MULTIPLY Creative Challenge #26: Moonbeam

Once upon a time there were three cats. They lived in a small village in the country in a small ground floor apartment where they allowed Mr. and Mrs. Human to live with them. As the apartment was on the ground floor they had a nice garden and countryside where they could go for moonlight walks together. Nera was a big fat black long furred cat with big starry yellow eyes that saw everything in the dark and also during the day, although during the day she mostly slept. Then there was Tabby, Nera’s litter sister, although she did not resemble Nera. Tabby was striped like a little tiger, but had some red fur on her tummy. She was a mixture and Nera was sure they were only really half sisters. All true cats knew that mummy cat was never so serious about who the father was going to be for her kittens. It was often the fact that when the kittens were born in a litter, each one looked a little bit different to the others, according to how many fathers were involved, but that is just a cat’s life. Then there was the third cat known as Fluffy. He was not related to Nera or Tabby and came along a year later. He could trace his family back to many generations as he had a so-called pedigree and was a member of the Selkirk Rex family. Those cats all had curly fine hair, something like silk. Fluffy had some bad luck and lost his sight through an accident, but he was able to find his way around, only he could no longer go out on his own. And then came the day that it was Fluffy’s birthday.

“Nera, it seems that it is Fluffy’s birthday tomorrow. What shall we give him this year?” asked Tabby.
Nera thought a bit and said “No idea Tabby, I gave him the remainder of my tuna fish supper last year and the year before. This year he will be five years old and we should do something special.”
“You are right Nera. I gave him the remainder of my tuna fish as well last year, so I think it must be getting a bit boring. Let’s ask him what he would like.”
Nera and Tabby went over to Fluffy.
“Fluffy” they said “what would you like for your birthday this year? We would like to give something different than tuna fish.”
“It’s very nice that you ask” he answered “and there is something that I do miss quite a lot. In the olden days when I could see things properly and not just have a good sniff, I remember the moon and how it shone so brightly in the evenings especially when it was full moon. I think I would like a moon beam for my birthday, if that is not too much too ask.”
“A moonbeam?” asked Nera
“He said a moonbeam” confirmed Tabby
“Yes a moonbeam” answered Fluffy and Tabby and Nera said they would do their best and went in a corner to confer.
“How are we going to do that Nera?”
“Well tonight is full moon, but I have an idea. You know where Mrs. Human keeps her paper for typing her blogs Tabby. Do you think you could get a piece to take out this evening when we go out. You can just carry it in your mouth.”
“No problem Nera, but what do you want to do with it.”
“Don’t ask too many questions. I am the most intelligent cat here and I know what we could do.”

So that evening Tabby and Nera went out through the cat flap to their territory and Tabby took a piece of white paper with her. Eventually the came to a puddle left from the rain on the day before. Rainwater was a delicacy so Tabby decided to start drinking.
“Tabby, what are you doing with the puddle, for once leave the water where it is and have a good look at it. What do you see?” said Nera
“I see rainwater” answered Tabby.
“No you stripy feline, take another look. There is something else.”
“”Sorry Nera, but I am a bit blinded by the moonbeams reflecting in the water.”
“Exactly Tabby, that is what I mean. Now you will put your paw into the water where the moon is reflecting and then on the paper and I will do the same. So now tell me Tabby, what do we have.”
“That is easy Nera; two wet paw prints.”
“No you tabby cat we do not have two wet paw prints but we have caught two moonbeams in the reflection in the water and we will take them back to Fluffy for his birthday.”
“But, Nera”
“Nothing but Nera, Nera the boss knows what she is doing.”
And so the next morning Nera and Tabby arrived back to their home where they allowed Mr. and Mrs. Human to live and went to Fluffy to congratulate him on his birthday.
“Hello, Tabby and Nera, did you have a nice night out. Catch any mice?”
“No Fluffy not this time, but we have something else and we wish you a very happy caturday today” they both said
“So, Tabby, give me Fluffy’s present.”
And Tabby put the paper with the paw prints in front of Fluffy’s nose.
“Two moon beams, just what I wanted” said Fluffy “How wonderful of you to bring them here for me. I can smell them just as moonbeams should smell. I can smell trees and earth and flowers and worms and even mice. That is what moonbeams are made of. Thank you so much.”

Tabby and Nera retired to their beds for a sleep, but Tabby could not sleep.
“How comes Nera, that our paw prints became moonbeams.”
“You heard Tabby, the water that we put our paws in reflecting the complete atmosphere around the moonbeams and the main thing is that Fluffy was happy with his birthday present.”

I don’t know about you, but speaking as a simple human, I will never understand cats.

Creative Challenge #26: Moonbeams