by Terri Cabral
Chapter 7: Life at the Grand House
I sat gazing out the living room window thinking I love living in this big house. I am free to run outside whenever I feel like it. No one knows that I explore the outside. Ana is always away and Emma reads and sleeps a lot.
It was a sunny and warm day. Emma was sleeping in her chair so I slipped out the pet door. It was too nice a day to stay inside. I wanted to be outside with my friends. I had met so many new friends since I arrived here. My constant companion was Stumpy the Squirrel.
He was waiting for me by the big tree outside the living room window.
“Over here Thisbe!” I ran over to him.
“Hi Stumpy, how are you?”
“Boy, Thisbe I am still awed and amazed how you handled Mrs. Eagle. You know, I’ve told everyone I’ve met that Miss Thisbe, the cat, is not afraid of anything. She even stood up to the big eagle then made FRIENDS with her! All the squirrels in the area hold you in high regard.”
I told him, “I’m no one special. My Mama told me to be nice to everyone and they will be nice to you. Gosh, that was so long ago but I still remember it. I was a little tough with Mrs. Eagle at first but once I was nice everything was easier. Let’s go explore the path by the river’s edge. We won’t go too close to the river because I don’t want to fall in. I really don’t like getting wet.”
Stumpy saw some squirrels scavenging for food. “Hey, there are some of my friends. Hi guys! Come here! This is Thisbe, the cat I told you about.”
The group of squirrels scampered over.
“Really? This is Thisbe? She looks kinda small? I pictured her a lot bigger.”
Suddenly the squirrels scurried in all directions with cries of “Look out!”
I sniffed the air and got the scent of a new animal in the area. Hmmm…smells familiar but I can’t… Suddenly a fox appeared in my path.
“Good day, Miss Kitty, where do you think YOU are going? This is MY path. You are trespassing.”
I heard stories about the fox from Stumpy. Mrs. Eagle warned me about him. I was cautious. Wait a minute! What did he say? HIS path? Hey…he’s crazy…this is Emma’s house. It’s HER path!
I said, “Hello there, Mr. Fox. My name is Thisbe. I live in that big house back there. I understand that the people who live in the house OWN all of this property. This can’t be YOUR path because it belongs to Mrs. Radisson, so YOU are trespassing.”
The fox appeared to be very annoyed with me. I didn’t care. I knew I was right.
“Oh you think you are so smart, little cat. Well, my lovely, you cannot escape from me. I am sure you will make a great snack.”
He stood up on his hind legs to pounce on me when a large shadow darkened the grass. I looked up and saw Mrs. Eagle circling. The fox glanced up at the eagle. Quickly, I saw my chance to escape so I dashed into the brush and watched as the eagle quickly swooped down upon the fox. She picked him up and carried him toward the river.
Mrs. Eagle flew back to me minus the fox. She landed directly in front of me and asked, “Are you all right, my dear?”
“Yes, Mrs. Eagle I am fine. Thank you for rescuing me from the fox. What did you do with him?”
“Oh I think I taught him a lesson. I dropped him in the cold river. Don’t worry, he made it to shore quickly and ran off. I don’t think you’ll be bothered by him again.”
“Well, thanks again.”
Mrs. Eagle turned to say, “You are most welcome, Miss Thisbe. You have a good day.” She flew off high into the air.
That was close. I want to go home. I ran quickly back to the house and jumped through the small pet door. I dashed to my food and water which had been moved to the main kitchen downstairs. As I was eating, I heard Mrs. Radisson moving around the other end of the large kitchen.
Emma noticed me and said, “There you are. Where have you been? Would you like to share a little dinner with me? Ana is going to be late again. I have a little tuna here. Would you like some?”
I thought mmm…tuna…my favorite. I promptly walked over to Emma, purred and rubbed up against Emma’s leg. We enjoyed a great dinner and settled down in front of the fire to wait for Ana.
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking…mmm smells like eggs. I noticed some new toys and kitty treats on the bed. It’s my birthday! I ran downstairs to the kitchen. Ana was cooking.
Ana saw me round the corner of the kitchen, “Good morning sleepyhead. I let you sleep in because you know what day it is…it’s your birthday! Happy birthday sweetie! Aunt Belinda sent you a new blanket and a ball. I have some treats for you and I cooked your favorite breakfast. It’s your eleventh birthday, my dear. Eleven years is a long time for a kitty to live!”
Emma was sitting at the dining table enjoying her breakfast. She said “Thisbe you are one special little kitty. Happy birthday!
Ana placed a small portion of scrambled eggs in my bowl. “There you go, birthday girl. Enjoy your breakfast. Sorry, no linguica here in Michigan but I added some new cheese. Hope you like it!”
It was delicious. I knew Ana had to go to the theatre. I was glad she made me a birthday breakfast.
Ana sat down at the table and finished her breakfast. She told Emma, “I’ve always celebrated Thisbe’s birthday with a party but this year I just can’t. I have to be at the theatre all day.” She finished her coffee and cleared the dishes.
She rubbed me on the head. “Okay, birthday girl, I have to get to work. I left you a small box of cheese crackers to enjoy today. Got to go! You have a great day! I love you! Good-bye Emma, I’ll send Peter around seven-thirty to pick you up for the opening tonight. See you later!” Ana picked up her keys and bolted out the door.
Bye Ana! Thank you! I’m so happy. I’ve had my birthday breakfast. I’ve received a few new toys to play with and I have a comfy house to sleep in. I’ll explore outside a little later this morning. Stumpy said he’d come and visit with me. I’ll drag out this box of crackers and we’ll have some treats. It’s nice that this little box of crackers comes with a string to pull it.
I pulled the box of cheese crackers to the back door. I’ll keep it here for when I go out later. Right now I think I’ll take a little nap with Emma. I went back into the living room and curled up on the brown furry rug in front of the fireplace and slept.