InsaneJournal

At first, she’d thought that it was just an ordinary cat. Then she’d heard it talk to the stupid-looking kid. So she headed over and said without preamble, “You talk,”

The cat flattened its ears. “Yes, so do you. How astounding.”

“How do you form the words?” she said, disregarding its comment.

“All the teeth must get in the way, and your mouth is shaped wrong! Things like you can't be real!”

The cat was silent for a moment. Then, it made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cough, and said delicately, “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

“Grandfather…”

Death turned, watching her with an expression that somehow seemed curious. “YES, SUSAN?”

“I wanted to give you this,” she said, holding out a mug.

He took it with skeletal fingers, examining it curiously. “TO THE WORLD’S BEST GRANDDAD,” he read, his eye sockets turning to regard her. “REALLY… I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. THIS REALLY GIVES ME A WARM FEELING INSIDE. METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING, OF COURSE.”

She’d had no idea then that the mug would become his most treasured possession, although, in retrospect, she should have expected it. It was almost certainly the first gift he’d ever received.

Death watched, faintly embarrassed, as Ysabel and Mort smiled at each other with a familiarity that came of several happy years of marriage, excluding him unintentionally.

After a few more moments of this, he coughed politely. “BINKY WAITS FOR THE TWO OF YOU OUTSIDE.”

Blushing, the couple looked at him. “We didn’t mean to-“ Ysabel began.

“NO OFFENSE TAKEN.” Death replied. He hesitated, and then added, “I WILL NOT ASK AFTER THE HEALTH OF THE BABY, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE IN EXTREMELY BAD TASTE. AND SOMEWHAT WORRYING.”

“Baby?” Mort’s expression of confusion turned into one of joy when he understood.