Tarot Flash Fiction Project

[kmartin60]

OMG not as dark? No. its SAD! made me go grab my 2 older kitties and shower them with lots of attention much to their dismay and hiss's!) oops...I love your "flashs" of fiction....sniffs gotta go grab a tissue...

[nami]

Oh, thank you! Heh, I keep drawing cards that come out with sadder stories. I should probably pick out a happier card next time.

[NorthernTigress]

I have a terrible confession to make. Every time I see the title for this thread, I read it as "Tarot Slash Fiction", which is a very different, and slightly scary, mental image.

[nami]

NorthernTigress, that's hilarious! XD

[nami]

It's been a while since I've done one of these. This one's for the Three of Cups.





Somewhere in the shift from Spring to Summer, the air starts to change in the anticipation. Hot, humid, but not quite like the coming heat of Summer, and the scent of the seasonal flowers hangs in the wind. The thick, sweet smell surrounds everything. A particular mix of smells and colors attracts the attention of three felines passing by. But it's not that this particular combination is more stunning than the rest of Spring's work around them. They're more like a welcome sign that only appears a certain time of year. Of course, the cats were welcome all year round; it was just that the entrance changed it's sign so to speak every couple of months. But no matter how it appeared each season, it always meant "welcome" to them.

The three cats knew today was a very special day. The human house owner always did the most gardening on this day of the week. Whenever she'd take a break, that's when they'd get what they came there for. Today, she was already at work in the furthest part of the garden. They skipped along to her, greeting her in their usual fashion. Rubbing against her legs, rolling over at her feet, small meows. She had her usual happy expression as she knelt to greet them in return. Each cat got a turn getting thoroughly petted while the others continued to nudge against her. They picked up on her familiar scent. A bit of some citrus smell, a little earth, and some sort of human product they couldn't place. Their scents merged with hers as the fragrance of the flowers around them blended them all together into one scent that belonged only to that place in Spring just before Summer on days like this.

When their greetings were over, she returned to her work in the garden. She'd stop around noon for lunch, when the cats would be treated to a little lunch of their own and another round of petting. While she tended to the plants, each cat took their own favorite place in the garden and watched over her until the warm air drifted each into a sound sleep.

[nami]

Another one. This one is for "The Star".




Eight days alone was a long time for a housecat. Somewhere between an afternoon hunt with some mice near the house and a heavy storm at sunset, she'd strayed too far from the house. When the rain came, her owner called out to her, but the storm made her panic. Instead of running after that familiar voice, she'd gone farther away. Within each call, thunder rippled through with a louder boom. Her first hiding place had been within a clump of roots on an old oak, but it didn't provide her within enough shelter. She ran further, crossing a broken branch, to some human thing. It was made of metal, and the rain echoed in it all night.

The days then on were spent searching for home, hiding, and hunting. It hadn't been easy like before. She knew she could catch the same amount of food she always could; it wasn't until now she realized how much she relied on her owner's daily feedings. The water she found out here was murky, but it would due. She was more concerned with the strange, heavy footsteps in the mud she heard early in the morning, and those calls she'd often heard at the foot of her owner's bed sounding so close to where she slept. The arrogance she had in her own backyard had left her. She couldn't even manage to make herself take a peek at the strangers who passed by.

Night had come again, and she still had no idea where she was. Exhausted, weaker, and much thinner than she'd been that stormy afternoon, she collapsed half way across a fallen branch. Beneath it, a tiny stream ran through. The night sky reflected on the water, stars twinkling in its steady motion. Absentmindedly, she pawed at the tiny lights. Perhaps from her tiredness, most of her fears and worries faded for that moment. Since she'd left, this had been the first moment she'd relaxed. She played by the stream for a good while until she fell asleep.

When she awoke, it was still dark. Many of the tiny lights in the water had been replaced by warm shades hinting towards sunrise. As she lifted her head up, another light caught her attention. A familiar light. The living room TV shining through the window. The last run of her eight days was the fastest.

[Dain]

I haven't read your other stories yet, nami, only this last one and it was beautiful, warm and very touching. Also very Star-like. I'll definitely read your other stories and I hope you'll write more soon.

[momentarylight]

Agree with Dain. You write beautifully, nami.

[nami]

Thank you both! I've been away from AT for a while. I've missed working on this project. I should get back to it. So many cards left to do.