Death of an Alleycat

by Rachel Clark

The calico cat slinks across the wet pavement, in search of warmth, or at least a dry patch to curl up in until the storm passes. Her fur is soaked and matted, and her limbs tremble with cold and fatigue. A scar stretches across her side - a memento from kittenhood. Her tail is mangled to form a question mark - a souvenir from being flung into a lake in her adolescence. Now,the old cat haunts her alleyway, which she fiercely defends each day. She finds a dry patch behind a dumpster and welcomes sleep, for the last time.

6S

Rachel Clark is a 16-year-old Alaskan with frizzed-out hair and a worn-out notebook. Her work has appeared in 6SV2 under the pseudonym Alice J. Byrd.