Pitfall
A Promptoberfest story
© 2024 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  tegerio

Prompt: assume


“I-I’m sorry,” the husky stammered, and promptly cringed as the cat glowered at him. “I-I-I thought – “

“That,” the peculiarly furless feline grated, “is precisely the point. You were not supposed to think. You were supposed to obey my orders.” He got up from his chair and, despite the fact that he was very much shorter than the husky, loomed over the canine. “My stealth robot can’t be stealthy because you painted it bright pink! You have completely muddled my plans!”

The husky looked at him quizzically. “Muddied your pants?”

The Sphynx went nose to nose with the husky and hissed, “Muddled. My. Plans,” he said, loudly and distinctly. The husky’s ears went back and he cringed again as the cat raised a paw.

And snapped his fingers.

Later, the Sphynx’s other employees (all reliably outsourced from Expendable Minions, LLC of Macau and Terre Haute) shuddered as their boss, the infamous Mr. Gein, surveyed his new masterwork while dressed in a fine new coat made from the husky.

Gein relished their fear as much as he enjoyed the warmth of his new skinsuit. It helped to illustrate the folly of minions who thought, rather than simply obeyed.



end