Cat & Mouse

What happens when you kidnap a blacksmith's daughter? NYC Midnight 100-Word Microfiction Challenge 2021, Round 1 Genre: Action/Adventure Action: Sharpening a Knife Word: Center

Steel grazed against the whetstone, an unmistakable sound for a blacksmith’s daughter. I scowled at the irregular rhythm, pitying the knife that my captor was abusing. Distracted, I swore quietly when my hairpin caught in the handcuff’s locking mechanism.

“Almost sundown, li’l missy.” His uneven grin showed that he mistook my annoyance for fear. “Your father’s running late.”

He never heard the click, but faltered when I shook off my bonds. He swayed on the spot, surprise disrupting his center of gravity.  

“Oh, he’s not coming.” My sweet smile didn’t reach my eyes. “He hates the sight of blood.”

Author's Note

Competitors are given 24 hours to write a 100-word microfiction that must use a specific genre, action, and word.