Only Reflections

Baldwin walked by the tall hallway mirror at Aunt Agnes’ house and caught a glimpse of his reflection.  “Hmm, that’s a good looking cat with a handsome coat,” he whispered.  He edged a little closer to an image that was cold and flat.  Baldwin reached up and touched the mirror with his paw.  He laughed, “Hehee. Of course, it’s only me.”  Satisfied with his appearance, he rushed outside to explore the crisp autumn day in Athens, Georgia.

Baldwin walked long, and he walked far, crunching leaves with every step. Soon he came to a stone pathway, which led to a small pond tucked behind the trees.

From the middle of the pond, water sprayed up, up into the air, then cascaded down, down into the cattails and water lilies below.  Curiosity called him to the very edge of the pond as he saw a flash of gold swim away, but soon, as he looked down into the water, he realized that a set of eyes was peering back at him.

 Suddenly, cold water surrounded Baldwin going up his nose and into his ears.  He sprang into action and quickly jumped out of the cold wetness.  He sneezed; he coughed! He gave himself a shake as water droplets flew in multiple directions.

Baldwin was distraught, for his coat was no longer warm and shiny. He began to shiver and shake as his wet fur clung to his bones making him a very sad cat.  Laughter emerged from the pond, and then he heard ka-plunk, ka-plunk!

Ripples covered the water's surface.  To Baldwin's surprise, two old turtles swam away from where he had fallen in.  He watched while they made their way to a log in the middle of the pond.  The turtles slowly climbed out of the water still laughing and chatting about the strange gray cat who seemed enamored with his image.  Soon they settled down for a nap in the light of the sun, safely away from Baldwin's curiosity.

Bluer than Blue

Illustration by Melissa Teoh

Baldwin was discouraged.  He hid in the tall grass as he thought and thought about yesterday’s accident. 

It all happened so quickly: he was chasing Andy, and when he reached to catch him, Baldwin found that he was holding a tail.  “Oh, me,” he sighed. “What have I done?” Baldwin began to cry.

“Hush now, Baldwin. You dry, those tears, ya hear,” said Andy, as he hollered out while cautiously making his way to where Baldwin was hiding. 

Baldwin sat up, and looked over the tall grass.  His eyes grew big and round!  Andy was walking toward him.  He was leaning on a cane, and he looked . . . he looked naked without his tail.

“I know ya meant me no harm, Baldwin, but dang!  Those cat instincts are pretty powerful.  Ya gotta learn ta control ‘em.  We’ve been friends too long for us ta become enemies; besides, I need your help.  I’ve got ta learn,” he paused, then whispered, “got ta learn how ta survive without my tail.”

Andy hung his head.  He was embarrassed standing there without his handsome gray, bushy tail, but he was determined that he would be brave.

Baldwin broke through the pained silence. “I’m really sorry, Andy.  I will help you anyway I can.  I can help you learn to balance, and help you get acorns.  I’ll even keep other cats away from you if you’ll let me.”

Andy nodded.  His eyes filled with tears as he slowly made his way back to his tree house.  He stopped—turned to look at Baldwin and said, “Thank ya, friend.  First thing tomorrow morning, we start gathering ‘em acorns.”

Bless You

Baldwin wished to keep an eye on Harold’s progress maintaining the town’s roadways as well as rest his weariness from chasing the ol’ field mice, so he found a shaded spot in which he could do both.   

Soon the morning’s workday was disrupted:

“Ahh, ahh, ahh chooo!  Ah, ahh choo!  Ah choo!” Baldwin covered his ears.  

It was one thing to hear the old, metal monster chugging through the tall grass, but it was quite another to endure the sound of Harold’s exploding sneezes. 

Harold pulled out his large, red handkerchief and wiped his watery eyes and runny nose.  He removed his yellow, hard hat and mopped his sweaty brow.

Calling it a day, Harold walked away, leaving Baldwin and the lone monster to smell the wild, beautiful fragrance of Queen Anne’s lace in peace and quiet while the field mice continued to laugh and play.

It’s the Weekend

Riding a big bike, climbing tall cabinets—Elijah was here, there and everywhere!  He kept Baldwin busy both day and night. 

In the night, Baldwin awoke with a start when Elijah pawed him on the nose.  He needed to use the litter box again, and wished for his Uncle Baldwin to escort him.

Baldwin protested as he rubbed his scratched nose, "Elijah, you might be a kitten, but you are old enough to go to the litter box by yourself, so please let me sleep."

Elijah whispered back, "But it's dark, Uncle Baldwin, and I’m afraid to go down the hallway." 

Baldwin reached for the window shade and gave it a quick tug. Up it rolled with a loud racket as light from the street lamp streamed in, casting a dim glow upon the path which led to the litter box. 

“Wow,” meowed Elijah who was rather impressed with his Uncle’s ability to chase away the darkness, “can I do that, too?”  Baldwin responded patiently, “Perhaps tomorrow, Elijah.  I am going back to bed.”

"Cool; thanks, Uncle Baldwin.  I won't bother you again.  Night!" whispered Elijah rather loudly.

Baldwin returned to bed and closed his weary eyes.  It seemed that morning came quickly as he awoke to the sun peeking into the window.  He yawned and stretched rather lazily.  Suddenly he remembered Elijah, and he was frantic.  Where was his nephew?  

Baldwin dashed into the hallway.  “Elijah,” he called.  There was no response.  He ran into the kitchen.  “Elijah, where are you?” he called again—still no answer.  Baldwin sat very still and listened.  He heard the beating of his own heart, but yet he heard something else.  There was a quiet movement coming from the tall white box standing in the corner.

The door was standing slightly ajar. “Surely not!” exclaimed Baldwin, yet somehow he knew it to be true.  Looking inside, he saw Elijah exploring the contents of the refrigerator.  “Hi, Uncle, I was trying to be quiet.  Did I wake you up?” asked Elijah.  “I’m looking for breakfast!

Houdini

Baldwin yawned.  He watched the morning activities with half-closed eyes, for there in the crabapple tree sat Houdini, a brilliant, young gray squirrel.  Baldwin could hear him quietly calculating the distance from the tree branch to the top of the bird feeder.  Sure, Houdini could eat the spilled sunflower seeds that had accumulated on the ground, but today he decided to see if his math computations were correct, and whether of not he could actually land on the bird feeder and eat along side the birds.

“Hey, you guys, can I join you at the feeder today?  Can I come over, please, please?”  Houdini asked eagerly, but the song sparrows and the house finches only ignored his incessant pleas, and Mr. Cardinal lifted his red crest to show he was a bird of prominence and that he had no desire to eat along side a young unmannerly squirrel no matter how smart he was reputed to be. 

“Well, okay.  Here I come—make room for me,” said Houdini as he twitched his scraggly tail and prepared to jump, but the birds only ignored him.  They continued their chatter while cracking open the hard shell of the sunflower seeds and eating the delicious treats inside.

Suddenly the entire world seemed to spin and shake, and in much fright, the birds flew into the safety of the tree.  “Woo, hoo—oooops,” shouted Houdini as he landed on top of the bird feeder, but then began to slip.  He managed to save himself while waiting for the spinning to stop. 

Baldwin sat up to get a better look.  What he saw was a gray squirrel hanging from the feeder by nothing more than his toenails.  “Ha, ha! What a super fun ride,” laughed Houdini.  “Hey, where did you guys go?” he asked, as he began to stuff his mouth with sunflower seeds.