New Flash Fiction by Permuted Press Author Paul Mannering

“The Last Time Snow Fell”
© Paul Mannering (2013)

“I want to tell you a story,” Oscar said to the man duct-taped to the chair. The black gag across his audience’s sweating face made permission unlikely.

“This is a true story,” Oscar continued. He sat in a chair opposite the man; a wooden kitchen or dining room chair. The one a twin of the other. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs.

“There were these two brothers see. Both were doctors, surgeons in fact. Highly trained, highly intelligent and quite capable of saving a person’s life when no one else could.” Oscar paused to make eye contact with his host. The man in the chair widened his eyes and stared at Oscar in mute appeal.

“These two surgeons were also young, so they shared a house. Roommates as it were. As sometimes happens in these situations, they ended up with a kitten. You know a young cat?”

The duct-taped man nodded.

“Okay, so these two brothers, who happened to be surgeons and roommates, they get this kitten. They take care of it; she becomes part of their household. Two doctors and a cat. The cat grows to the point where they realize she needs to be fixed. Being a girl cat, that means she needs to be spayed. That’s an operation, removes the girl cat’s reproductive organs.” Oscar waved a hand over the general area of the bound man’s abdomen. “Ovaries, the two parts that come down from the ovaries, and the top part of the uterus. It is a simple operation, for a veterinarian. Cats have them all the time. But, this cat belongs to two young surgeons…

Read the rest of this story on Paul Mannering’s website: http://manneringbooks.com/2014/07/24/the-last-time-snow-fell/