Must Give Us Paws...

It's story time again! After last weeks speed bumps, I think I've ironed out all the problems with one minor change to our plan moving forward. (...hopefully moving forward) I've had to go ahead and replace Richard as it would appear that he has dropped off the face of the Earth.

That phrase doesn't really make sense anymore..."Dropped off the face of the Earth..." because you would have to be ejected off the face of the Earth with a massive amount of propulsion. Clearly if the initial thrust didn't kill you then reaching the outer atmosphere would probably burn you alive.

Now that I think about it, I hope Richard is alright!

Moving forward.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Richard's remains have apparently been burned to a crisp when he was ejected from the face of the Earth. Therefore, it's with a heart that weighs a lot, that Richard has been replaced by the youngest cat in my family, Mace. I was negotiating with the elder cat, Squirrel, but she won't take less than union, and we don't have that in the budget.

I would like to avoid any confusion, so I'm adjusting the name of the role from Richard to Pete. I originally was going to use the name Pete, but I didn't think it would last, and Richard was rather fond of his real name.

Mace has assured me that he will be doing his best as Pete. I'm making a bit of an assumption here as I don't speak cat, and frankly, Mace sounds like a very tiny Formula One car going by when he speaks to me.

We venture onward...

It was a gloriously sunny day.

John sat at the table staring straight ahead at George's face. His long hair danced slightly as the ceiling fan across the room kept waking it from it's rest. There was so much that had gone unsaid and today was the day that the cards would find their place.

Within moments Richard Pete was expected to arrive and the swordplay of accusations and excuses could commence. There had always been a kinship between John and George. Over their years, the music of life had caused both their hearing to drop like a stone to silence. 

Paul had just returned from paying the water bill and stopping off at the grocer, so there was clearly enough food and water to last for some time in case anything were to mysteriously go wrong. He put the groceries away and glanced over at his friends.

He knew what was coming and he wanted nothing to do with it. Among the four of them, there had been a storm brewing, and he knew that those two wanted to have it all out today. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now. Knowing full well that he would be pulled into the eye of this later, he retreated to his room and the enchantment of some good music

Outside, Pete sat on the ground beyond their archway looking at the busy world around him. The sun was warm and he felt like taking a nap. Suddenly, Pete's head darted upward and to the left as he heard a bird chirp. Then down again as a something small ran down the pavement into the storm drain. Pete could hear a voice inside yelling at him to "stay focused", but he just wasn't that interested in what awaited him upstairs.

With a yawn, and a bored look in his eye, Pete turned walked through the archway and slowly began to ascend the staircase one at a time. Clearly Pete was in no hurry for what awaited at the top of the stairs. Halfway up the staircase, Pete decided to stop, sit down and look around.

The sunlight through the window atop the archway created tiny designs that splayed on the wall. They flickered so slightly when a tree branch would interfere. Fascinated, Pete stared at the light. He reached out with his hand to catch it. The light would not be caught, it slid out of his grasp and rested upon the back of his hand. Again he reached out and the light evaded. Once again he reached out this time with more force. A fourth time, even more frantic.

Suddenly, Pete felt something tap him on his backside and that inner voice yelled "COME ON!" Uncertain what had just happened, Pete darted up the remaining stairs. His heart was racing. This certainly was the end of days. Everything that he held dear was doomed. He longed for those moments outside on the stoop. For a brief moment he considered turning back down the stairs and bounding out into the awaiting world.

However when he looked over his shoulder to get view of the beast that would certainly cause his end, the stairs were empty. All was calm. The lights danced along the wall as if nothing had happened. Confused, Pete sat down. He ran his hand through his hair, licked his hand, then back through his hair to make sure everything was in place. All the while the inner voice was yelling "FOCUS! YOU LITTLE..."

He then turned to the door. The doorknob seem a million miles away...way too far to reach...even if he wanted to. He stared at the door for a moment then looked back down the stairs. It was decided. He would go outside and see what was going on out there. Certainly there were things going on outside that were much more interesting then what lay beyond this door, and it was about time for a nap.

Then suddenly...a noise churned from behind the door. Pete jumped in fright as his head swung around to stare. His head tilted slightly to the left. His ears strained to pick up the source of the noise. He knew his friends were in there, but what was that odd noise?

The silence hung in the air. Pete stared intently. Suddenly the noise again!

Pete again jumped as his heart raced! The noise was like nothing he'd ever heard. He couldn't be certain but most likely the beast that attacked him had somehow gotten inside. He looked again at the doorknob. Once again the noise called out, mocking him! This was his calling. He knew this now. This is where everything in his life came to purpose.

He dove to the floor and thrust his hand under the door to grab the beast. Frantically his hand attacked but there was nothing there. Withdrawing his hand, he laid on his side and peered under the door. He was certain he could smell something...maybe pizza.

A shadow caught his eye under the door and again he thrust his hand under. This time he would prevail. His hand darted back and forth in a fierce attack. The inner voice called out "ok, STOP! This..."

 ...is NOT working at all. Mace, I've never worked with someone more distracted by the littlest things in my life! If you had an agent, they'd be getting an earful for wasting all of our time. Lets all go take a nap, folks...we'll pick this up again next week and see what, if anything, can be salvaged.

...does anyone know a really smart dog?

@GlenEwing
GE