Caretaker

Alice had been very clear. While she was away on her corporate retreat, Lex was responsible for Fleck. It had come as a surprise, as Lex couldn’t remember a time the poor thing wasn’t fighting for its life on, or inside her girlfriend. Alice had however been left with no choice. She aimed to charm her corporate gods at this event, including one with a cute, if not slightly pathetic penchant for shrinky protection. If she wanted to secure her next spot on the ladder, she couldn’t take the risk of letting Fleck fuck it up for her.

Lex had always found her girlfriend's relationship to the shrinky amusing. Alice had always remained vague about what the poor thing had done to deserve such a miserable existence. Through various conversations, Lex had been able to piece together that the puny woman had been the first person to break Alice's heart - and Alice could certainly hold a grudge. So much so, that upon visiting her hometown a year into the pandemic, she'd gone out of her way to acquire the lover that never was, after her parents informed her that “her friend a couple doors down” had succumbed to the virus.

Despite her girlfriend's exhibited pretenses, Lex knew the little thing mattered to Alice, and so as she left for her trip, she swore once again that she’d make sure Fleck’s streak of agony wouldn’t be broken. “And don’t let it convince you to kill it. You’ll see it’s tempting but you got-” was all Lex heard before she kissed Alice’s lips and shut the Uber’s door. “Don’t worry, that’s the one thing I’ve got experience with.” she laughed, waving as the car finally departed for the airport.

“What’s even your real name?” Lex asked as she watched the puny shrinky struggle with a piece of toast on the kitchen counter. Lex rested her head on her hands, trying to get one eye as close to the little thing as possible. She was once more disappointed. It simply stopped in its tracks, and started to endlessly squeak at her. “Yeah, yeah... I don’t know why I bother, I still can’t get what you’re saying. I’d ask Lily to play intermediates, but I’m under strict orders here, lil’ gnat. No regular conversations for you. That’s really fucked up now that I think of it. If no one can hear what your name is, I guess your real name actually is Fleck. Hmm, kinda neat trick, Alice." Lex said, rising back to her full height. "Hey Lily, next time you bitch about the state of my Air Force 1s, I’m trying that on you…” Lex shouted aimlessly, unsure of where her own privileged ant was in the apartment at this hour. Lex looked back down at the puny shrinky. “Make sure to eat it all up. I run every morning, and I promised your owner I’d bring you with me. You’ll need your strength.” Lex placed a glass on top of Fleck and its dinner, leaving both safely trapped for the night.

“Stop bullshiting me, bug. I’ve seen you put on those cuffs in less than 30 seconds when Alice the one’s telling you to do it. We’ve been at this for 15 minutes and I’m very rapidly losing it.” Lex tapped her index on the kitchen counter, half-annoyed, half-impressed by the little thing’s nerves taunting someone big enough to pulverize it with a misplaced breath. “You’re done? Show me.” Lex said, pulling on the chain from Alice’s Shrinky Accessory Kit. Carefully lifting it, she watched Fleck slowly follow at its end. Lex gave it a sudden shake, testing whether the mischievous shrinky had actually attached itself, or faked it hoping to make a splash on the pavement during her run. The seemingly genuine squeak of pain she heard was enough for Lex to be convinced. “Good Fleck.” she said in a whisper, bringing the chain to her ear and attaching it to one of her earrings.

“Pretty right?” Lex asked rhetorically, looking at herself in the mirror. “And look, you’re here too!” she delicately tapped the shrinky with her index’s fingertip, sending it swinging back and forth. “Alright, let’s go. Lily, you get 15 more minutes and then you get your ass outta that sock you call a bed! I’ll be back in an hour, and you better be where I expect you then.” Lex shouted, closing the apartment’s door behind her.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak… You should really save your energy, little bug. I haven’t even started to run, and you’re already all out of shape.” Lex scoffed as she caught a glimpse of the shrinky dangling from her earlobe. Even in the frenzy of the city buzzing in the early hours of the morning, Fleck’s little screams could be heard. “Oh I almost forgot…” Lex suddenly remembered.

Fleck’s wrists were on fire. This had been its best shot at ending it all since Alice had gotten her hands on it. Then why did it attach itself securely? Even with the shake Lex had given the chain, Fleck could have held on. Fleck could be falling at terminal velocity towards the pavement right now. Tears were streaming down Fleck’s face, disappointed at its own failure and crying from the relentless carving of the metal cuffs into its fragile wrists.

“Smile for me, lil’ bug. It’s for your owner. Once she comes back.” Fleck looked up to see Lex’s smiling face reflecting on her massive phone screen. Fleck couldn’t even see herself in the sea of pixels. Another jolt of pain surged through Fleck’s puny dangling body as Lex adjusted her position. If it was for Alice, it had to be perfect…

Fleck smiled.