Role Reversal

Ed sat high on the roof scooping gutter debris when his foot bumped the ladder, sending it to the ground.

Edna’s Balinese cat, Essex, woke from the thud. Essex saw Ed stranded on the roof near the very same tree from which Ed rescued her yesterday.

Essex scooted inside and plopped on Edna’s lap, crushing the newspaper she was reading. Edna saw terror in her cat’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Edna followed Essex outside, saw Ed’s dilemma, and called for a neighbor to right the ladder. A relieved Ed climbed down.

We’re even, Essex purred in language no one understood.

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This 99-word story is my contribution to the June 10 Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge to "write a story about an animal rescue."