Another letter from Tempest, the boat cat. Tempest lived with us on our boat for two years while we traveled from Florida tot he Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, The Dominican Republic and back to the US. These letters capture a bit of the adventure from her perspective.
Dear Paris,
Your mother is being weird. I mean really odd.
Your mother and I have been having a bit of a territory issue. You see, she seemed to think that the open cabinets behind the counter in the galley were for kitchen gadgets and that sort of junk, when in reality, those cabinets were my apartment.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why would a cat need a space that big? Its practically three rooms!”
Well, I’ll tell you why. I don’t “need” it, its just mine. It is. I wouldn’t mind sharing, but whenever I allow the humans to put something in one of my rooms, they invariably start to take up the whole space. Its ridiculous, really, but I have learned, even in my short life that I have to stand my ground. As they say, “Give them an inch and they’ll take my whole damn room.”
Whenever they would put something in my room, why I would scratch and growl at it. I would lie right up against it and shed my fur all over it.
I guess your mother is smarter than I thought. Yesterday it appears that she came to her senses. She cleaned out my entire apartment and… I shit you not, she made me a bed. It looks glorious, I tell you. Dark stained wood with a lovely soft blanket in it.
However, I’m now torn. I don’t want her to get complacent and think that just because she cleaned my room that I now owe her something, or that (god forbid) she doesn’t need to be doing anything ELSE for me. Just to keep her in line, I was careful not to use the bed today. I studied it closely first, to make sure it wasn’t a trap. I got as close as I dared and I smelled it.
I decided that I don’t really care much for the fabric she used. I don’t think it will compliment my fur. I’m going to keep watch on this bed situation for the next few days. I may have to just sleep in my other room for a while until I figure out what the catch is.
I’ll keep you up to date on the situation as I figure out whether or not this new bed is a safe bet.
Suspiciously Yours,
Tempest,
Queen of the pets, Overlord of the floating castle, ever watchful and suspicious.
Read Some of the Previous Tempest Letters:
Short Stories
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