“Red Tape”

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!

The red tape crisscrossed the door. The intention of such placement was to prevent any unwanted entries, as the officials would be immediately alerted to the slightest movement of the tape.

Unfortunately, this type of intruder was unexpected and, therefore, not prepared for.

The creature peered through the tiny crack that the last person in the building had accidentally left on their way out. An inquisitive nose poked its way inside, twitching as it inhaled all the scents.

Seemingly deciding that it was safe inside, the creature nudged the door open. The nose continued twitching; after all, it couldn’t be too careful.

The room was laid out just as the humans had left it. Markers and tape were scattered in what would look like a random pattern to the untrained eye. But the intruder didn’t care. In fact, as it looked around the room, it made the conscious decision to make as much of a mess as possible.

It trotted forward, its mission in mind. As it walked, it sniffed the markers and reshuffled them around the room to fit its own desired order.

The nose twitched again. Food.

Jumping up onto the counter, it followed the sweet scent. Its tail swished over the counter as it waddled along, balancing precariously on the edge of the counter.

Finally, it found what it was looking for. Soon, the food was completely gone. Not even a crumb remained; it was too precious to be wasted.

Satisfied, the creature dropped back down to the floor, stretched with a yawn, and left the apartment.

The room was discovered the next day covered in red pawprints.

Final Comments: This was not at all the story I thought I was going to write when I first saw this picture. Other than the last sentence–which I really don’t like–I think the story turned out okay.

Overall Rating: 😳