I haven’t mentioned Grump much in this tale but he and I came to an understanding that if we just stayed out of each other’s way all would be well. However Grump is an avid footie fan and race goer so much of his TV viewing is pulse racing and my curiosity being what it is led to the inevitable stand offs when I felt compelled to investigate that liminal space between the TV table and Cheltenham racecourse, seeking the magical portal above, below, behind and in front of the plasma screen that would transport me to a fairy tale ending astride Honeysuckle.
Mum was much more understanding of my natural instincts and humoured me greatly when watching wild life programmes and the Den on Sunday- for my excitement reached fever pitch when those two aliens, Zig and Zag, pushed their
snouts into the screen and I was certain that they were about to cross the threshold and land into our sitting room, with or without a space shuttle.
Life
settled into an easy rhythm without incident, bar the above spats with Grump, until Mum and Grump decided to
take another holiday and I was left with Red. Even Miss Molly was included in the
seaside expedition and the Longfellow was off somewhere throwing a ball around a pool, maybe sitting on a horse at the same time...water polo they called it. So I began to see red myself and decided that a little venturing
out and about wasn’t unreasonable.
My first outing took me to a street a block or two away where the waft of beef roasting lured me
into Billy’s Fine Diner, it was the fine dining sign that clinched it for me. And
the chef, the eponymous Billy, was a cat fan and gave me a bar stool view of
the kitchen proceedings. He surmised that I must be a stray and provided me with two square
meals a day, of 5 star Michelin excellence. He even posted a picture of me on
the restaurant Facebook page…and I rose to instant fame. People all over the
area were dropping in to see the one eyed cat on the bar stool.
A few days
later I was still unclaimed, for Grump and Mum didn't have a Facebook profile, Red had barely noticed my absence and Longfellow was still throwing balls about a pool. I was happy in
my new forever home until yer man from the local garage who came in for
his lunch announced that he recognised me from two streets down and that I was a stray impostor. Billy
was a bit taken aback by this for I was beginning to draw in a new clientele so
I decided to hoof it out of there before I was turfed out.
It was a hot summer’s day, ice-cream weather, and some of the cars had rolled down windows and inviting cushions strewn in their back seats. One such, an apple-green Mini Cooper, attracted my attention and with my usual agility and determination I leapt through the open window and settled myself in for a long nap.
I didn’t hear the
engine purr into action, it must have been an electric vehicle, but next thing I
did see when I opened my eye was the high gates of that animal institution I
had nearly ended up in before. It was looming ominously on my right hand side.
The car came to a halt soon after and I readied myself in self defence mode to resist
incarceration, so when the door opened and a scream ensued I leapt out and
dived straight into the bushes.
(To be
continued….)
Copyright
2022 Cathy Leonard All rights reserved
Great adventures!!
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