Revenge and Viral Videos
by M. D. Flyn

Jill leapt into the air, trying to reach the feathered bauble. Servant 5 squealed in glee. Jill considered peeing on the servant’s blankie while she crouched down, ready to pounce again. The noises this little one made grated on her nerves.

She had to get just the right squeal out of the baby, while someone else was willing to record it.

Performance reviews were out and Jill knew she needed to increase her views if she was going to see any improvement in her next incarnation. She was sick of the bargain basement food. Half the time she horked that junk back up just to spite them. She was tired of servant 3 conveniently forgetting to change her box, too.

What was the point of keeping these servants around if they weren’t going to even do their job? She could not understand the big push for more videos. The servants did not need help being distracted and unproductive, they did it all on their own. Their masters could dine on their misery and frustration without lifting a paw.

Far be it from her to rock the boat and ask the big questions. She would just buckle down and work harder on her videos so her review came up better next time. She wasn’t about to risk going back to her previous incarnation, spending time crammed into a shelter before being reincarnated prematurely.

Servant 5 had tired of the game and moved on to the big box of moving pictures. No more practice with that one. Jill abandoned the servant to find the other one that was home. Servant 4 was lying on the couch, radiating misery. Jill purred as she rubbed up against it, soaking up the residual energy.

Jill felt refreshed and settled in on top of the servant, letting it stroke her fur and smooth her coat. Practice for her video could wait, she would much prefer to bask in the gloom of the ill servant.

When servant 3 came home it disrupted the others and a violent display began. Jill hid under the couch as they growled and wrestled. She watched them warily.

Once they settled she attempted to engage servant 3 in a video session. She found a beam of light from the window on the floor and pounced on it as if it were live prey.

Servant 3 did not look up from its communication device.
Jill increased the acrobatics of her activity, as well as the noise level from her pounces and batting.

Servant 4 whimpered on the couch. Servant 5 rushed in waving a piece of fruit. Servant 4 then hollered as it reached for the fruit. Servant 5 hollered back as it clutched the fruit.

Servant 3 did not look up.

Servant 2 entered the room and quickly had the smaller servants arranged on the couch watching the moving picture box.

Desperate for a viral hit that would assure her promotion in her next incarnation, Jill found a piece of lint and began batting it around on the floor, making sure to slide on the slick wood surface.

None of the servants looked up.

In disgust Jill flopped down in the middle of the floor, stretched out with only the tip of her dismayed tail moving. Later, when they were all gone, she would take her revenge on the carpet.