(flash short story)

“The sun’s arrows hurt, not warm.” Karina thought as she stood at the bus stop, exhausted from the heat. The sizzling spring had already arrived, but Karina was still in winter, both in her thoughts, and her wardrobe. When the temperature rises by ten degrees in one night and you have a big fight with your best friend, your state of mind, both moral and physical, is not going to be improved by the weather.

Karyna looked at her watch – the bus was already twenty minutes late, and she would have to wait for the next one. Why was she in such a hurry?  It’s a parka. She should take off her jacket and then carry it in her arms… Damn it, she should, or she’ll faint.

“Go away!” Someone shouted behind her back. Karina was frightened. There were a lot of people, all of them waiting for transport, but they were surprisingly quiet. The time was early, and there was no one to talk to.

The girl saw a man mumbling. He was looking irritated at the red cat at his feet. “If you don’t like it, move away, why make so much noise,” Karina thought, but didn’t say anything out loud. She didn’t like to get into arguments with anyone, and she didn’t see any point in it. A sudden movement…

“What are you doing, stop!” She exclaimed and hurried to take the cat away. People looked at her in surprise. Karina startled herself, but she couldn’t help it – the man raised his leg to strike a strained kitty.

“What am I doing?! This bastard is going to soil my pants with his fur. I’m already in trouble with this transport!” The man shouted. Karina stood with the cat in her arms, shaking in its horror. It was just the weather, just a terrible mood, just a grown man and his damn loud voice.

A meow. That’s right, a cat.

In fact, Karina didn’t really like cats and this was the first time she had ever dared to pick one up. Her friend always blamed her for it, because she had the exact opposite opinion. “They are the best thing in the world!”. She would write to her every chance she got.

Karina looked again at the red pile of wool. “Well, I’m not sure if it’s the best variant, but it’s not bad either,” she thought and laughed softly.

The bus arrived. The man left. The bus stop became quiet again.

Karina sat on an empty bench. Her jacket was lying next to her, and her red cat was sleeping peacefully on her lap, happy to be petted and caressed by somebody, enjoying the sun. Now Karina felt warmth in her heart, but not too much. Perhaps her soul needed arrows of a different kind of warmth?