This is just some idle writing that I did last week when I had nothing else 
to do.  It's also the first bit of fiction I've finished in nearly 16 
years, so take it with a grain of salt.  Comments are welcome. 
  
Allison 
********* 

Sidney  
  
  
You watch in anticipation.  Just three more inches, and then victory will 
be yours.  Two inches!...One inch!...Disaster!  "meoooow"  Being forced 
away from a game with the mouse as your pet picks you up and strokes your 
head is just one of the trials that a smaller creature has to put up with. 
  
"Well, Sidney, what is it tonight?  How about some tuna and egg?" 
  
Ah, satisfaction.  You might not understand a word that your pet Natalie 
says, but you do recognize the direction she's heading, and the shape of 
the can in her hand.  You miss your game a little, but here's some food you 
can enjoy without all that messy blood stuff.  How can people like that guy 
Nick put up with all that mess?  You may be above that bizarre creature 
called human, but you've been around long enough to see that he drinks that 
stuff. Though thinking about it, Nick doesn't seem to enjoy it too much, 
and at least his food doesn't make as much of a mess.  But that isn't 
something you want to think about now.  After all, there's a dish of food 
just waiting for you.  Slurp lap lap chew chew yum. 
  
You think you've had enough of your bowl for now, and would really like to 
just curl up somewhere warm and shut your eyes for a moment.  Look around 
casually...and what delight!  Your pet is just standing up from her place 
on the sofa, and you know that the spot will be warm.  Oh, what a wonderful 
feeling, being snuggled up on a prewarmed spot.  Not a care in the world, 
except for the feeling of a little bit of dirt on your head.  A couple 
licks, a couple rubs, all taken care of.  (*yawn*)  Now off for a little 
clean mouse chasing with the eyes closed. 
  
*Mieaow*  Oh how unfair! Just when the hunt was in full swing, to have 
someone try to sit on you.  Bad pet, bad!  Give a little evil eye, to let 
them know you're displeased, and then get back to the chase.  But the mood 
is gone, and you look around for a new toy to occupy your time.  Oh, 
there's that little mouse again!  run run look.....you're trapped, aren't 
you.  And you don't even know it yet.  Aha!  Gotcha!  But why don't you 
move anymore?  And all of this nasty blood stuff again.  Just leave it 
here.  Your pet will clean it up for you.  You gaze around the room, 
looking for a place to sit.  Try for someplace high this time.  Let 
everyone know just who's boss around here.  After all, he who has the 
highest head, rules.  You see a good spot, on top of the bookcase.  Bob the 
head a little, judge a little distance, weeeell, maybe not from here.  How 
about from the top of the stereo.  Bob the head, oh yes, you definitely can 
make it from here.  A little guts, and *spring*.  You knew you could do it! 
Now, to look down on everything else....there's the life. 
  
But something doesn't seem quite right.  There's your pet, but she's not 
acting like usual, although nothing that she does seems to be normal. 
Natalie is backing up from that guy Nick.  She's never done *that* before. 
Before your pet took you to that cold white smelly place and made you hurt, 
you would have told her to just jump his bones.  But nothing's ever been 
quite the same since that point in time, and now you can't remember what it 
was like to even *want* to mount something.  But she's still backing up. 
And that's *not* that Nick fellow.  It's so hard to tell sometimes.  You 
see one creature without those two soft lumps on the front, with the light 
colored hair on its head, and you think you've seen them all.  But you 
notice this one seems to have some more blood color to his face, something 
that the guy Nick never had.  Well, what to do now?  You could just stay up 
here and watch.  But now there's more of that nasty blood all over the 
floor.  Once the blood comes out of your little friends, they never seem to 
move again.  Who will feed you then?  You guess you must do something.  How 
about a little jump to the head, maybe with some of those claws you've been 
sharpening all week outstretched to make sure you don't lose your balance? 
You think that will do the trick.  Ready....okay, go! 
  
Whoa, this is a little bit more tricky that you supposed it to be.  Too bad 
these creatures don't know how to keep their hands to themselves.  It's 
getting you all dirty.  Now you're going to have to lick yourself twice as 
long as usual when this is all over.  Good, the stupid creature is going 
away, and you can go check on the mess that he made on you.  Oh, no, not 
again.  The creature came back in.  You get ready to jump...oops, that 
really *is* Nick.  You don't know exactly what it is about him, but 
something always makes you a little wary of him.  You take a little walk, 
take a look at your pet.  Good, she's sitting up now.  You climb onto her 
lap since the blood isn't *that* bad.  Why don't you try to help her clean 
up a little bit?  You lick her hand where there's a little scratch.  Ooh, 
that feels nice.  You always did appreciate a little scratch for yourself 
behind the ears.  Oh where are you going now, you suppose?  A scratch is 
one thing, but you never *asked* to be picked up. 
  
"Sidney, you saved the day.  I think you're entitled to extra special 
treatment from here on out, starting with some *Cosmic Catnip* and *Cosmic 
Kitty Herbs*." 
  
You still don't understand a word she says, but now it doesn't matter 
because whatever those little flakes are, they make you feel the strangest 
things..... 
  
********The end****** 
  
(asabo@vt.edu)