Patient Discharge Instructions

This was inspired by the “Rescue / Recovery” square of my January Story Sparks Bingo Card. 656 words, it is the completion of the story started in Cause of Ignition: Unattended Flame and Diagnosis: Carbon Monoxide Toxicosis.

Patient Discharge Instructions

Priscilla, having endured the indignity of a water-wet-gross bath, spent the long bright night within the ow-don’t bite-stay still box. Her entire prison had been swaddled in weird see-through cling (which tasted bad when she’d tried biting it through), then a small clear snake head had been popped through the top and began to hiss air in a loud cold stream. Priscilla had tried hissing back for a while, but the silly tiny snake head never shut up, and never moved again, so she’d decided it was a very stupid snake and did her best to ignore its hiss. Instead she’d curled herself into the tiniest ball in the corner of the ow-don’t bite-stay still box she could manage, draped her fluffy black tail over her paws and muzzle, and lay frozen in fear with a swimming head the entire night.

The strange man who’d brought her to the Chemical Stink-Ouch Stabs-Bad Touch-Panic rooms had been replaced by a humming woman as morning light finally began flooding the windows. Priscilla hadn’t moved, and the strange humming woman hadn’t approached her until the sunlight had moved across the floor halfway from Sun Came Back! side to Sun Went Away! side. At that time, she’d been joined by another human in a long white coat, who had smelled like scared animals, but under that, really happy animals. Priscilla had not been a happy kitten, and had puffed herself up to maximum fur usage, because even the thought that they’d take her out of the ow-don’t bite-stay still box wasn’t reassuring when she’d known that coat. That was the Ouch Stabs-Bad Touch-Top Cat of the humans, and Priscilla hadn’t thought she could fight them off with her head so woozy.

She’d been valiant, however, and counted it a win for her side that she’d bit the humming lady as she tried to steal Priscilla’s fur with a growling mouse shaped machine, and then she’d gotten a good set of scratches onto the hands of the Ouch Stabs-Bad Touch-Top Cat of the humans before they could pin her to the metal table and steal all her blood from her whole body. They did manage to take a little though, so perhaps it had been a draw.

Now as she lay in a different ow-don’t bite-stay still box, chewing on the stringy fabric they’d wrapped around her hurt forepaw, Priscilla’s ears twitched and nose filled with the most pleasant thing she’d smelled in ages – Mistress! Priscilla could smell her! And a hint of old Rupert, but that’s fine, just fine. Rupert was her good buddy, of course, always she thought so! She began a purr that could nearly vibrate the grating of the ow-don’t bite-stay still box and reached her unharmed paw through the bars into the air beyond. She’d grab Mistress as soon as she could and never let go again, she promised!

She heard Mistress talking to the humming lady for an unreasonably long time. Didn’t Mistress know that Priscilla needed out of there NOW now? Yowling for rescue, Priscilla continued reaching for her human.

“Finally! You’re Here, Come Get ME!” Priscilla was screaming, but the humans just pretended they couldn’t understand her demands. “Please?” she wailed.

Then it was over! She was transferred to the softer ow-don’t bite-stay still box her Mistress had used the day she’d been rescued from the no petting-not home-no hope place, the one that only smelled like Priscilla. And her Mistress was petting her, and giving chin scritches, and Priscilla licked daintily at her fingers, tasting human, Rupert, and just barely lingering smoke.

She didn’t know where they’d go, the furever home had been eaten by the fire, but Priscilla was sure it’d be just perfect. Anywhere with her Mistress, her good buddy Old Rupert, and herself (beautiful brave Priscilla) would be a perfect place. And she’d stay off the tables too. At least whenever they had flame sticks burning on them.

April Untranslateable Words Bingo Card

This is my prompt card for the April 2022 Untranslateable Words Bingo Fest challenge at the AllBingo site.

 

I’d enjoy reader suggestions for any word or phrase on the bingo card, but cannot promise I’ll make a fill for every request. I can only say I’ll do my best!

 

My 200+ word count goal is the minimum I’ll write to complete a fill for my prompts & I am ready to kick off this card with more drabbles. These short fills will most likely NOT end up being a complete story for each fill, but many of them connect into longer stories in my OtherWorldy series, VillageWitch game, and RePrint Series.

 

Squares that have been filled with 200+ words of story will be Struck Through so it will be easy for everyone to keep track of what’s been done & how close I am to a Bingo!
 

Boghz (Persian): A knot in the throat; the physical sensation of distress building in the throat or chest before crying or venting negative emotions.	Romjul (Norwegian): “Christmas space’’; the period between Christmas and New Year.	Meraki (Greek): when you leave a piece of yourself in what you do; a labor of love	Bàofùxìng áoyè (Chinese): Revenge bedtime procrastination – when people without much control over their daily schedules refuse to go to sleep early in order to reclaim a sense of freedom during late-night hours.	Waldeinsamkeit (German): The feeling of solitude – being alone in the woods – and a connectedness to nature.
Karelu (Tulu): The mark left on the skin from wearing something tight such as jeans or socks	Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan): The wordless look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to do so; a non-verbal exchange shared by two people who each know that the other understands and agrees what is being expressed.	Tretår (Swedish): A second refill or “threefill” of coffee.	Psithurism (Greek): The rustling sound of leaves in the wind.	Duende (Spanish): The mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.
Arbejdsglæde (Danish): the heightened sense of happiness fulfilment and satisfaction you get from having a great job.	Vedriti (Slovenian): To shelter from the rain either literally or metaphorically; such as when you’re in a bad mood and you’re waiting for the negative emotions to pass.	WILD CARD	Ya’aburnee (Arabic): A declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how unbearable it would be to live without them.	A se gudura (Romanian): The action of making certain movements usually just next to someone that express your happiness and love for that person. It can also mean that you are seeking affection as confirmation of the other person’s feelings.
Gigil (Tagalog): a situation of such extreme cuteness it’s overwhelming; the irresistible urge to hug or pinch something cute.	Estrenar (Spanish): the first time you do or use something for the first time.	Gluggaveður (Icelandic): When the weather looks pleasant from your window but is actually really cold	Shlimazl (Yiddish): A chronically unlucky person.	Culaccino (Italian): The mark left on a table by a moist glass.
Voorpret (Dutch): A build-up of anticipation or pleasure you feel ahead of the actual event such as when you can’t help but dance while setting up for a party.	Verschlimmbessern (German): To make something worse when trying to improve it.	Dapjeongneo (Korean): Telling someone what they want to hear even though you might not actually believe it so as to avoid causing tension or offense.	Fachidiot (German): a specialist that’s an expert in their field but takes a blinkered approach to complicated problems	Aspaldiko (Basque): The euphoria and happiness felt when catching up with someone you haven’t seen in a long time.