Lazy Cat
Tenar Flynn

I lay on the drab, yellow couch, feeling the sun warm my fiery orange striped pelt and my tail. As my twoleg walks up to me, I raise my head.



“Bye, Catkin. I have to go! See you later!” she drooled, but, all I heard was high pitched cooing.


I watched her walk out the red door, waiting until I heard the noise of the black monster growl die away. Then, I stood up, stretched luxuriously and jumped up onto the windowsill. I scratched at the covering and walked out of the hole it made, brushing against the purple lilac flowers as I jumped to the ground. I walked across the garden, stopping on the way to scratch at the small birch tree and almost sat in the shade of the flowering Rose of Sharon. I finally jumped onto my fence, surveying the green lush grass and flowers of my garden. As I saw a colorful Siamese she-cat in the next garden, I dipped my head respectfully.


In the split second that I saw her pelt I decided what I was going to do.



“Hi, Iris!” I said, walking towards her side of the fence, “Want to come with me?”



“Where are you going?” she questioned me as she cocked her head to the side.


“Out.”








“Sure, I’ll come!” She jumped over the fence in one bounding leap, clearing it by a mousetail and landing on the hard flat rock on the other side.

As I jumped down to sit beside her, I said, “Wow, that was an amazing leap.”

“Thanks,” she replied graciously, flicking her tail in agreement, “Where should we go?”

“How about we just go where our paws take us,” I asked her after looking around at the river to my left and the rock pathway ahead of us and a moment of thought.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

As we walk away together, looking for adventure, I feel like I am happier than I am in my twoleg den. The fresh air must be doing me good. As I walk I realize my pelt is brushing against Iris’. Maybe she is making me happy? I glance toward her and realize she is looking straight at me. I twine my tail around hers as she looks away and she looks back at me in shock. We look at each other for a shadowlength of the width of a piece of grass. Her eyes start to soften again and she pushes her pelt against mine and her warm scent reaches my delicate nose.

“Do you feel how I feel?” she asks.

“If you feel how I do,” I reply.

Her eyes twinkle with amusement, “I think I do.”

Then I feel the water running through my fur as the river pulls me, pulls me, pawstep by pawstep and I realize we were walking towards the river. My head bobs up and I get a deep breath as I look at Iris, her eyes wide with shock. My head bobs under again. I feel the water pushing me away from Iris. Farther and farther. I see the minuscule rocks passing me by. Through the water, over the rocks. A rock larger and shinier then the others catches my eye. It glints in the little sun that penetrates the water.Again my head bobs up. I purposely go under, grabbing the pebble in my mouth. It seems important somehow. I bob my head up as Iris readies herself to spring.

“I-I’m,” again I go under, and almost drop the rock but somehow keeping it clenched through my teeth while talking,“ O-k-kay,” and I go under once more.
Then, finaling figuring out how to propel myself through the water, I swim over to the river bank.

“I’m okay. Don’t jump in after me,” I reassure her as I climb up the bank and drop the rock.

“You’re all wet! Do you want to go back to your den?” she asks

“No thanks,” I tell her collapsing in a sunny place on the bank, “I’ll dry off here.”

“Okay. If you say so.”

She lies next to me, sharing her warmth as I close my eyes.

I open my eyes and realize I am no longer on the bank of the river. I must be dreaming! I look around, trying to get a feel for my surroundings. To the left there is a lake, so big that I can’t see across it. To the right is a moorland and beyond that a lush, green forest. I race across the springy moor grass, hoping to reach the forest before I wake up. When I finally feel the cool relief of the burning sun, I look around. I could hear the gurgle of water on rocks, indicating a stream nearby. I walk towards the sound of the stream, hoping for a quick drink of water. I see something glinting on the ground. The rock! Is it important? I pick up the rock and walk on and on towards the sound, growing ever louder, ever quieter. I walk on and on, waiting to get there. I finally collapse thirsty, hungry, and depleted of energy. If anyone lives in this cat-forsaken place, let them find me. Please.

I wake to Iris nudging me. “Catkin, I must go, my twoleg will worry!”

“I’ll come with you,” I told her.
I pick up the rock, after all, it must have some meaning if it is in my dream after I see it in the river.
We walk back the way we came, pelts brushing, tails entwined. I look around feeling the sun warm my orange-yellow pelt.

All too soon, we are there. I touch noses with Iris in farewell and she jumps into her garden, meowing at the door. A twoleg opens the door. Iris brushes their legs, happy to see them.
I walk along the fence towards my den and jump into my own garden. I push my kitty flap open and find that my twoleg is still not home. She will be home soon. I go over to my food bowl. I look down and see the water in my bowl. I drop the rock, surprisingly warm. I lean down and take a drink of water. My tongue touches cold metal. No water, just cold metal. I look again. I see the water there. I take another drink. Again, just cold water. Then I remember my dream. A cold feeling spreads througout my body. Is my dream coming true? It can’t! That is impossible! Finally giving up on the water I fill my stomach and lay back down on the couch, in the sun. Ready to take a nap. And then I realize something. The dream, the river and now my water bowl. All about water. And all with the rock near. I jump off the couch and run over to the rock, picking it up. Then I lay down again, the rock under my belly. It must mean something! I think as I fall into sleep.
I hear my owner-twoleg’s monster , signaling she is home. When she opens the door, I lift my head. She puts down her stuff and walks over to me.

“Lazy cat,” she says affectionately.