Her First Dead Body
By Annette Gulati
She’s six years old when she sees her cat dangling from her father’s hands in the open doorway of her bedroom, a circus act in her very own hallway. She pulls the chenille bedspread over her head so she won’t have to watch the performance, won’t have to stare at Nipper’s green eyes, still open, won’t have to gape at his mangled grey fur or his battered head. He got run over by a car, her father says, and she chokes back her tears so the ringmaster won’t get irritated. She’s already wise enough to know this is not a magic trick. A stunt, perhaps, but no magician, no sorcerer, can bring her innocent cat back to life. She imagines him soaring through the air when the car hits his body, tumbling into a nearby gutter, or perhaps a street far away from home. Where did you find him? She’s never brave enough to ask this question. For years, she’s a reluctant audience to her cat’s recurring demise, caged by nightmares of her father’s theatrics. Not until the caravan has left town, does she suspect that Father, often inebriated, drove over Nipper himself. Perhaps even in the driveway.
About the Author
Annette Gulati’s work has appeared in The Dribble Drabble Review, NUNUM, Five Minutes, 50-Word Stories, Bright Flash Literary, and elsewhere. She’s also written twelve nonfiction books for children. She lives near Seattle, WA. Find her at www.annettegulati.com or on X: @AnnetteGulati.
