Friday Flash Fiction
  • Home
    • About Friday Flash Fiction
    • Terms & Conditions
  • 100-Word Stories
  • Longer Stories
  • Poetry
  • Authors
    • A-C
    • D-F
    • G-I
    • J-L
    • M-O
    • P-R
    • S-V
    • W-Z
  • Submissions
    • 100-Word Submissions
    • 500-Word Submissions
    • Short Poetry Submissions
    • Writing Good Flash Fiction
    • Contact FFF
    • Appeals/Feedback Request
    • How to complete the Entry Form
    • Technical Stuff >
      • Terms & Conditions
      • GDPR Compliance
      • Duotrope
    • Support FFF

A Night With Rats, by Paritosh Chandra Dugar

14/7/2017

 
I was suddenly awakened by a scratching sound from under my pillow. I switched on the light and lifted the pillow to look for the reason. What I saw was horrid enough to freeze me. There was a huge black rat with its beady eyes fixed on me. The rat and I, facing each other, remained motionless for a while. Then, the rat outsmarted me in taking a decision. It stood on its hind legs and trotted towards the edge of the bed where I was sitting terror-struck. The rat’s advance made me jump up instinctively. And the rat bounded into the air, landed on the floor, swiftly climbed the wall, reached the window and hid behind the curtains. Oh, it was a narrow escape for me! But I wondered if the rat regretted having missed the target! As I stood restoring my courage, I spotted another fat rat climbing and hiding behind the window curtains, followed by a smaller one. Suddenly I heard a hiss from somewhere. In a fit of panic I turned around to witness a monster rat scurrying towards my friend who was lying fast asleep on the other side of the double bed. It was a hair-raising sight. I shouted repeatedly to alert my friend to the approaching danger, but my shrieks had little impact on him. But, to my surprise, the monster halted with a short squeak, took a U-turn and vanished behind the window curtains. For a long while I didn’t hear any sound nor did I notice any movement. I began to feel relaxed and drowsy. As I was about to fall asleep, I saw with my half open eyes that the window curtains were fluttering. I got up with a start. I saw the rats come out from behind the curtains one by one and run across the room as if it were their playground. It was at that moment that I heard a loud knocking at the door. I had no courage to leave the bed and pave my way through nasty little monsters. But the incessant knocking compelled me. With my eyes half-closed, I walked to the door with extreme caution as if there were landmines around. When I opened the door, my friend who occupied the adjacent room dashed in and entreated to be allowed to sleep on the sofa in my room. He said he would in no case go back to his room to be tormented and terrorized by rats. And without waiting for my response he just threw himself onto the sofa and fell asleep. I looked at the open door which seemed to be signalling a new menace from the neighborhood. I just made a dart for the door and slammed it shut. Though I saw no rats afterwards, I could not sleep for the rest of the night. Maybe, they were all waiting for the door to be open for their escape!
​

Comments are closed.

    Longer
    Stories

    Longer Friday Flash Fiction Stories

    Friday Flash Fiction is primarily a site for stories of 100 words or fewer, and our authors are expected to take on that challenge if they possibly can. Most stories of under 150 words can be trimmed and we do not accept submissions of 101-150 words.


    However, in response to demand, the FFF team constructed this forum for significantly longer stories of 151-500 words. Please send submissions for these using the Submissions Page.

    Stories to the 500 word thread will be posted as soon as we can mange.

    Picture

    One little further note. Posting and publishing 500-word stories takes a little time if they need to be formatted, too.
    ​Please note that we tend to post longer flash fiction exactly as we find it – wrong spacing, everything.

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

Picture
Website by Platform 36