“Knife For A Mouth”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

“What is it?” Knorra whispers, peeking over my shoulder.

“Get down!” I hiss, pushing her back. “It could be dangerous!”

Knorra lets out a gasp. “But it’s so pretty and colourful! There’s no way that it’s dangerous!”

“Keep down,” I say firmly, yanking her down next to me. “We don’t know anything about this planet. Maybe colours are warning signs here.”

She scoffs. “Now that’s just ridiculous. How could anyone be expected to stay away from the colours?”

The creature struts in front of us, colours flashing in the sunlight. It stands on two spindly legs; I can’t help but marvel at how it’s able to keep its balance.

Suddenly, it turns to face us. A scream echoes around us.

“Was… was that… you?!” Knorra laughs, practically falling over.

“N-no,” I stammer, clearing my throat. “But, if it was me screaming, I would’ve had a very good reason to. That… thing… has a knife for a mouth!”

Knorra raises her eyebrow. “That’s not a knife, silly. Remember those pointy-nosed nurgats we saw on that safari? They had mouths like that too.”

As I think back to the safari, I realize that she’s right.

“Oh,” I say before exclaiming, “Well, it’s still a strange thing to see, don’t you think?”

Final Comments: I always find it really hard to describe something we find completely normal as if I were seeing it for the first time.

Overall Rating: 🤔