The Call Did Not Come from Inside this Dimension

If it hadn’t been for the clang of the empty tin can hitting his kitchen floor, Mark would have tripped over the interdimensional portal. 

At least that’s what he thought it was. He would not have sworn to it, not at 6:30 on a Tuesday morning after a restless night of tossing and turning on a too-hot bed in a too-hot apartment with a too-hot cat intent on cuddling close to him. He was tired and wanted a tall glass of iced tea. 

But there it was, hovering an inch off the floor.. And the can. And the string that attached the can to its flat, pearlescent grey surface. 

Mark’s cat, a brown mackerel Tabby he called Kittyface, glided into the kitchen, wove through his legs in an easy and graceful pair of figure-eights, and nosed the can curiously. She looked up at him as if to say, “Well, dude, that certainly doesn’t smell like breakfast.”

He bent over, nudged her gently aside, and picked up the can, expecting it to tug hard and stop as the string drew taut. It didn’t. The more he pulled, the more string came from the portal. Odd. On a whim, he raised it to his mouth. 

“Hello?” he said, then held it to his ear. 

After a moment, he heard a series of soft clicks, then a halting but cheerful mechanical voice filled the can.

“Hello,” it said. “We are attempting to reach you regarding the expiration of your dimension’s manufacturer’s warranty…”

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Oh, you pesky interdimensional telemarketers!

The only excuse I can offer for this quirky little tale is that it has been an odd Friday. It certainly hasn’t been bad, but it has been abrupt in many ways, including how this story came to mind, pretty much as you see it here.

Play along with the story prompt here!

(Photo Credit: RyanMcGuire on Pixabay)