THE FINALE OF FLASH AUGUST FICTION. Hungry Henry and Rotund Ronald have become pals. Did you ever listen to The Cheeseguard from Flash Fiction February? These two had an impromptu meeting, and they remained cohorts. Today they are avoiding capture by a cat. This is one of several animal stories from this month. Stoicism is a mixed bag. It’s part strength, and part denial, in a way.
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916 WORDS WRITTEN IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES
Henry and Ronald have heard about a farmhouse that features a very nice selection of dairy products. They’ve listened to fantastic tales of hanging cheeses, overflowing yogurts, and stray curds left all over the place. As they make their way through a stump and stone laden field, they catch the unmistakable vibration of cat paws, and with it, the unmistakable scent.
“Ahhh cheese.” Hungry Henry says. “Nobody said anything about a cat being here!”
Just then, they see the horrifying sight of those large dilated eyes, looming above the grass, about 100 feet in front of them.
“We better duck behind that stump!” He adds.
“How the heck are we supposed to make it to the barn.” He says, sadly.
“What mice actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.” Rotund Ronald cites Viktor Frankl.
“This ain’t tension, it’s being scared to death.” Henry replies.
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” Ronald quotes Marcus Aurelius.
“That cat looks pretty real to me!” Responds Henry.
Ronald refers to Seneca: "He who is brave is free."
“I don’t know how brave I am, but I think the smell of emptying my bladder is going to give us away.” Henry replies.
“A mouse who fears death will never do anything worthy of a mouse who is alive.” Another Seneca citation from Ronald.
“I think your reading has gotten the best of you. We need to get a way out of this.” Henry says.
The two of them stick together. They make a run for it to a pile of rocks, squeezing their bodies to get as deep into the pile as they can. The cat slowly approaches, they can see his nose twitching, and he emits faint growling sounds.
“If one of us doesn’t make it out of this, It’s been good to know you, Ronald.”
Ronald again quotes Marcus Aurelius. “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
Henry is panicking, he’s breathing heavily, and his heart is about to burst. “Excuse me Ronald, but I don’t understand how I’m supposed to pretend what is happening is not happening, and then I’m supposed to just assume I can think my way out of this when that thing has been eating guys like us his whole life. We’re going to end up presents on a front porch! See if you can do more than belittle the situation with platitudes!”
"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." Another quote from Seneca.
“OK, then, let’s see if we can confuse him. Let’s each go in opposite directions, then meet over by that bucket at that water pump. Can you see it?” Henry asserts.
“Waste no more time arguing what a good mouse should be. Be One.” Ronald cites Marcus Aurelius again, and the two dart off to attempt the plan. Henry goes first, and the cat moves towards him. Then Ronald distracts him with his departure and the cat freezes, giving them enough time to scurry through the long grass and make it to the other side of the bucket, out of the cat’s purview.
“I think we better stay calm.” Henry says. “This got us halfway to the barn.”
"Cease to hope, and you will cease to fear." Ronald again quotes Seneca.
From either side of the bucket, they can see the fierce cat hunching up on his hind legs, scanning the grass in hopes to detect them.
“We have to find a way to get to the other side of that fence.” Henry says. “I don’t see any openings, or holes, or any spaces to get under it.”
Ronald responds, “External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.” Another quotation from Aurelius.
“Are you saying we should just go for it?” Henry asks.
Now Ronald replies with another Seneca line: “If a mouse knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
“Let’s go straight for the fence, then go to the right toward the gate, there’s probably a gap at the hinges or something.” Henry advises.
They make their run for it. The cat sees them and is in pursuit. Just then, the front door of the farmhouse opens, and a little girl calls to the cat, and runs towards him. Just as the cat is about to intercept the two mice, the girl, not even noticing the two tiny mice, swoops up the feline and cradles him. “You silly cat, what are you doing?” She laughs and hold him tightly.
The cat watches from over the girl’s shoulder as the two mice find a gap between the fence and the gate and make their way into the barnyard.
As they enter the barn, they can’t believe the plentiful array they peruse. They can barely choose. There are curds spread about the floor. There is liquid dripping from hanging curds like rains from heaven. They find rinds and all manner of delectable matter.
Ronald ceases the recitations and says. “I can barely speak.”
Henry peers at him sarcastically. This time it’s he who quotes Marcus Aurelius. "Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear."
“You’ve been reading.” says Rotund Ronald.
“I been readin’ ” Hungry Henry replies.
The End.
I hope you liked Flash Fiction August. It’s all over. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be making plenty more stories and adding new content all the time. Please like, subscribe, restack, and all that sharing. Thank you to all the independent, non-corporate media people out there. I hope I can give you some light entertainment once in a while. Thank you so much for listening, or reading. This is the Smell the Inside of Your Nose. Do it Right Now podcast. I hope you might get a free or paid subscription, or buy me a coffee, or donate some bitcoin. I wish you the best. I’m Herschel Sterling, and I’m here to help.
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