Original fiction (Maniac Love): "A Game of Cat and Mouse" by Eliyes
Title: A Game of Cat and Mouse
Fandom: Maniac Love
Characters: Alice Nicholas, Leslie Nicholas, others
Prompt: Badger, badger, badger.
Word Count: 757
Rating: PG for mild swearing.
Summary: Alice's mom (Leslie) needs her help finding something precious -- by phone.
Author's Notes: Little something for Mother's Day. ;3
Alice was almost to the campus library when her cell phone breedled. "Shit," she said, swinging her bag around to dig for it. "Forgot I left that on." A quick glance at screen showed her the caller ID before she flipped it open and put it to her ear.
"Mom?"
'Hi, honey. You're not in class, are you?' her mother's voice replied, sounding worried.
"No, I just got out." She shifter her knapsack back over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
'I can't find Reba.'
Alice felt her face fall. Reba was her cat, a huge tabby who was getting on in years. She sat down heavily at a nearby picnic table.
"You've tried shaking the kibble box?"
'Yes. I know she didn't get outside. Dickie's out there, and you know he never leaves her alone when she gets out.'
"Right." She did know that. Dickie was a very excitable dog, and while Reba was unquestionably the boss inside the house, the yard was a whole other matter.
'I'm gonna put you on speaker phone, and you can call her.'
"Uh," Alice looked around. There were people out and about on the campus, who would undoubtedly think she was strange if she started the kitty call into her cell phone.
On the other hand, she barely knew any of these people, whereas Reba had loved her since she was a little girl, and brought her mousies, and had kittens on her dolphin bedspread that time.
'Okay,' her mom prompted.
"Reba! Reeeeeebaaaaa!" Alice called at full volume. "Heeeeeeere kittykittykittykittykittykittykittykittykittykitty! Heeeere kittykittykittykittykitty!" She paused and waited.
'Nothing. Try again?'
Alice called again. Behind her, someone did a truly pathetic meow, and people laughed.
'Uh, I think I heard a rustle, but I'm not sure where it came from. She's not answering back.'
"She usually doesn't, mom."
'Well, except when you sing.'
Alice slumped forward and covered her face in embarrassment. "Sing?"
'You remember, whenever you'd sing in the shower she'd howl --'
"Well, yeah, but --"
'Especially when you do your Little Nell impression.'
Alice sighed, straightening up and pushing her hair back. "Okay. Right. Got the volume up?"
'Of course I do.'
Keeping her eyes closed, Alice hummed a little, trying to get high and nasal enough, then broke into the one song Reba could never help but try to drown out.
"It was great when it all began! I was a regular Frankie fan --"
'Ooh! I heard a meow! Keep singing!'
Desperately trying not to laugh at the sudden mental image of her mother as the sea witch from Disney's version of The Little Mermaid, Alice kept up.
"That was before he had the plan to start workin' on a muscle man --"
'Oh my God,' Alice's mom exclaimed, exasperated. 'What are you doing in the recycling, Reba?' A near desperate yowl answered. Alice figured 'what the Hell' and kept going.
"Now the only thing that brings me hope --"
'Myeee!' came Reba's voice.
"Is my love for a certain dope --"
'Meeer!'
A disheartening amount of crashing and cursing from the phone over-rode the end of it, and a wolf-whistle from close behind her made Alice jump. She turned and gave a wild-eyed look at Holly's friend Dan, who was leaning on the picnic table, grinning at her.
'Got her!' her mother announced triumphantly, drawing Alice's attention back to her phone.
"What? You did? Oh, good, is she okay?"
'Oh, she's fine,' was the benevolent response, 'Although she seems to think you're trapped in the phone. She misses you.'
"I miss you, too, Reba," Alice crooned.
'You should come visit her. Hint hint.'
Alice laughed. "I see what you did there! Nicely played, Mom. Yeah, I guess. Next weekend?"
'Whenever you want, honey. Your dad can come pick you up Friday after work?'
"Sure, okay."
'And now, I really should get back to the taxes,' her mom sighed. 'Say good-bye, Reba.' A throaty purr temporarily thundered into Alice's ear, followed by, 'I love you, snifflebum.'
Alice's, "Bye, Mom, Love you, too," was a little strangled by embarrassment over the nickname.
"So," Dan said, sliding onto the bench next to her as soon as she clapped her cell phone shut and slinging an arm over her shoulders (which was slightly awkward, because apparently in normal sneakers she was actually taller than him), "Why aren't you in the Theatre Club yet? And what can I do to lure you in?"
"Help me smooth things over with Holl when I break our date next weekend," she suggested, "and I'm yours to convince."
.
FYI, to remember the lyrics, I had to sing them. My cat immediately appeared from wherever she'd been napping. X3
Cross-posted from my journal.
Fandom: Maniac Love
Characters: Alice Nicholas, Leslie Nicholas, others
Prompt: Badger, badger, badger.
Word Count: 757
Rating: PG for mild swearing.
Summary: Alice's mom (Leslie) needs her help finding something precious -- by phone.
Author's Notes: Little something for Mother's Day. ;3
Alice was almost to the campus library when her cell phone breedled. "Shit," she said, swinging her bag around to dig for it. "Forgot I left that on." A quick glance at screen showed her the caller ID before she flipped it open and put it to her ear.
"Mom?"
'Hi, honey. You're not in class, are you?' her mother's voice replied, sounding worried.
"No, I just got out." She shifter her knapsack back over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
'I can't find Reba.'
Alice felt her face fall. Reba was her cat, a huge tabby who was getting on in years. She sat down heavily at a nearby picnic table.
"You've tried shaking the kibble box?"
'Yes. I know she didn't get outside. Dickie's out there, and you know he never leaves her alone when she gets out.'
"Right." She did know that. Dickie was a very excitable dog, and while Reba was unquestionably the boss inside the house, the yard was a whole other matter.
'I'm gonna put you on speaker phone, and you can call her.'
"Uh," Alice looked around. There were people out and about on the campus, who would undoubtedly think she was strange if she started the kitty call into her cell phone.
On the other hand, she barely knew any of these people, whereas Reba had loved her since she was a little girl, and brought her mousies, and had kittens on her dolphin bedspread that time.
'Okay,' her mom prompted.
"Reba! Reeeeeebaaaaa!" Alice called at full volume. "Heeeeeeere kittykittykittykittykittykittykittykittykittykitty! Heeeere kittykittykittykittykitty!" She paused and waited.
'Nothing. Try again?'
Alice called again. Behind her, someone did a truly pathetic meow, and people laughed.
'Uh, I think I heard a rustle, but I'm not sure where it came from. She's not answering back.'
"She usually doesn't, mom."
'Well, except when you sing.'
Alice slumped forward and covered her face in embarrassment. "Sing?"
'You remember, whenever you'd sing in the shower she'd howl --'
"Well, yeah, but --"
'Especially when you do your Little Nell impression.'
Alice sighed, straightening up and pushing her hair back. "Okay. Right. Got the volume up?"
'Of course I do.'
Keeping her eyes closed, Alice hummed a little, trying to get high and nasal enough, then broke into the one song Reba could never help but try to drown out.
"It was great when it all began! I was a regular Frankie fan --"
'Ooh! I heard a meow! Keep singing!'
Desperately trying not to laugh at the sudden mental image of her mother as the sea witch from Disney's version of The Little Mermaid, Alice kept up.
"That was before he had the plan to start workin' on a muscle man --"
'Oh my God,' Alice's mom exclaimed, exasperated. 'What are you doing in the recycling, Reba?' A near desperate yowl answered. Alice figured 'what the Hell' and kept going.
"Now the only thing that brings me hope --"
'Myeee!' came Reba's voice.
"Is my love for a certain dope --"
'Meeer!'
A disheartening amount of crashing and cursing from the phone over-rode the end of it, and a wolf-whistle from close behind her made Alice jump. She turned and gave a wild-eyed look at Holly's friend Dan, who was leaning on the picnic table, grinning at her.
'Got her!' her mother announced triumphantly, drawing Alice's attention back to her phone.
"What? You did? Oh, good, is she okay?"
'Oh, she's fine,' was the benevolent response, 'Although she seems to think you're trapped in the phone. She misses you.'
"I miss you, too, Reba," Alice crooned.
'You should come visit her. Hint hint.'
Alice laughed. "I see what you did there! Nicely played, Mom. Yeah, I guess. Next weekend?"
'Whenever you want, honey. Your dad can come pick you up Friday after work?'
"Sure, okay."
'And now, I really should get back to the taxes,' her mom sighed. 'Say good-bye, Reba.' A throaty purr temporarily thundered into Alice's ear, followed by, 'I love you, snifflebum.'
Alice's, "Bye, Mom, Love you, too," was a little strangled by embarrassment over the nickname.
"So," Dan said, sliding onto the bench next to her as soon as she clapped her cell phone shut and slinging an arm over her shoulders (which was slightly awkward, because apparently in normal sneakers she was actually taller than him), "Why aren't you in the Theatre Club yet? And what can I do to lure you in?"
"Help me smooth things over with Holl when I break our date next weekend," she suggested, "and I'm yours to convince."
.
FYI, to remember the lyrics, I had to sing them. My cat immediately appeared from wherever she'd been napping. X3
Cross-posted from my journal.