Random Short Stories

Simple Beauty [🪽]

In the eternally sunlit town of Sunnyville, nestled within a bustling human neighbourhood, two kittypets lived under the same roof, each holding onto a vastly different perspective on life.

Bauble, the dark tortoiseshell with a sharp wit and bright green eyes, revelled in her position. She perched on the highest shelves and claimed every sunny spot in the house as hers, certain that her sass made her untouchable.

Besides her mirror-like reflections of beauty, she held a dream deep in her heart— one that could only be fulfilled by the sight of a winged cat. Her fascination with the extraordinary was only surpassed by her knack for poking fun at the more vulnerable—and in her eyes, that was Popcorn.

Popcorn, on the other hand, was her complete opposite—a pale golden tabby with a white paw and a softer heart. Little did she know that the weight of Bauble's incessant jibes hung heavier than any chunkiness ever could.

"Stars, Popcorn," Bauble would call from her high perch, her eyes narrowing with glee. "When's the last time you saw your toes? I think they're lost somewhere under that belly of yours!" She cackled, and her laughter echoed through the nooks of their shared home.

"Hey, Popcorn!" Bauble called another time, her voice dripping with condescension. "You sure you want to gobble that whole piece of tuna? If you keep that up, you'll need a personal chariot just to roll around the streets!"

"Oh, Popcorn!" she sneered one afternoon, as she strutted around their cozy living room, tail held high, while her green eyes glinted in the sunlight streaming in through the window. "You really should stop eating all that food. I think your shadow just gave up trying to keep up!"

Popcorn could only manage a weak smile as her cheeks burned with humiliation, her self-esteem crumbling one insult at a time.

"Really, Bauble? Could you be any more original?" Bella, a wise old tawny she, always attempted to intervene. But Bauble, revelling in her supremacy, dismissed her comments with a flick of her tail. "As if I even care!"

And why should she? In Bauble's eyes, she was the queen of the kittypet domain, and all that mattered was her enjoyment, even at the expense of the gentle Popcorn.

As the days turned into weeks, each day Popcorn would return home, her heart growing heavier. If only she could be lighter in body and spirit like many of the other kittypets, perhaps Bauble would leave her alone.

One quiet evening, with the sun beginning to set and colours of the night began bleeding into the sky while stars began to dot the skies like sequins on a twilight veil, Popcorn settled on the balcony, her favourite refuge of peace.

She gazed into the horizon, dreaming of the kind of life she read about in her many imaginations—the kind where she roamed through fields of grass, where every cat was treated with kindness, and where the need for comparison ceased to exist.

A whisper of breeze brushed through her golden fur, and she sighed, "If only I were a slender and thin cat... maybe then I'd be worth acknowledging. Maybe then Bauble would stop picking on me all the time if I were thin." The thought crushed her spirit as she felt her ears droop.

Little did she know that somewhere in the twilight sky, a magnificent figure was gliding through the clouds—a winged cat, with grey-blue marbled fur like stormy skies and bright amber-hazel eyes that glimmered with warmth and wisdom.

His name was Splash Sprint, a kind-hearted soul from the Northern Kingdoms who often flew far from his tribal home, offering comfort and solace to those in need. He was wise and gentle, a good spirit to those he met.