A Thanksgiving Interrogation

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here's a little piece of flash fiction with a holiday theme. Remember, always express your gratitude to the people who do nice things for you this holiday.  Holidays are stressful enough, and trust me, you don't want to get stuck in a situation like this!

A Thanksgiving Interrogation

“What are you thankful for?”

Sasha never imagined he’d be spending this day looking down the wrong end of a phaser rifle.  The cargo bay smelled of must and damp metal.  His heart raced so hard it felt as if it might punch through his chest and slam his captor in the knees.  “I can tell you what I’m not thankful for right now.”

Morgana sneered and nudged his cheek with the barrel.  “That’s not what I asked you.”

He clenched his fingers around the cold metal of the chair.  Pieces of old rope pierced the skin on his wrists and ankles like incessant needles.  “I can’t believe you've gone this far, but I don’t believe you’ll kill me.”

“I won’t if you answer my simple question.  What are you thankful for?”

Sasha’s fiery eyes narrowed on Morgana’s.  Typically a cool green, her eyes now closely resembled those of a feral animal.  “Seriously, that question would have been a lot easier to answer this morning.  I guess if I had to choose, I can say I’m thankful you haven’t disintegrated my skull yet.”

A strange laughter erupted from Morgana’s throat, but it wasn’t a happy laugh.  Tears began to pour down her cheeks, and she trembled so forcefully that he feared she might accidentally pull the trigger.  “I spent the last week listening to your mother criticize everything about me.  She’s too green for you, she’s too tall for you, and her species smells a tad too much like a damp towel for my taste.  I put up with all of it for you, even though you never defended me.  Then, I figured on our journey home, I could make a nice meal for us to share.  Just us, all alone, a romantic meal among the stars.  And after all that, you have the nerve to tell me the turkey is too dry?”  Her voice rose in pitch as she raved, until at the end, her words came out in a squeal of fury.

He blinked back his disbelief.  “That’s what this is about?”

“Until I met you, I’d never seen a turkey before.  My people have nothing like it on our world, so how can you be so demanding?”  With a click, Morgana released the safety on the formidable weapon.  “Worst of all, how could you have the nerve to tell me how bad your mother would think my cooking was?”

Sasha recoiled.  “I’m sorry, but don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

She ignored the question.  “If I could do this all over again, I’d tell your mother what an ungrateful brat she raised.  Now we’ll try this one last time.  What are you thankful for?”