Short stories for the flash fiction contests hosted by @LayethTheSmackdown along with @flashfic and @Ooorah. Compilation of flash and short fiction stories.
Dedicated to someone who was very special for me in the past and literally changed my life, V.
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Darkness is all I see. I hear nothing, I can't move. I don't remember how long I've been in this state.
One day, I felt something collide with my head. Something, perhaps a little misaligned gear, found its proper place. I heard a click, and then magically everything started working again.
I look around and see various piles of scrap piled up. Other toys and assorted peculiar devices lie beneath my little mechanical feet. I don't remember who I am or what I'm doing in this gloomy place.
I tried to descend carefully, but I couldn't avoid slipping and falling. The impact against the ground started to bring back vague memories about certain things. The figure of a child appears in my memory, but I can't recall who he is. I also remember being in a warm room surrounded by other toys, but that's all.
For some reason, I feel like I need to find that person. That boy must be my master, and it's my duty to reunite with him. Perhaps that's how I'll recover my memory. But how am I going to achieve that? If all I see are piles of metal scraps, gears, wires, wheels, and parts of steam engines.
I ventured out to explore the area in search of an exit or anything that could help me to remember something. As I walked, I saw a shadow moving swiftly among the debris. It moved several times from one place to another. I felt fear in that moment and tried to go back to seek refuge. When I turned, it was right in front of me.
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"Meowrrr" was the first thing I heard. "Who are you?" the mechanical cat asked me.
"I don't know, I think I've lost my memory. Who are you, sir?"
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Snowdy. I'm Catclock, the most adventurous cat in this city, meowrrr."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Catclock. But who is Snowdy?"
"Isn't that your name? It's carved on your collar. Also, what happened to your left eye?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Go see your reflection in one of the puddles over there."
Doing as Catclock had instructed, I gazed at my reflection in the water. Indeed, Snowdy was my name, and where my left eye should be was empty.
"I'm really confused, I don't know how I got here," I confessed to the cat, who, unlike me, had a very mechanical appearance. All his gears and internal components were visible.
"Perhaps someone mistook you for scrap."
"Why would they do that?"
"I don't know. I always come to this place looking for new things to play with. But it's the first time I've seen an artifact start working again out of nowhere like you did."
