© Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The land wears the snow like a starched business shirt, crisp and bright. If writing a poem today, I’ll need more words for white.
Looking out the window, I follow the spiky tracks of a bird to a point up the garden where presumably it took flight.
But, wait a minute…other sinister tracks converge. Precise paw prints like Clubs on a suit of cards. There’s the serpentine drag of a tail, a hollow that held a crouch and a spray released with a spring.
Then a small speck of red; forensic evidence of the outcome.
The neighbour’s bloody cat again!
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.
Michael Wynn 
Dear Michael,
I love your title and the vivid descriptions. Nice one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle
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Our daily meditations are built of just such details. I loved this
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Thank you.
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Graphic depiction of life in the raw.
Love it.
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Thank you
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Beautifully done. I could see it all in my mind’s eye.
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Thanks Sandra
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A wonderful rhythm to this.
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Thank-you Dawn, I’m pleased it worked like that
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This is cruelty of nature in a nutshell.. we should never watch to closely…
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Nature is fascinating and how it is meant to be. We should look closely but understand.
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Another good take on the prompt. There is poetry in the death of the bird. My husband and I are avid birders and still own a cat. She is getting old now, and as a foundling, has become secure in the knowledge about where her food comes from.
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From one avid birder to another, thank-you. There is poetry in every thing a bird does for me and I can’t feel too much against the cat as I love them too, just uncomfortable in that there are so many of them and in some areas can cause a bit of a nature imbalance.
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Loved the line “small speck of blood, forensic evidence”
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Thanks, I liked the idea of reading the snow. In the original the bird has taken flight and the cat goes without his breakfast but somewhere it got changed and the red does make a big impression against the white.
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a very descriptive scene as observed from the window. well done.
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Thanks, pleased you thought so. Description was what I was after this week
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Loved this! Great descriptions of real life as it happens (or has just happened). Poor robin, though.
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I love nature red in tooth and claw but cats are a bit of an imbalance in our world unfortunately, because I love them and they are only doing what comes naturally
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Well, Mike, I must say I’m impressed with this one. Prosaic and very blunt. I lived most of my life in surroundings like that and we saw everything you described, except it was usually OUR cat who did the dirty work. 😀
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Yeah, to be honest I had to make it the neighbour’s cat to exonerate me of any guilt. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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I loved this very much.
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Thank-you, that’s the ultimate compliment when you think of it. It’s a success
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Evil Catsies… Loved your write.
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Thank-you. Yeah they are evil but you gotta love ’em.
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I’m endlessly fascinated by wildlife tracks in the snow (or mud) and the stories they tell. This is exactly like it is, and beautifully told–despite the sad ending for the bird. Or the happy ending for the cat. 🙂
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Thank-you, I glad you liked it.
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The descriptions in this are superb. I can picture the scene vividly. Well constructed and a great last line.
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Loved the very descriptive first paragraph.
DJ
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Thank-you Danny, your time and comment is much appreciated
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Killed right then and there? What a clumsy cat. Mine brings the birds into the house fully intact then chases then around until I come along and rescue them.
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Haha, yes I’ve had that, birds are not too bad but, when the mice get under the fridge and cooker and so on, it’s chaos
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LOVE this one, Michael! The detail, the suspense, and the poetry… yes, you managed that too. Love this story!
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Thanks, that’s a lovely comment and has made my day
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I was hooked at the great opening line, and loved being led by the vivid images of the footprints.
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Thank-you, I was hoping it would come out like that
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What a great story, I followed those tracks.
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Thank-you, I suppose it was all about the build up. In the first version, the bird flies off and the cat misses out on breakfast.
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