That bird annoyed the bejeebers out of him.
Oh, it seemed sweet when she was around, cooing, preening, making little chitterings of happiness. Once she was walked out the door, everything changed.
It hissed at him. Who knew birds could hiss?
It glared at him with a withering stare.
Lately it had started dive-bombing him.
“Can we cage the dang thing?” he asked.
“Cage Dexter?!” Clearly, he had offended her. “No-no-no-no-no-NO! He needs his freedom!”
What about mine? he thought.
“The cat’s gonna eat him,” he told her.
“They are friends,” she insisted.
The hell they are, he thought.
That day, after a particularly bad bout of hissing, withering stares, and dive bombings, he donned some disposable gloves (so he wouldn’t have to touch it) and snatched it right off its perch.
“I’ve got you now,” he hissed, in a meaner hiss than Dexter had ever done, and he wrung his little neck.
He scattered feathers around the apartment, to simulate a struggle, and put a good amount near the cat’s bed. Then — and this is the part that turned his stomach – he ripped wings and feet off to leave them as further evidence.
He carried the rest of the carcass out to the dumpster and threw it in with the gloves.
Or so he thought.
Back upstairs, he was in the bathroom washing up when she came in.
“I found this on the sidewalk,” she said, holding a glove and feather. “Doesn’t this look like Dexter’s?”
The Unicorn Challenge — no more than 250 words based on the photo prompt.
Pretty proud of myself today – I started with over 270 words and got it down to 247!
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
Last line socked me right in the stomach! Amazing ❤️
Caught blue handed 💜💜
Excellently written. It’s the one little mistake that ruins it all.
My mother used to say, ‘Be sure your sins will find you out’!
It’s not hard to guess what the pecking order (sorry!) was in that house.
The ending fits perfectly, Sally.
Whoa!! That is a “true crime” drama waiting to be filmed!! I was riveted!
Your Unicorn Challenge entry is a thrilling ride from annoyance to dark humor. The twist at the end caught me by surprise, and the way you skillfully navigated the word count without sacrificing the story’s intensity is impressive. A brilliantly crafted tale!
~David
Nothing wrong with a plan of trying to pin it on the ‘usual suspect’ but you have to be careful you execute with care. 😉 Fun story.
excellent ‘true crime’ story with a surprise/funny ending!
well, sure, not funny from the perspective of …pretty much everyone but the antagonist… but still, nice twist at the end.
A person can only take so much. He planned the operation to perfection, but its execution let him down. I’d like to be a fly on the wall for the following scene. And if cats could talk! What a fun, (but grim) read.
He should plead Justifiable Avicide, or even Self Defence.
I think Tweety got what he deserved!
Love the story, Sally!
I wonder who’s neck is going to be wrung next?