nowhere to be seen. My eyes flick to the vent covering nearest the door, and see a flash of blue eyes disappear behind the slats. There she is. I keep stirring, a savory scent wafting through the galley, surely carrying through the ship.
After dinner, my lover watches my work as she rocks the kittens to sleep in the hydroponic garden. They love her muscular arms and curl up, tiny dandelion puffs of joy. I plant flowers among the vegetables that feed the crew. I like watching something beautiful bloom in the vastness of space.
kristina sisto kindel 