A Snap in the Shadows

A coiled red twist-tie sat completely defenseless on the dusty rug beside the television stand. 'Don't whisper, little worm, the party has only just begun!' I chimed in a sweet, soaring falsetto, crouching down low with a radiant, toothy grin. I pinned its curved middle firmly beneath my clawed foot, reached down with my black-and-red talons, and gave it one vicious, decisive snap straight across its spine. It went limp, bent into a jagged useless zigzag. I instantly froze into rigid, breathless stillness, unblinking eyes locked on the wire corpse as dust motes settled in the dim room.