Flash Fiction Entry: Curious Kat

“Curious Kat” they called her, for that’s who she was. If Katrina Waterman wasn’t trying to nose in on the latest gossip of her colleagues, she was getting to the bottom of new department policies that were being discussed at the university, and she believed no one had a right to a private life. In short, Kat was a busy body.

And so it was that Kat had found a curious object marked “top secret” at work one day. After finishing another lecture on Women in History, which she was absolutely determined to count herself among some day (her fondest wish in fact), Kat snooped around the department’s artefact room. She was looking for something with professor Holtz’s name on it. He had been careful not to let her see it, but not enough to hide it from others (who then blabbed to Kat). When she found it, she got such a thrill! It wouldn’t even matter what the object was; only that she had ferreted out someone’s secret.

Unwrapping the item Kat wondered if she’d been had, for all that she found was a digital alarm clock that appeared to operate on batteries. Bored, she fiddled with it until it was set to the right time (about 8:40 pm). Strangely, despite the clock being digital it appeared to go by a 24 hour day, and so the time was reflected as “20:40”. An automated voice suddenly announced:

“Thank you for your year selection. This is your final trip on credit. Stand by.” Kat frowned as she examined the numbers. Why did it say “AD” where the “PM” should have been? Her eyes bulged in terrible realisation.

A blinding flash of light and Curious Kat got her fondest wish.

(Word Count 288)