"There, have a good day. Don't you go far and don't get yourself in trouble, understand?" She instructed, mussing up my fur again as she put me down on top of the staircase.
Brrr! the steps were hard and gelid under my delicate pink paws, used to threading on soft carpets.
"Meow!" I complained indignantly, piercing her back with my yellow irises as she retreated towards the car.
"No, no way. Stop complaining, little rascal. A day spent in the garden won't harm you."
With that, she was off. Ever since I broke that fishbowl-- don't ask me what happened to the goldfish-- she refused to let me stay inside the house alone.
Yes, I can hear you, you're right, humans are awful!
But... to be perfectly honest... the moment her car vanished at the bottom of the long drive, my feet got used to the cold and... I was happy, actually. I loved to nap in my large basket lined with blankets, placed under a radiator and watch television the whole day, but I liked the great outdoors, the place where I could secretly be myself-- an untamed, uncivilized feline-- even more.
I licked the fur on the side of my belly, stretching and yawning widely before I tiptoed down the stairs.... Hmm... where first, to the right, to explore the hidden nooks and crannies of the garden and its old, wooden shed, or left, towards the street to watch the neighbourhood come to life and fill the roads with traffic and passersby?
Garden first, I decided, following the narrow gravel path overgrown with tall, yellowing grass for a while, then abandoning it with one leap, and walking across the lawn, nearly completely covered with fallen, dry, multicoloured leaves crunching loudly under my paws.
I paused by the fishpond, the home of that goldfish who was born only to get me into trouble, one of my paws petrified mid-air, whiskers twitching with excitement.
Who is that? Silvery grey fur, tall slim figure, a long fluffy tail... A stranger. In my garden. Someone I have never met before. A female... and a charming one at that.
"Meow?" I asked curiously, making her turn towards me.
Wow. Her bright blue eyes were in stark contrast with the wet, shiny, orange, scale-covered breakfast hanging limp from her mouth.
"Meow." The mysterious outlander agreed the moment she swallowed and licked her mouth and whiskers.
She stretched luxuriously then, and with a couple of bounds, reached the wall separating my garden from the neighbour's, crouching before jumping over.
Oh no, I was not letting her go this easily.
I ran after her and put my paw over the tip of her tail, holding her still in place.
She growled lightly, even as her blue eyes bore into mine, her tail twitching impatiently under my foot.
That look said it all-- convince me to stay or I'm off...
And so I did.
First, I showed her the garden shed, the home of too many squirrels, huge spiders, and mice... there were a few less of those when we left.
Then I invited her to a particularly sunny stretch of the stone wall encompassing the garden, where lizards liked to sunbathe... they were always fun to play with.
After a short nap, I took her to see a neighbour, an old woman who took pity on me every time I was locked outside, offering me a bowl of milk.
And when the sun started to set, we sat on the wall at the end of the drive, side by side, watching the neighbourhood return home, my owner with them.
"Oh Casper, what have you done now... do I really need a second cat, hmm?" she asked as my new friend followed us up the stairs shyly.
"I don't know, honestly," she replied to my tentative 'meow' as she caressed my head, then my new friend's. When she leaned into her caress and started to purr, all was decided.
"Oh, come on, then. But you'll have to share your basket with your visitor, at least until I get one more."
"Meow!" I thanked her loudly. I did not mind that at all...
"Do you have a name, kitty? What shall we call you?" she mused, preparing our dinner while my friend licked me thankfully behind my ear.
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********* This story was written for Imagine this... Writing workshop, prompt 13.
