Strange Egg

Response to prompt: A Strange Egg

The day started like any other: the alarm going off as if the whole world was ending in an apocalyptic war-driven dystopia. She always ended up pressing the snooze button, throwing the phone down onto the bed, groaning and mumbling about not wanting to get up and start the day. That was the unemployed life of Kat. She was 25, not long out of university, and trying to find her feet again after leaving her job because she wanted more for herself. Work felt like being clipped-winged in a cage, unable to fly, suffocating in it. She jolted out of bed, fumbling and tumbling onto her clothes which occupied the entire floor. She swiftly grabbed a pair of ripped black jeans, a tank top, and skull socks assembled as if she was getting ready to be a superhero. She struggled with her uncooperative bra; after what seemed like a lifetime, one hook eventually clipped in. She left it at that. She donned her tank top—were the rips in it when she bought it, or not? She couldn’t remember. Kat hustled downstairs, where there was oddly none of the usual bustle. Usually, her family would have already had breakfast, and would be chatting thunderously. 

‘Hey, is anyone in?’ Kat shouted.

No response. 

She walked cautiously to the kitchen, where she found a note on the dining table. We have gone to the markets today. We didn’t want to disturb you, but we’ll be back in the afternoon… if road rage doesn’t get the best of us.

  Kat heard a strange noise coming from the fridge. It was whirring and humming like some kind of futuristic portal device. She crossed the kitchen, gripped the handle and pulled. There is was. An egg, and it was glowing. Kat picked it up, and its light began to pulsate. 

‘What—how—why are you glowing?’ she shouted helplessly over the din.

The egg did not respond as it was an egg, but the pulsing grew faster and frantic, and the humming became deafening. She saw her reflection in the egg. Terrified, she dropped it, covering her eyes. 

It was quiet again, except a low grumbling drone she recognised. Lowering her hands from her face, Kat opened her eyes and found herself in the back of her parents’ car.

            ‘Umm, Mum, Dad, how am I here?’

            Kat’s mum turned to her dad, frowning. ‘Darling, did you leave the portal egg in the fridge again?’ she asked.

He looked flummoxed. ‘I may have. I mean, it looked like a strange egg, so I felt it should go in the fridge.’

‘Darling, that needs to be left in its holster, not the fridge. Kate dear, would you please give it to me? The egg, I mean,’ she said, reaching behind her.

‘What—when did you get a por..tal egg?’ Kat spluttered.

            ‘Every household has them for emergencies. They aren’t meant to be stored in the fridge though! Your dad’s so silly.’

            He smiled at me in the rear view mirror. ‘You’d think I’d let our daughter miss a day out at the amusement park? We’re nearly there.’

Kat blinked, then spoke slowly, ‘So this strange egg is a portal device, but—I don’t understand—none of my friends has ever talked about it, ever?’

~~~

After a wonderful day out, the strange egg was never discussed again.