SNOWY
Dawn.
A baby blanket of snow had fallen during the night.
Claire leaned against her third floor bedroom window and sighed at the natural beauty in the yard below. She felt comfortable, cozy, and hopeful. Heaven must be like this, she concluded.
It was a nice way to start off her birthday.
Breathing against the cool frosted glass Claire's breath fogged the window. She outlined a cat silhouette. Claire loved cats. She wished she had one, "... I'd name it Snowy."
When she sat back to see the silhouette she could see herself mirrored in the window. Reflected behind her was the cat poster on the wall and the shelves filled with stuffed animals, mostly cats. She could see her cat bedspread and cat pillows.
Outside a strange gust of wind swirled the snow in the yard. Claire thought she saw thousands of ghostly cats chasing each other's tails. On the horizon she saw a cloud that looked like a cat cake. Her cake. She had the feeling that this would be a special day.
Claire watched in wonder, and dreamed of cats. As far back as her memory could take her she had wanted a cat. Her mother was allergic to cats, yet mom promised Claire she'd get her one, "Someday, sweetheart..." she would say.
Claire took out her sketch pad and began drawing. She was an expert at drawing cats. Cats from the side, cats from the front; sitting cats, standing cats, sleeping cats.
On top of the approaching cloud-cake the sun began rising like a huge birthday candle. Again, Claire wished for a cat. This quiet hour was Claire's favorite time of day. So peaceful.
Yet, today something bizarre was happening. The snow below began swishing and swirling, whishing and whirling. But Claire was too involved in finishing her picture to pay attention to the weird weather.
February was a strange month.
Suddenly from the yard all the snow began whipping around like a miniature hurricane. It wound tighter and tighter until the thick white rich air curled into a tiny tornado. Then this mixture began to funnel upward at super-blending speed and in a split second it moved up the side of her apartment building right toward Claire. Her window rattled like an alarm until –
Whoosh....oomph!
The storm disappeared.
Silence.
Some people might say it was a freak of nature; it was a miracle, others might explain.
Claire was startled and looked out the window again. But instead of seeing thick clouds, Claire saw a clear blue sky and a morning sun that momentarily blinded her view. And then -- a familiar shadow stood outside her window. The silhouette was real. A cat!
Claire stared out in disbelief. On the narrow ledge was a dazzling white furry creature. The snow below had disappeared and in its place was a --
"Mom!" she called out, "You'd better come here!"
Mrs. Coda had been awakened by the noise. She thought that Claire had fallen out of bed.
"Claire," Mrs. Coda rushed in, worried, but Claire was sitting safely by the window.
"Claire, I wanted to sleep-in today. Can't you be a little quieter? Please."
Claire got up from her chair and motioned to her mother to come to the window. "Over here, mom!" she said excitedly.
"What is it?" Mrs. Coda wondered and moved toward Claire, "What?"
"I was making a picture and there was this big noise outside and then the storm went poof! and then look what happened..." said Claire, pointing to the windowsill.
Mrs. Coda saw nothing but the glare of the sun on the glass. She asked again, "What?"
"A cat, mom."
Mrs. Coda squinted, "Where?"
Claire turned back to the window. The cat was gone.
"There was this cat that just appeared out of nowhere! Like a magic trick, except it was real!"
"Oh, Claire."
"Mom," Claire pleaded, "look real hard. It must still be out there."
Mrs. Coda felt bad about not being able to provide Claire with a real cat. Cat pajama's and cat pictures and cat stuffed animals never equaled one living cat. It was difficult being a mother at times, especially when unable to give a daughter something as simple as a cat.
However, Mrs. Coda had begun noticing that Claire's imagination had improved greatly as a result of not getting a cat. Claire's cat drawings were very interesting and showed real promise. That burning desire for a cat needed to be expressed and Claire found drawing to be just the right kind of activity. So now Mrs. Coda was faced with a problem: if she got a cat Claire might stop developing her talent for drawing. Mrs. Coda didn't want that to happen, but she didn't want her daughter to be unhappy either.
Claire's imagination was learning to spread its wings. This particular morning it was soaring, thought Mrs. Coda.
"Oh, what a lovely cat," said Mrs. Coda staring into the vacant yard below.
"Where?" asked Claire, "I don't see it."
"He's a cute cat, Claire."
"How do you know it's a he?" questioned Claire.
"Well, Claire..." Mrs. Coda yawned, "It's so early." Playing make-believe at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning was not easy for older, tired people.
"You didn't really see it, did you, mom?"
"Claire," Mrs. Coda hugged her creative daughter, "someday we'll get you a cat. I promise with all my heart."
"Mom, I'm not making this up! There really was a cat. A big white fluffy cat. Right there," said Claire gesturing to the sill.
"Claire, it must've been one amazing cat to have climbed THREE floors."
"It was," Claire reminded her.
Mrs. Coda leaned over to kiss Claire. She began thinking that it probably was time to get Claire a cat after all, Claire's imagination was getting a little too extreme. Three floors! Mrs. Coda laughed to herself.
"Oh, Claire..."
But then Mrs. Coda noticed something, "Oh, my --"
There were paw prints on the narrow window ledge outside of Claire's bedroom. Three storeys above the yard? Impossible. The morning dew was imprinted with cat paws. There had been a cat there after all.
"-- You weren't kidding. I see it, Claire!"
"Where?"
"Foot prints. There," Mrs. Coda's finger tapped the bottom of the window.
"I told you!" said Claire proudly as her mother opened the window and stuck her head out into the chilly morning air. She searched high and low but no other signs of cats were on or near the building.
"But it's impossible..." admitted a bewildered Mrs. Coda closing the window. She turned toward Claire with a big, broad, tender smile and knelt beside her, "Tell me again what happened."
Claire explained the light snow, the thick clouds, the sudden storm, and then the magic cat. Mrs. Coda had some trouble with this explanation but no matter how imaginative it seemed to be, a cat had somehow gotten up on the third floor window ledge.
"I'm going to call it Snowy!" announced Claire, "I wish I had a thousand of them!" This was the third time today she wished for a cat.
“Surprise!” shouted her room. Her room?
Suddenly, the cat Claire had been drawing sprang to life and jumped off the page! Her stuffed animals began purring! Cats popped out of her bedspread!
Hundreds of cats appeared and went straight to Claire.
"Oh, Claire!" said her startled mother, "We should've gotten you ONE cat!"
Claire was covered with cats, on her head, around her neck, cats climbing her front and back, legs and feet. Claire squirmed and fell over on the bed.
They tickled; she laughed. They licked; she giggled, and giggled and giggled and giggled...
"Claire!" called out her worried mother, "Claire --"
But it was too late.
Claire began floating upward and vanished right through the ceiling, right through the roof, right into the sky. With these cats anything was possible. The cats were clouds carrying her way way away.
And up they soared.
"Weee..." giggled Claire, "where are we going?"
A skyful of cats formed the word-- CATLAND.
"Catland!" Claire giggled with delight.
CATLAND. ONE WAY ONLY.
"I'm going to Catland! Ha ha ha..."
"No humans allowed!" sang a cat chorus, "never to return..."
"Never to what ?" asked Claire.
"Never to return..." purred some angelic cats.
Claire's giddiness stopped, "But --"
She began feeling whiskers popping out above her lip. When she went to feel them she scratched herself with her new paws!
"Uh-oh!"
Claire grabbed hold of a nearby rope but when she went to pull on it she found out it was her own tail!
WELCOME TO CATLAND said the great final sign outside the purrly gates.
"Never to return home ?" questioned Claire in a very unsteady voice. All she could hear now was purring everywhere. And it was getting louder and louder as she moved closer and closer.
"JOIN US!" purred the cat keepers at the entrance.
"I really just wanted one; I didn't want to become one," Claire attempted to explain.
"Hey, Claire," greeted the dazzling creature Claire had seen on her window ledge.
"Snowy, help me -- " said Claire desperately.
"Ask your mom," advised the cat.
"Meowm?" Claire blurted out
"She'll always take care of you!" said the cat wisely.
Claire tried to call her mom but the words came out as "meowm -- meowm -- meowmmmy!"
Luckily Claire heard a distant but familiar voice, "Claire. Claire. Claire..."
Mrs. Coda's voice had found Claire and could guide her return. Claire felt herself being pulled back, falling, falling, dropping out of the Catland sky.
"Meowmmmeee..." she cried out.
"Claire..." whispered Mrs. Coda gently.
Claire woke and found herself flopped in bed squirming underneath the covers. Pillows and blankets and stuffed animals were piled all over her.
"Where've you been?" asked Mrs. Coda leaning over and brushing the hair from Claire's sleepy face.
"Mom?" Claire opened her eyes.
"I heard you laughing in your sleep."
"I guess I was ..." said Claire looking around to see if there were any real cats. "I went to Catland."
"Where?"
"Cat heaven, I guess."
"Oh, Claire." Mrs. Coda sat on the edge of Claire's bed. "Normal Heaven's not good enough for you?" she kidded.
Meow...
Claire acted as if she didn't hear what she heard.
"Hear anything strange, sweetie?" asked Mrs. Coda.
Claire sat up. The meowing had stopped but there was a faint purring sound, at least Claire thought it might be.
"Is my birthday girl going sleep all day like a lazy cat?" Mrs. Coda winked, and then sneezed, Ah-choo!
Meow...
"Mom, I think I hear..."
"What?"
"Never mind," Claire said, not wanting to be disappointed. I've got cats on the brain, thought Claire –
Catland,
snow cats,
drawings and stuffed animals that come alive,
flying carpet cats –
But then Mrs. Coda sneezed again, twice: Ah-choo, ah-choo!
Meow...
“Mom, I'm feeling strange," Claire confessed, ready to admit she had a cat problem.
"I'm feeling strange too," sniffled Mrs. Coda, "but --."
Mrs. Coda reached into a box hidden behind her robe and lifted up something. Claire's eyes almost popped out! On her lap her mother placed a small, soft, puffy, pure-white, real live kitten. Her birthday present.
"Mom!" Claire grabbed the cat, almost smothering the furry fairy-like creature.
"Happy birthday!" Mrs. Coda smiled.
"-- thank you!"
"I'll bet you wished you had a dozen of them, huh, Clair?"
"No way!" Claire said sharply, gleefully, "One is plenty!"
Mother and daughter (and cat) hugged for the longest time.
"What do you want to call -- it!!" sneezed Mrs. Coda into the sleeve of her handy robe.
Claire had that reply all figured out -- "Snowy would be nice, but I really like -- Meowmee!"
"Meowmee is perfect !" Mrs. Coda sniffled and kissed kissed kissed her birthday girl.
Dawn.
A baby blanket of snow had fallen during the night.
Claire leaned against her third floor bedroom window and sighed at the natural beauty in the yard below. She felt comfortable, cozy, and hopeful. Heaven must be like this, she concluded.
It was a nice way to start off her birthday.
Breathing against the cool frosted glass Claire's breath fogged the window. She outlined a cat silhouette. Claire loved cats. She wished she had one, "... I'd name it Snowy."
When she sat back to see the silhouette she could see herself mirrored in the window. Reflected behind her was the cat poster on the wall and the shelves filled with stuffed animals, mostly cats. She could see her cat bedspread and cat pillows.
Outside a strange gust of wind swirled the snow in the yard. Claire thought she saw thousands of ghostly cats chasing each other's tails. On the horizon she saw a cloud that looked like a cat cake. Her cake. She had the feeling that this would be a special day.
Claire watched in wonder, and dreamed of cats. As far back as her memory could take her she had wanted a cat. Her mother was allergic to cats, yet mom promised Claire she'd get her one, "Someday, sweetheart..." she would say.
Claire took out her sketch pad and began drawing. She was an expert at drawing cats. Cats from the side, cats from the front; sitting cats, standing cats, sleeping cats.
On top of the approaching cloud-cake the sun began rising like a huge birthday candle. Again, Claire wished for a cat. This quiet hour was Claire's favorite time of day. So peaceful.
Yet, today something bizarre was happening. The snow below began swishing and swirling, whishing and whirling. But Claire was too involved in finishing her picture to pay attention to the weird weather.
February was a strange month.
Suddenly from the yard all the snow began whipping around like a miniature hurricane. It wound tighter and tighter until the thick white rich air curled into a tiny tornado. Then this mixture began to funnel upward at super-blending speed and in a split second it moved up the side of her apartment building right toward Claire. Her window rattled like an alarm until –
Whoosh....oomph!
The storm disappeared.
Silence.
Some people might say it was a freak of nature; it was a miracle, others might explain.
Claire was startled and looked out the window again. But instead of seeing thick clouds, Claire saw a clear blue sky and a morning sun that momentarily blinded her view. And then -- a familiar shadow stood outside her window. The silhouette was real. A cat!
Claire stared out in disbelief. On the narrow ledge was a dazzling white furry creature. The snow below had disappeared and in its place was a --
"Mom!" she called out, "You'd better come here!"
Mrs. Coda had been awakened by the noise. She thought that Claire had fallen out of bed.
"Claire," Mrs. Coda rushed in, worried, but Claire was sitting safely by the window.
"Claire, I wanted to sleep-in today. Can't you be a little quieter? Please."
Claire got up from her chair and motioned to her mother to come to the window. "Over here, mom!" she said excitedly.
"What is it?" Mrs. Coda wondered and moved toward Claire, "What?"
"I was making a picture and there was this big noise outside and then the storm went poof! and then look what happened..." said Claire, pointing to the windowsill.
Mrs. Coda saw nothing but the glare of the sun on the glass. She asked again, "What?"
"A cat, mom."
Mrs. Coda squinted, "Where?"
Claire turned back to the window. The cat was gone.
"There was this cat that just appeared out of nowhere! Like a magic trick, except it was real!"
"Oh, Claire."
"Mom," Claire pleaded, "look real hard. It must still be out there."
Mrs. Coda felt bad about not being able to provide Claire with a real cat. Cat pajama's and cat pictures and cat stuffed animals never equaled one living cat. It was difficult being a mother at times, especially when unable to give a daughter something as simple as a cat.
However, Mrs. Coda had begun noticing that Claire's imagination had improved greatly as a result of not getting a cat. Claire's cat drawings were very interesting and showed real promise. That burning desire for a cat needed to be expressed and Claire found drawing to be just the right kind of activity. So now Mrs. Coda was faced with a problem: if she got a cat Claire might stop developing her talent for drawing. Mrs. Coda didn't want that to happen, but she didn't want her daughter to be unhappy either.
Claire's imagination was learning to spread its wings. This particular morning it was soaring, thought Mrs. Coda.
"Oh, what a lovely cat," said Mrs. Coda staring into the vacant yard below.
"Where?" asked Claire, "I don't see it."
"He's a cute cat, Claire."
"How do you know it's a he?" questioned Claire.
"Well, Claire..." Mrs. Coda yawned, "It's so early." Playing make-believe at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning was not easy for older, tired people.
"You didn't really see it, did you, mom?"
"Claire," Mrs. Coda hugged her creative daughter, "someday we'll get you a cat. I promise with all my heart."
"Mom, I'm not making this up! There really was a cat. A big white fluffy cat. Right there," said Claire gesturing to the sill.
"Claire, it must've been one amazing cat to have climbed THREE floors."
"It was," Claire reminded her.
Mrs. Coda leaned over to kiss Claire. She began thinking that it probably was time to get Claire a cat after all, Claire's imagination was getting a little too extreme. Three floors! Mrs. Coda laughed to herself.
"Oh, Claire..."
But then Mrs. Coda noticed something, "Oh, my --"
There were paw prints on the narrow window ledge outside of Claire's bedroom. Three storeys above the yard? Impossible. The morning dew was imprinted with cat paws. There had been a cat there after all.
"-- You weren't kidding. I see it, Claire!"
"Where?"
"Foot prints. There," Mrs. Coda's finger tapped the bottom of the window.
"I told you!" said Claire proudly as her mother opened the window and stuck her head out into the chilly morning air. She searched high and low but no other signs of cats were on or near the building.
"But it's impossible..." admitted a bewildered Mrs. Coda closing the window. She turned toward Claire with a big, broad, tender smile and knelt beside her, "Tell me again what happened."
Claire explained the light snow, the thick clouds, the sudden storm, and then the magic cat. Mrs. Coda had some trouble with this explanation but no matter how imaginative it seemed to be, a cat had somehow gotten up on the third floor window ledge.
"I'm going to call it Snowy!" announced Claire, "I wish I had a thousand of them!" This was the third time today she wished for a cat.
“Surprise!” shouted her room. Her room?
Suddenly, the cat Claire had been drawing sprang to life and jumped off the page! Her stuffed animals began purring! Cats popped out of her bedspread!
Hundreds of cats appeared and went straight to Claire.
"Oh, Claire!" said her startled mother, "We should've gotten you ONE cat!"
Claire was covered with cats, on her head, around her neck, cats climbing her front and back, legs and feet. Claire squirmed and fell over on the bed.
They tickled; she laughed. They licked; she giggled, and giggled and giggled and giggled...
"Claire!" called out her worried mother, "Claire --"
But it was too late.
Claire began floating upward and vanished right through the ceiling, right through the roof, right into the sky. With these cats anything was possible. The cats were clouds carrying her way way away.
And up they soared.
"Weee..." giggled Claire, "where are we going?"
A skyful of cats formed the word-- CATLAND.
"Catland!" Claire giggled with delight.
CATLAND. ONE WAY ONLY.
"I'm going to Catland! Ha ha ha..."
"No humans allowed!" sang a cat chorus, "never to return..."
"Never to what ?" asked Claire.
"Never to return..." purred some angelic cats.
Claire's giddiness stopped, "But --"
She began feeling whiskers popping out above her lip. When she went to feel them she scratched herself with her new paws!
"Uh-oh!"
Claire grabbed hold of a nearby rope but when she went to pull on it she found out it was her own tail!
WELCOME TO CATLAND said the great final sign outside the purrly gates.
"Never to return home ?" questioned Claire in a very unsteady voice. All she could hear now was purring everywhere. And it was getting louder and louder as she moved closer and closer.
"JOIN US!" purred the cat keepers at the entrance.
"I really just wanted one; I didn't want to become one," Claire attempted to explain.
"Hey, Claire," greeted the dazzling creature Claire had seen on her window ledge.
"Snowy, help me -- " said Claire desperately.
"Ask your mom," advised the cat.
"Meowm?" Claire blurted out
"She'll always take care of you!" said the cat wisely.
Claire tried to call her mom but the words came out as "meowm -- meowm -- meowmmmy!"
Luckily Claire heard a distant but familiar voice, "Claire. Claire. Claire..."
Mrs. Coda's voice had found Claire and could guide her return. Claire felt herself being pulled back, falling, falling, dropping out of the Catland sky.
"Meowmmmeee..." she cried out.
"Claire..." whispered Mrs. Coda gently.
Claire woke and found herself flopped in bed squirming underneath the covers. Pillows and blankets and stuffed animals were piled all over her.
"Where've you been?" asked Mrs. Coda leaning over and brushing the hair from Claire's sleepy face.
"Mom?" Claire opened her eyes.
"I heard you laughing in your sleep."
"I guess I was ..." said Claire looking around to see if there were any real cats. "I went to Catland."
"Where?"
"Cat heaven, I guess."
"Oh, Claire." Mrs. Coda sat on the edge of Claire's bed. "Normal Heaven's not good enough for you?" she kidded.
Meow...
Claire acted as if she didn't hear what she heard.
"Hear anything strange, sweetie?" asked Mrs. Coda.
Claire sat up. The meowing had stopped but there was a faint purring sound, at least Claire thought it might be.
"Is my birthday girl going sleep all day like a lazy cat?" Mrs. Coda winked, and then sneezed, Ah-choo!
Meow...
"Mom, I think I hear..."
"What?"
"Never mind," Claire said, not wanting to be disappointed. I've got cats on the brain, thought Claire –
Catland,
snow cats,
drawings and stuffed animals that come alive,
flying carpet cats –
But then Mrs. Coda sneezed again, twice: Ah-choo, ah-choo!
Meow...
“Mom, I'm feeling strange," Claire confessed, ready to admit she had a cat problem.
"I'm feeling strange too," sniffled Mrs. Coda, "but --."
Mrs. Coda reached into a box hidden behind her robe and lifted up something. Claire's eyes almost popped out! On her lap her mother placed a small, soft, puffy, pure-white, real live kitten. Her birthday present.
"Mom!" Claire grabbed the cat, almost smothering the furry fairy-like creature.
"Happy birthday!" Mrs. Coda smiled.
"-- thank you!"
"I'll bet you wished you had a dozen of them, huh, Clair?"
"No way!" Claire said sharply, gleefully, "One is plenty!"
Mother and daughter (and cat) hugged for the longest time.
"What do you want to call -- it!!" sneezed Mrs. Coda into the sleeve of her handy robe.
Claire had that reply all figured out -- "Snowy would be nice, but I really like -- Meowmee!"
"Meowmee is perfect !" Mrs. Coda sniffled and kissed kissed kissed her birthday girl.