😼 Charlie
There once was a cat named Charlie. He lived in a large mysterious house. At least it seemed large and mysterious on the day that Charlie moved in. Charlie was so curious. He had to search every room of the house, peek in every closet, and poke his head under every piece of furniture. It was very exciting!
By now, Charlie knew the house better than any of the other animals who lived in it. He knew where all of the best hiding places were, so he could hide whenever the other animals most wanted to find him. Charlie didn't really have any reason to hide, except that he knew they wanted to find him.
Most of the other animals that lived in Charlie's house were tall and walked on two legs. He didn't know exactly how many of them there were for Charlie wasn't very good at counting, but he knew them all by sight, and sound, and smell. Charlie knew which ones were most likely to pet him, which were most likely to tease him, and which were most likely to get after him for making too much noise. He especially liked the tall animal with the long dark hair who fed him every morning. Charlie slept on her bed whenever he could get away with it.
Charlie liked to sleep as much as anything, and he spent a large portion of his time doing it. Besides sleeping, Charlie most enjoyed eating, being petted, and of course, playing. Charlie loved to run and jump and pounce and chase and stalk. You never knew what might happen when Charlie was wound up. Nothing left on the floor was ever safe when Charlie was around, for that was Charlie's territory. Pens, pencils, and spools of thread would disappear for days and even Charlie couldn't recall where he'd left them.
There was another four-legged animal living in the house with Charlie. His name was Woof or something like it. Woof wasn't very smart but sometimes Charlie would play with him anyway. Woof would just be lying around like the lazy animal he was when Charlie would sneak up and pounce on him. Woof would jump up and Charlie would take off for the easy chair. Secure in his fortress, Charlie would be waiting when Woof came charging, making all of the noise in the world. As soon as Woof got too close Charlie would reach out and bat him all over his face. Then Woof would smile that big stupid smile of his and Charlie would bat him in the face again. What a stupid animal!
Another of Charlie's favorite things was when the tall animal with the long hair (who fed him) would open the curtains to reveal the large moving picture of the great outdoors. Charlie would sit on the little ledge and stare at it for hours. He would see grass and trees, the large machines that rolled along the wide path, and the various animals that walked, ran, skipped, and jumped along the narrow paths. Charlie was especially interested in the tightrope walker with the bushy tail, and the flying creatures who perched in the trees and hopped on the grass. If only he could be outside where they were, then he'd have a wonderful time. Charlie didn't really want to hurt the little creatures. He just wanted to eat them.
Charlie loved to hunt. Whenever a fly would get into the house Charlie would feel like a jungle cat again, stalking it from room to room. Sometimes he would even catch one. They weren't very good to eat but they were great fun to hunt. But houseflies were not exactly a worthy prey for a feline hunter of his stature. That is why Charlie always had a deep longing for the world outside, a world that Charlie always dreamed would be filled with great adventure. At least it was filled with the little flying creatures.
One day Charlie had a plan. He wanted to explore the world outside and he knew just how to do it. Every morning the large animal who always got after Charlie for making too much noise, would get up to let Woof outside. All Charlie had to do was hide near the door and wait for it to open. The plan worked like a charm. As soon as the door opened Charlie was gone. Charlie heard the large animal yell, "You stupid cat." Charlie didn't know what that meant but he knew he'd better take cover. There was a large rolling machine in the path by the house and Charlie darted under it. The large animal got down on the ground beside the rolling machine, reached his arm under, and tried to grab Charlie, but Charlie just moved away. The large animal got up, walked around the machine, got down, and tried to reach him from the other side, but Charlie, being more intelligent, just moved back to where he was before.
Then Charlie heard the door open and close, and the voice of the tall animal with long hair saying, "What's the matter, dear?" "Your stupid cat went under the car," the large animal growled. The tall animal with long hair knelt down by the machine, poked her face under, and said, "Come on Charlie, come to Mommy."
Charlie thought to himself, "Should I go to her? Maybe she'll feed me. Nah, I've always wanted to explore this great big world and this may be my only chance to do it." Just then the large animal reached under the machine with a long stick and almost hit Charlie. Charlie flew out the back, but he didn't get very far before the tall animal with long hair scooped him up. "You naughty kitty," she scolded and she took him in the house and fed him. So much for Charlie's great adventure. Charlie thought to himself, "If only I'd run a little faster, she never would have caught me, but, perhaps I wanted her to catch me. Anyway, I can always try again, sometime, when they least expect it."
The End
