dedicated to Mike Sullivan-a flash fiction from the penumbra writers' group




"Hey Mike, look at this!"

"Wow, waddya got there?"

"Dunno...some critter, looks like a rock, but it's moving."

"Hmm, lessee...if I poke it, it stops...gotta be a critter like you say, cuz it moves. Rocks don't move...least not ones I seen."

"Right. But critters usually are regular-shaped. This one changes...it was more rounder a little while ago..."

"Now it looks squarish...the stick doesn't make much of a dent, and it seems softer than a rock...hey, doesn't the stick look a little smaller?"

"Hey, yeah, it does. Wow, if it's a critter, what does it eat, I wonder?"

"Sticks...it eats sticks."

"Let's get some more then, and see"

"Jeez, look at that. It sure does eat sticks...it's getting bigger. Don't poke it no more, it's starting to scare me."

"Yeah, and it's softer than it was before...and it looks wet, all shiny now. Let's try to see its mouth, Mike."

"Gee Chris, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Let's just go home and forget about it..."

"C'mon, you wuss. Here, look..."

"Yuck! Boy does that thing have bad breath! Something sure died in there. Hey, it has your stick! Let go, let go right now."

"I can't! It has my arm too. Oh God that hurts! Run, go get some help, Mike! Oh that hurts...I'm gonna die, help me Mike, oh help me. Oh man...oh man...oh let me go, I'm just a kid, I didn't mean to hurt you...."

"Oh, Chris...it's so big now...I can't move...it won't let me. God I'm scared. I just shat myself...Chris, I'll be with ya in a minute I guess. Chris? Oh god that hurts...."

"Burrrrp!"