The following is my submission to a prompt from the r/WritingPrompts subreddit. The full Reddit post can be seen here.
Prompt: When a creature is technically alive, you see a light coming from their chest. But once it has no pulse, that light disappears. You met someone with no light.
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The critter scurried under the car. Jenna quietly tip-toed up to it.
“Here, here. I won’t hurt you little guy.”
She grabbed a chip from her bag and threw it towards the creature.
It purred, grabbed the chip, and then quickly darted back behind the tire of the car.
She grabbed a few more chips from her bag and held them out in her palm.
The critter, trusting her, climbed onto her hand.
“Woah! Toby! Come over here and look at this,” Jenna exclaimed.
Toby strolled over to where Jenna was standing. Rolling his eyes, he said, “You know, Mom always says that we’re not supposed to play with stray—”
His eyes lit up, he shouted, “It doesn’t have a light! How does it not have a light? It’s supposed to have a light!”
Jenna answered, “I know, I know. It’s weird, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It looks a little like a sklucat but it doesn’t have the usual gray stripes.”
Jenna put a few chips in her little brother’s hands and then watched the creature jump into his palm.
“It’s tickling me!” Toby giggled as the critter nibbled away at the chips.
“Look, it likes you. It must know,” Jenna said, staring at her brother’s chest.
Toby looked down at his chest too, which was illuminated only by the streetlight above.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that doesn’t have a light like me,” Toby observed.
“Well it’s yours now, we should take it home and see if Mom and Dad will let us keep it,” Jenna said, putting her arm around her brother.
The siblings walked down the street while the little critter bounced from shoulder to shoulder and onto the top of Toby’s head. He chuckled to himself.
“Soooo… if Mom and Dad let you keep it, what are you going to name it?” Jenna asked.
“Hmmm,” Toby gave a long pause, thinking hard. Finally, he said, “Dimmy! You know, it’s like Timmy except he doesn’t shine like me. So he’s dim. Dimmy.”
“Dimmy,” Jenna repeated to herself laughing, “I like it.”
As the evening drew on, Toby and Jenna arrived home, pleaded with their parents about keeping the pet, and after a lengthy and exhausting debate, finally got a reluctant “ok” from their parents. Dimmy was part of the family now.
Little did they know that Dimmy was only one day old, a mere infant in the grand scheme of its life. And more importantly, it was no coincidence that Toby found the only other living being without a light.
A shifty figure, lurking behind the street corner, had placed the creature there…
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The following is my submission to a prompt from the r/WritingPrompts subreddit. The full Reddit post can be seen here.
Prompt: When a creature is technically alive, you see a light coming from their chest. But once it has no pulse, that light disappears. You met someone with no light.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The critter scurried under the car. Jenna quietly tip-toed up to it.
“Here, here. I won’t hurt you little guy.”
She grabbed a chip from her bag and threw it towards the creature.
It purred, grabbed the chip, and then quickly darted back behind the tire of the car.
She grabbed a few more chips from her bag and held them out in her palm.
The critter, trusting her, climbed onto her hand.
“Woah! Toby! Come over here and look at this,” Jenna exclaimed.
Toby strolled over to where Jenna was standing. Rolling his eyes, he said, “You know, Mom always says that we’re not supposed to play with stray—”
His eyes lit up, he shouted, “It doesn’t have a light! How does it not have a light? It’s supposed to have a light!”
Jenna answered, “I know, I know. It’s weird, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It looks a little like a sklucat but it doesn’t have the usual gray stripes.”
Jenna put a few chips in her little brother’s hands and then watched the creature jump into his palm.
“It’s tickling me!” Toby giggled as the critter nibbled away at the chips.
“Look, it likes you. It must know,” Jenna said, staring at her brother’s chest.
Toby looked down at his chest too, which was illuminated only by the streetlight above.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that doesn’t have a light like me,” Toby observed.
“Well it’s yours now, we should take it home and see if Mom and Dad will let us keep it,” Jenna said, putting her arm around her brother.
The siblings walked down the street while the little critter bounced from shoulder to shoulder and onto the top of Toby’s head. He chuckled to himself.
“Soooo… if Mom and Dad let you keep it, what are you going to name it?” Jenna asked.
“Hmmm,” Toby gave a long pause, thinking hard. Finally, he said, “Dimmy! You know, it’s like Timmy except he doesn’t shine like me. So he’s dim. Dimmy.”
“Dimmy,” Jenna repeated to herself laughing, “I like it.”
As the evening drew on, Toby and Jenna arrived home, pleaded with their parents about keeping the pet, and after a lengthy and exhausting debate, finally got a reluctant “ok” from their parents. Dimmy was part of the family now.
Little did they know that Dimmy was only one day old, a mere infant in the grand scheme of its life. And more importantly, it was no coincidence that Toby found the only other living being without a light.
A shifty figure, lurking behind the street corner, had placed the creature there…
