It was the longest word I had possibly ever seen. I sat there, mesmerized. It read "ATGCTTGACTG…” quite eternally. Below the enlarged text was an eye-catching footnote: "The Human Genome”. I stopped to wonder at its innate magnificence. Over the clear glass window was a glorious sight: the sunset, which seemed to ring a bell in my mind.
I frantically reached for my phone to check the time—it was nearly six o’clock! I hurriedly closed the quaint book titled ‘Genetics in a Bird’s Eye View’, scaring the life out of my little cat, Matt. My numbed feet rushed to the kitchen since I realized something was off. Alas! There were barely any groceries left in the nearly empty fridge. And dusk was approaching.
The medium-sized emerald gray Lexus CT automobile behind me hooted impatiently. Sudden green lights jerked me back to reality. I cautiously turned onto a new lane, glad to leave the grumpy motorist behind. Soon enough, I was casually strolling down the alleys at the local store. My favorite song was on. It was ‘Sharks’ by the famed Imagine Dragons band. Then there was this peculiar feeling of attachment to a song that would force one to sing it out loud that had surely grabbed me by the throat. But, as my sheer timidity would allow, I shrugged off the mere thought of humming along.
Just as I turned to join the check-out queue, an unusual sight captivated me. It was a new bookshelf. Unlike the countless others, this one seemed a little 'different'. Of course, I had to explore it! The youthful shelf worker stepped away as he greeted me. A silly me nearly forgot to respond as I curiously picked out two eye-catching books; they were perfectly alluring to the eye. And who would even bother touching them if not my odd self?
As I reloaded my cart and left for the parking lot, I couldn’t help but notice how quickly it was getting dark. Driving in the pitch-dark night was, needless to say, my top-ranked pet peeve. Although it was only twilight, it felt too loathsome to be in the driver’s seat. After unloading the few groceries and books into the back seat helter-skelter, I slid onto the front one and drove off.
The sound of crickets was inescapably audible, to some extent in an obnoxious way. I heaved a sigh of relief as the satisfying sound of lock and key clicked and magically revealed my tiny apartment. Rather joyously, I took off my coat and carried a load of veggies to the kitchen. I knew just what to cook. Aah, a steaming beef and broccoli stew, meticulously accompanied by traditional Biryani rice.
However innocent-looking my hands were, I still cleaned them and got down to business. I was deeply engrossed in a podcast about a book I had read a couple of weeks before. Consequently, I was shocked to the core when I felt the ice-cold side of my elegant chef’s knife slide along my finger. Nonetheless, I continued. Matt, the little cat with a plummet gray coat crisscrossed with dark stripes, could already pick up the compelling aroma from where she cozily lay.
She stood nervously about two feet away from mine, tactfully tilted her head to the side, and purred so softly I almost thought I was going deaf. I knew indisputably well what she craved. I passed down to her a small bowl of tuna. Dilly-dallying not, she viciously attacked the poor, tiny fragments of fish. In the blink of an eye, she looked up and purred again as if to say "Thank you”. I could already see tender gratitude welling up in her adorable visage as she licked her lips in sheer satisfaction.
Afterward, I ate my fill and listened to another round of podcasts. Soon enough, I retired to bed as sleep crawled over my tired self. It was only 9:00 pm.
P.S.: this is original work and is not meant to be reproduced in any way.
I really love the story! Like how it focuses on this introspective, introverted character. Great work!