The Christmas Kitty

It was pouring in the middle of May and Sir Hiss and Snort could be found scampering to a near by door. He leaned on the door and scratched at it a little. Then he let out a deep short meow, hoping to be let in. But as soon as the door opened, a broom head came out and sent him flying through the rain. He tumbled to the ground and slowly got up and shook him-self off a little. Although the wet fur never went away no matter how much he shook.

Sir Hiss and Snort climbed up on a box, hopped onto the fence and proceeded to walk along the top of it. Suddenly he heard a growl and a very loud bark as the fence beneath him fell, sending Sir Hiss and Snort flying and tumbling yet again. This time, he skittered quickly away from the dog that was chasing him. 

He ran down the street and slipped the bars to the gate of the sick house, leaving the dog on the other side of the fence. He wiggled his little hind end at the barking dog and proceeded to the building. He slipped inside as the door opened to a lady nurse.

 “I should have known it was you, Sir Hiss and Snort. I see you’ve riled up Mr. Miley’s dog. You’re the only one that can cause this much amount of ruckus. I’ll call Mr. Miley.”

He watched as the nurse picked up the phone and began to meow as if to demand her attention. It was unlike Sir Hiss and Snort to do the typical begging and rubbing against a person’s legs for food. He tried a different approach; he sat and stared at her with his big round green eyes. Finally she bent over with a big peace of fish and Sir Hiss and Snort snagged it away from her quickly.

“What? No thanks?” She smiled at the rude stray cat. “ Now go along to the room and don’t be a brute. No biting!”

            Sir Hiss and Snort’s ear furrowed, and he carried the fish in his mouth down the hall to a large room with a bunch of beds. He followed the wall, skittering under the beds and dodging the kids. He found a spot under a fur tree that was standing on the other side of the room. He plopped down on his belly and began to eat his piece of fish.

All of a sudden he both felt and saw a strange thin line fall on his side. Sir Hiss and Snort didn’t know what this strange object was that had landed on his side. His ears furrowed and he went to sniff the line on his stomach. But the line moved and Sir Hiss and Snort jumped, hitting his back against the flimsy fur tree that almost fell.

He followed the line with his eyes, and to his horror the long thin line was now an extension to a little girl’s arm. She was short a child with brown eyes and long black hair, her skin sort of a pale dark color. Immediately, Sir Hiss and snort’s raw instinct was to growl and hiss at the child for invading his space, but before a single hiss could escape his mouth, the string began to move again. This time rapidly in different directions, it swirled and zigzagged against the floor in front of him. Crouching close to the floor with his hind end wiggling in the air, Sir Hiss and Snort pounced on the line, clawing and chewing on it as it wriggled in his paws.

Thinking it was funny and cute that such a big cat could be so kitten like, the girl let out a little giggle. But as soon as Sir Hiss and Snort heard the laughter his focus turned away from the string and towards the girl. He began to growl and hiss and snort at her as he got to his feet, raising a paw at the child.

 “Anita! Leave Sir Hiss and Snort alone. He is not a nice cat.”

            The sound of the nurse’s voice ringing through the room made Sir Hiss and Snort jump. He cowered back in the corner under the tree where he’d been before he was tricked away from his resting spot. He understood full well that Mrs. Hanuva could throw him back outside and he wanted no part of that heavy rain.

Sir Hiss and snort watched as Anita got up and walked to her cot and sat on it. Soon, Sir Hiss and snort found himself relaxed enough and slipped into his dreamland for the night.

The next morning, Sir Hiss and Snort picked up his head to the delicious smell of fresh salmon. He looked out from under the three and saw that Anita was holding the fish. He wasn’t sure what to think about her or whether he should try to get the food. He was hungry, so he cautiously crawled towards the salmon, his ears flat against his head. He hoped this signal would warn her not to mess with him.

            “It’s okay, Sir Hiss and Snort, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to give you this nice piece of salmon,” Anita said encouragingly.

            Sir Hiss and Snort bit into the fish. It was so tenderly cooked that it fell apart. He growled a little at this. The fact that he would have to now try to enjoy this savory hunk of meat right in front of the little girl made him that much more cautious. He began to chew and gnaw at the meat, as the little girl sat beside him, reassuring him that it was okay.

            Sir Hiss and Snort was getting used to it until he felt something on his back. He picked up his head, looked at Anita and discovered she was touching him. But the aroma of the salmon pulled his head back down to eat because he was still hungry. Although he felt the pressure on his back becoming heavier, he continued to eat. As he finished his meal, he felt the pressure move a lot faster.

            He jumped a little and looked at the little girl. Although his ears were clearly flat against his head, Anita simply ignored it. She began to tease Sir Hiss and Snort with a string and he was helpless as he began to fall into her trap. Pouncing and biting at the string, he rolled around on the floor.

            As the day progressed, Sir Hiss and Snort found himself doing things that a normal stray cat would never do. Things like chasing a string across the floor, eating out of someone’s hand, letting Anita pet him and purring.

            By the end of the day, Anita had Sir Hiss and Snort sleeping in her lap. He was all tuckered out from the day’s activities. His ears flickered at the whispers from the other children. The Nurse came in and gasped. This woke Sir Hiss and Snort with a jump. He quickly skittered under the tree in the corner and huddled up into a ball.

            It was still raining and he wanted no part of being forced outside. Sir Hiss and Snort could feel himself drifting slowly into his dream world as the thoughts of salmon and silly little lines that wriggled shifted around in his mind.

            When he awoke in the morning, he picked up his head to the various shuffling on feet and loud talking. Moving slowly and peeking out from under the tree; Sir Hiss and snort noticed the group of adults and children gathered around the tree. He noted the strange boxes that crowded the front of the tree and decided to make an escape.

            Sir Hiss and Snort slowly and cautiously slipped behind the boxes and followed the wall and was planning on escaping the room. But he found his human laying in her bed. The little girl was covered to her shoulders and shivering. She looked sad for some reason.

            Sir Hiss and Snort did not understand this; she was happy and running around yesterday. What had happened? Sir Hiss and Snort made a quick purring sound and hopped up on her bed. Walking up to where she laid her head, he sniffed her face as he tickled her with his whiskers.

            “Silly kitty, you’re not so wild after all.” Anita smiled, letting out a small giggle. But her voice was much more hoarse and distant than the night before.

Sir Hiss and Snort decided to stay with her and he lay down beside her. He wriggled himself beneath her arm and purred at her gently. She smiled even more and slowly scratched him on top of the head.

 “You’re the best Christmas present I’ve ever had, Sir Hiss and Snort,” Anita whispered while she fell back to sleep.

            Sir Hiss and Snort purred himself to sleep beside her for the remainder of the day and through out the night. He didn’t want to leave her side. He finally felt wanted. He finally understood how to adjust his life to gain more happiness. For this he felt comfortable and happiness from the young child.

            When he awoke next, he felt the once warm body beside him being lifted from the bed. Sir Hiss and Snort picked up his head and saw Anita’s pale body being carried by the nurse. As he watched her arm limply fell from her body, dangling beside it. Sir Hiss and snort understood this part of life all too well. He had witnessed a lot of people dying while he lived outside.

            But why her, why did she have to die? Sir Hiss and Snort lowered his head, his ears drooped and he meowed mournfully at the empty sheets. But then he felt a small hand pet him on top of his head. He looked and it was another little girl.

            “It’s okay Sir Hiss and Snort, I’ll be your friend,” Emma said to Sir Hiss and Snort. She picked him up and carried him to her bed and began to comfort him.