FLEAOPIA

Momma Fluxine and Daddy Pucks were married and had two batches of flea babies together. Daddy Pucks worked as a longhaul jumper and was often absent. Momma Fluxine became accustomed to Daddy Puck's absences and maintained strict control over her household. For the most part, her kids respected her and showed her their love and support as much as possible.

Momma Fluxine had a problem. She had been left alone with all her babies and their bare cupboards. She led them out into the streets of NYC, where they caught a ride with a rat inside the local hospital. The rat took the family of fleas onto the Cancer Ward, and before they could jump off and get anywhere else, the rat promptly died.

"Ooh, Momm, look at those legs!" 17-year-old Rundy Flea said to his mother. "Just one bite; that's all I want. Just one bite."

"Now, Rundy. You know what I told you earlier, don't you?" His mother asked, rolling her eyes, tired of repeating the same message repeatedly to her kids.

"Yeah, but they look so juicy and plump. Just one small bite of that flesh for such a rich taste. Then I won't bother you again." Rundy said.

"Look, Rundy, since I'm alone with all you kids while your daddy's on the road working, I need you, as the oldest of my batch, to show some leadership and follow what I say." His momma said.

"Okay, Momma. I get it. I'll help you out. I won't ask again," Rundy promised.

The cancer ward Momma knew well since she had experienced stories from other rats' flea stories and knew that those letters in that order meant trouble and death. She also learned other stories from those fleas, but knowing about cancer was the most important thing to her.

"This ward isn't my favourite either, but who knew the rat we rode in on was going to keel over and die right here, on the Cancer Ward?" Momma told her kid fleas.

"But Momma, we're so hungry. Any drop of blood will do. We already drained the rat. And there aren't any more rodents on this floor," Benjamin said.

"I know my sweets, but just try to hang in there longer. Daddy should be home soon." Momma tried her best optimistic voice but wasn't sure the older fleas were buying it.

"But this ward should have O positive, O negative, A positive, A negative, B positive, B negative, AB positive, AB negative, all so yummy," Tyni said.

"Don't name your legs, kids, because you'll be eating them one day. It's cruel, I know, but we cannot touch or eat any of that blood," Momma said.

"We know, we know, Momma. But what about the cords that the blood flows through?" one of the babies asked. "Why can't we eat those?"

"Children, children, I want all of you to watch your brother right now. What he's about to do will not be pleasant, but it is reality."

The boy takes a massive bite from the cord and lights himself up like a Christmas tree. The entire outline of his tiny body flashes his outline in fast intervals.

"Ugh, that is gross, Momma. Why'd you have us watch something like that?" one of her babies," Doniulle said.

"Those who cannot listen and follow directions may get seriously injured. Momma doesn't talk for nothing. You know?"

While Momma went on and on about following directions, the kids' fleas' eyes glossed over, and their stomachs growled with severe hunger pains. They whined and salivated over the legs of the ward nurses, patients, and doctors.

The babies all wanted to jump on the kids in the ward, the teens wanted to play with the teenagers' legs, and Momma wanted to find a way to feed her babies.

Momma knew that if she ate the contaminated blood from the cancer ward patients and allowed her babies to eat off her, her blood would filter the sick blood, and she would be able to save all her babies' lives. Her only hesitation was Daddy.

She had no idea when he would return and knew the older kids could manage the younger ones for a while, but things would fall apart afterward. And she definitely couldn't allow herself to die knowing that she left them on the cancer ward floor of a city hospital.

The orderlies rushed in and announced that the spray bombs for varmints and fleas would be available the day after tomorrow. Fear panged in her heart as the orderlies looked her and her batch over and cut their eyes at the lot of them.

Momma, torn between her babies dying with empty stomachs or dying with full stomachs but going forward without a mother only to be killed the very next day, tortured her.

Lucky for Momma, before the lunch bell rang, another reminder of how hungry the family was, Momma decided to sacrifice herself so her kids could survive. She took the bit of the leg of the cancer patient closest to her. When she finished, she said, "Come now, children; it's time for everyone to eat."

"What? Why Momma?" The kids screamed, crying.

"Now remember, eat slowly and ensure everyone gets enough to eat. Share," Momma said.

The children stepped forward around their mother. They counted to three, and they took their first bite together simultaneously. As soon as they had had their fill. They fell to their knees and cried for their mom.

Daddy rides in on a rat and yells, "Hop on, kids. It's time to go home."

He wept when the children told their father what their mother had done. He searched for another wife to help him care for his children. When he met Durella, she cared for his children, and they went on to have two batches of their own children.

Their children knew about the word cancer and were warned about riding a rat onto the cancer ward at the inner city hospital. But they were also told that one flea could filter the blood for the rest of the fleas, and everyone could eat that flea.