Myshuno: It's a sin to kill a mockingbird
Prompt: ‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’ from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Rating: Everyone
Note: Apocalypse time!
Word Count: 386
Justus glanced up briefly from his book as Kimmy came back inside from paying the bills, rubbing her hands from the cold.
“Are you still reading?” she complained.
“What should I be doing? Playing chess?” he responded flatly, turning a page. “We could have sex-”
“I am not getting pregnant again! … Not yet.”
“Exactly. So: reading.”
Kimmy obviously had nothing better to do either. “What book is it?”
“To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.”
“… Somebody wrote a reference guide to killing one kind of bird? What’s so bad or amazing about that bird that everyone wants it dead?” she frowned.
Justus sighed. Honestly, he knew his wife wasn’t stupid, but she did refuse to use her brain so often. “The actual line in the book is ‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’.”
“So it’s trying to stop mockingbird hunting?”
“The mockingbird is a metaphor, Kimmy. A metaphor for actual people.”
“It’s a sin to kill people?” she asked and then rolled her eyes.
“You think it’s not?”
“Some people have it coming.”
Justus gave her a concerned look, but he wasn’t sure why he was surprised. “Well, if you believe in an eye for an eye... But the point of the mockingbird is that it’s meant to be harmless. All it does is sing, to our benefit.”
“But what if you find the song really annoying and you want to make it stop?”
“That’s no reason to kill something, Kimmy.” Honestly, who used to be a cow mascot here?
“… Yeah, well, you think something’s harmless, but then it turns out that it’s plotting against you and stealing your children, and that’s totally worth-!”
He stared at her. “Hang on, what? Who or what steals your children that it should be killed…?!”
“… Er, you said it was a metaphor! This is a metaphor for… Dingoes! Dingoes steal children, and they should all be shot.”
“What…? But-!”Justus’ brain wrestled between reacting to the misinformation, the notion of dingo genocide, and the fact that Kimmy was clearly avoiding something.
“Er, anyway, I have to go, uh, build a snowman. Urgently. Read your stupid book.” And she left quickly before Justus could get his brain and mouth aligned.
He eyed the door she left by for a moment before returning to his book. That was suspicious. Very suspicious.
Rating: Everyone
Note: Apocalypse time!
Word Count: 386
Justus glanced up briefly from his book as Kimmy came back inside from paying the bills, rubbing her hands from the cold.
“Are you still reading?” she complained.
“What should I be doing? Playing chess?” he responded flatly, turning a page. “We could have sex-”
“I am not getting pregnant again! … Not yet.”
“Exactly. So: reading.”
Kimmy obviously had nothing better to do either. “What book is it?”
“To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.”
“… Somebody wrote a reference guide to killing one kind of bird? What’s so bad or amazing about that bird that everyone wants it dead?” she frowned.
Justus sighed. Honestly, he knew his wife wasn’t stupid, but she did refuse to use her brain so often. “The actual line in the book is ‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’.”
“So it’s trying to stop mockingbird hunting?”
“The mockingbird is a metaphor, Kimmy. A metaphor for actual people.”
“It’s a sin to kill people?” she asked and then rolled her eyes.
“You think it’s not?”
“Some people have it coming.”
Justus gave her a concerned look, but he wasn’t sure why he was surprised. “Well, if you believe in an eye for an eye... But the point of the mockingbird is that it’s meant to be harmless. All it does is sing, to our benefit.”
“But what if you find the song really annoying and you want to make it stop?”
“That’s no reason to kill something, Kimmy.” Honestly, who used to be a cow mascot here?
“… Yeah, well, you think something’s harmless, but then it turns out that it’s plotting against you and stealing your children, and that’s totally worth-!”
He stared at her. “Hang on, what? Who or what steals your children that it should be killed…?!”
“… Er, you said it was a metaphor! This is a metaphor for… Dingoes! Dingoes steal children, and they should all be shot.”
“What…? But-!”Justus’ brain wrestled between reacting to the misinformation, the notion of dingo genocide, and the fact that Kimmy was clearly avoiding something.
“Er, anyway, I have to go, uh, build a snowman. Urgently. Read your stupid book.” And she left quickly before Justus could get his brain and mouth aligned.
He eyed the door she left by for a moment before returning to his book. That was suspicious. Very suspicious.