So the kids turn it into some sort of game with a lot of screaming.
“How many balloons did you” POP
AHHHHHHH
“Did you say you bought again?”
“Fifty, but it was a deal where you” POP
AHHHHHHH
“Let’s just say” POP
AHHHHHHH
“Let’s just say there was a lot for the taking. Had to make a couple trips.”
The kids put down their slices of pizza. Laugh in nervous anticipation. A living room full of cheap lip gloss and braces, smiles on full display. K-pop boyfriends on paper plates. Cat under the couch. All us adults are POP
AHHHHHHH
Well we’re used to this sort of thing. All of us with nine year olds at least. Things get POP
AHHHHHHH
Loud. POP
AHHHHHHH
Unpredi—POP
AHHHHHHH
Unpredictable. Staring down the barrel of who knows what POP
AHHHHHHH
What awaits these poor fuck POP
AHHHHHHH
These poor fucking k POP
AHHHHHHH
These POP
AHHHHHHH
Th—POP
AHHHHHHH
“These kids are gonna make me never wanna” POP
AHHHHHHH
“Yeah no—never having fucking kids,” my oldest sister POP
AHHHHHHH
Says as she joins the scream. Abject surrender. Laughs. What a time we’re having.
Bracing for the next one.
A collective “Ohhhhhhh—”
POP
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Big one, that one.
Shook the cupcake tower. Piñata swaying.
Voices raw, but we’ll keep going until POP
AHHHHHH HAAAAAHAAAA
Until there’s nothing POP
HAHAHAHA
Nothing left.
And the pile of presents, question marks wrapped in sparkling pink, could be anything. Could be a bag of rocks to POP
HAHAHAHA
Rocks to tumble. Could be a magic eight ball, casting doubt. Could be POP
HAHAHAHA
A smaller box with a smaller box inside a smaller box inside a POP
HAHAHAHA
Smaller box. And inside that there’s the need POP
The need POP
The needle pinning up the sky.
Kate Catinella’s work has appeared in X-R-A-Y, HAD, Maudlin House, and SmokeLong Quarterly, where she placed third in the 2026 Flash Fiction Award. She lives with her cat in Philadelphia. Find her on IG at @katekittenella.
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Heavy Feather Review 