The Kitten and the Premier {A Short Story}

I wrote the following story as part of an assignment, which was to show the reader something unexpected about a character in a story. This short story could serve as an introduction to a larger story I’m in the process of writing. The Premier is a totalitarian dictator who uses his unique abilities to keep the planet cloudy, dark, and under his control. The main character in my story is a boy named Alex who can gather light and use the energy from that light to create doorways between worlds. He and the Premier’s People end up at odds with each other. I may post the larger story here in installments, but for now you can enjoy this vignette about the kitten and the Premier.

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The Premier sat on his unadorned black chair. A row of People stood in front of him, waiting for their assignments. He cleared his throat and the People stood at attention: they bent their elbows, curled their fingers into fists, and bowed their heads. The Premier smiled. He motioned to one of his servants, a man he hated furiously. The man crawled on all fours with a tray of papers on his back. The Premier kicked him as he took the papers from the tray and sent the man back into the shadows. The Premier cleared his throat again. The People straightened their elbows and unclenched their fists, but kept their heads bowed, and shouted “Our Premier: One over all!”

The Premier stood up. He cleared his throat a third time, and the People held up their right hands, palm open. The Premier walked down the line and placed a piece of paper into each open hand. The pieces of paper contained a name, a place of residence, and a brief command about what must be done. The People filed out of the room through a door in the wall. Cold air rushed into the room, laden with wind and rain. The door banged shut.

The Premier rested his back against the uncomfortable chair. Another batch of prisoners on their way “home”—he sighed contentedly. A small sound echoed around the dark room. The Premier sat up and looked from one side of the room to the other. In the corner to the right of the chair, a small shape sat huddled against the wall. The Premier walked over to where the animal cowered. A mottled gray kitten pressed against his leg and looked up at him with pleading blue eyes. The Premier picked up the kitten, held the creature in the crook of his arm, and walked to the kitchen with quick strides. He gently set the kitten on the counter and carefully poured a shallow bowl of cream. The kitten eagerly lapped up the milk as the Premier gently stroked his soft fur and hummed a tune he remembered from his childhood.

Photo: Anthony Delanoix on Unsplash