REPRISE: “Without Fulvia” • by Anatoly Belilovsky

Fulvia’s cat hissed at Fulvia’s father and backed away, farther under the sofa.

“Leave her be,” said Fulvia’s mother.

“I gotta take her to the vet,” said Fulvia’s father. “Been awful cranky lately, and peeing a lot.”

“So?”

It’s Fulvia’s, he thought, but said instead: “Gonna cost a fortune in kitty litter.”

He got on his knees, and reached for the cat. The cat hissed again. What was it Fulvia used to say? Squooshie squooshie? He sneezed from the dust, and the cat bolted under the display cupboard. The souvenir plates rattled, and he looked up to make sure none had fallen. There was still an empty spot in the middle of the top shelf. The photo that once stood there was still missing, and no one to ask about that now…

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Anatoly Belilovsky was born in a city that has changed owners six or seven times in the last century, the latest crude attempt at adverse possession being in progress even as we speak. He was traded to the US for a truckload of wheat and a defector to be named later, learned English from Star Trek reruns, and went on to become a SFWA member in spite of a chronic cat deficiency by publishing nearly 100 pieces of original and translated prose and poetry, much of it collected in Halogen Nightmares and Other Love Stories. He tweets occasionally at @loldoc. (Come for the puns, stay for the punditry.)

Anatoly has been a recurring contributor to Stupefying Stories since his story “Picky” appeared in issue #1. More recently we’ve been happy to publish stories from his ‘Brandenburg Accords’ series, including such gems as “The Sound of Music” and “The Cool War.” Check them out! 

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