FISHICA

FISHICA

“Did someone just open a can of tuna?” Kelly said, waving a folder in front of her

face.

“It’s coming from over here,” the guy sitting two rows over replied, as he plugged

his nose.

Jessica sank into her chair, and covered her face. She had a medical condition which

caused her crotch to have a fishy smell, no matter how much she washed it. Her classmates

nicknamed her, “Fishica.”

“Hi, Kelly!” Jessica waved to the tall, thin blond woman sitting at the juice bar. “Want

to hang out his weekend?”

“Why are you talking to her?” Maria asked, as she sunk the five ball into the corner

pocket, “She’s the most popular girl on campus. She’s in the Alpha Female sorority.”

As Jessica took her shot, Kelly motioned to her. “I suppose I better spend time with you,

or you’ll keep bothering me. Meet me at the campus theatre at 8:00.”

Jessica sat in the lobby, and waited for Kelly to arrive. At 8:10, a dark-haired girl with a

ponytail, tapped her on the shoulder. “I am a friend of Kelly’s. She’s sorry she couldn’t make it.

She wants you to have this.” She handed Jessica an envelope.

Jessica eagerly tore open the envelope. Inside was a card with a cat on it. She read the

message. “This is a token of our friendship. You may be homily, but I’m sure every cat in the

neighborhood finds you attractive.” A gift certificate to the pet shop was taped on the back of

the card.

The next day, the school custodian found Jessica passed out in the bathroom. She had

overdosed on aspirin.

“Uh, Kelly,” one of the sorority sisters said, “Some creepy old guy keeps calling for you.

He says that you are damned to a life of seclusion, or something.”

The phone rang. “What do you want?!” Kelly shouted into the mouthpiece.

“It’s all over for you at 10 o’clock,” the caller replied. Then the phone went dead.

“What does that even mean?” Kelly wondered. She glanced at her watch. It was 9:01

P.M. “Does he mean 10 o’clock tonight, or tomorrow morning? Why am I worried about this?”

Fifty-nine minutes later, Kelly noticed that her body began to change. Her skin became

scaly, and slimy. Her body, and even her clothes took on the smell of rotten fish. No matter

what she did, the odor would not go away. Every time she left the house, every cat in the

neighborhood followed her.