Episode Three:
Tiger Saves the Day
I am Tiger and I am a very good teacher. I like my new identity of being Lily’s teacher. It makes me feel like I’m a cool tiger because I’m helping someone. Okay, so big splash/little splash wasn’t my intention, but it was effective. I must be a natural. Still, it did, however, have some unintended consequences….
I woke up from a nap in the sun a while later when I heard Abigail come inside from playing with the boy next door. I heard the gentle thud of her shoes being kicked off, and then her excited feet padding into the kitchen.
“Oooh, Mom! Can I have brownies?”
“Sure… Just one, though, sweetie. I’ll be starting dinner soon,” Mom replied.
Abigail was about ⅔ of the way to the brownie pan when I heard Mom say angrily, “Wait, Abigail. What is this??”
My ears folded backward. I didn’t like it when people raised their voices, especially if it was at me or Abigail. “Abigail, why did you put your sock and my shoe in the sink?”
“I...whattt?”
“Don’t pretend, young lady; that is not funny.”
Abigail walked up and spotted the floating gross sock in a pot full of tomato bits and water from spaghetti last night. She snorted, which didn’t help her seem innocent.
Abigail realized her mistake a moment later as Mom’s eyebrows raised higher up her forehead. “Abigail, I’m very disappointed with you. No iPad tonight, and no brownies this evening.”
Abigail's face quickly took on a look of horror. “But I wasn’t even inside!” she shouted.
“Well, the sock and shoe didn’t find their way into the kitchen sink by themselves.” Mom looked at Lily’s bowl. “And Lily sure didn’t put them in there.”
Oh no. This was not what it was supposed to be like. Of course Lily didn’t put them in there. But Abigail didn’t either. I thought hard about how I could get Mom to see it had been me. After all, it was my fault, and as a tiger it's my duty to protect my Abigail.
I walked up to Mom and began rubbing against her legs. When she just reached down and scratched me briefly on the head before turning back to a mopey Abigail, I reached up like I was stretching and gently let my claws catch on her legs.
“Tiger, no,” Mom said briskly, yanking her leg away from my claws. I retracted them as quickly as possible, but the fabric of her pants still caught and dragged one of my paws forward with her leg.
What do they think, that I’m just some small little house cat?
“Maybe Tiger did it!” Abigail said, her eyes wide with wonder, now looking more impressed than mortified. How I do love my Abigail.
Mom was still not convinced.
“Can I please have a brownie?” Abigail asked, standing on her tiptoes to catch a glimpse of what was in the pan.
“No,” Mom said sharply. “I already said no brownies, as a consequence for you putting a sock and a shoe in the sink.”
“But you said I could before!”
Mom walked over to the brownie tray to cover it.
And then, she saw the brownies.
“Oh, Tiger!” Mom gasped.
Abigail hurried over to the counter and then I heard her groan, “Oh, Tiger, why’d you have to do that?!” She bent down, scooped me up in a bear hug around my belly and lifted me off the ground. “You’re being a destructive little tiger.” It’s such a weird way Abigail picks me up, but I don’t mind because I like Abigail so much.
“I’m sorry, Abigail.” Mom said. “We need to get Tiger some new toys or something. Crazy cat.”
How is it fair that Abigail was going to get in big trouble for the shoe in the sink but instead I get toys?? Cool! I’ll have to think of something bigger to drop in the sink next time!
“Abigail, why don’t you feed Tiger and Lily. Do you remember how?” asked Mom.
Abigail set me down on a kitchen chair as she went to retrieve the little container of fish food. It had a really strong seafood smell. I leapt up on the counter in order to get a better look of Abigail feeding Lily.
“Watch, Tiger.” Abigail dropped these really tiny pellets into the water, and they floated down. Lily’s little mouth opened and closed, catching them as they fell. She spun excitedly in circles. It was such an amazing thing. So graceful, like an Olympic figure skater flying and twirling through the air.
Abigail then scooped me back up in her two-hands-under-the-tummy style, like a forklift. When she set me down to give me my chicken pate cat food, I decided to try imitating Lily. I took a few steps back, and after Abigail had scooped the food onto my plate, I leapt through the air, pouncing on my food. I landed right on target… My paws slid through the chicken pate and I slipped across the floor, sliding over the plate of food and crashing headlong into the wall behind it.
“Tiger!” Abigail said in a surprised voice. “Mom, I think Tiger’s trying to show off for Lily.”
“Show off?” Mom said skeptically. I felt my whiskers twitch in embarrassment. I wasn’t trying to show off. I was just trying to swim through the air like how Lily eats food. “Well, something’s definitely gotten into him.”
I backed away from the wall, thinking about what Abigail had said about showing off for Lily. I can see why she’d say that; Lily does have a sort of magic to her. Who else can float around so gracefully?
I licked some of the chicken pate off my paws. It was a great pounce. I won’t be eating my dinner from the plate tonight, as it's all over my paws and a bit on my stomach, but no matter. My cat food is finger-licking good.
I woke up from a nap in the sun a while later when I heard Abigail come inside from playing with the boy next door. I heard the gentle thud of her shoes being kicked off, and then her excited feet padding into the kitchen.
“Oooh, Mom! Can I have brownies?”
“Sure… Just one, though, sweetie. I’ll be starting dinner soon,” Mom replied.
Abigail was about ⅔ of the way to the brownie pan when I heard Mom say angrily, “Wait, Abigail. What is this??”
My ears folded backward. I didn’t like it when people raised their voices, especially if it was at me or Abigail. “Abigail, why did you put your sock and my shoe in the sink?”
“I...whattt?”
“Don’t pretend, young lady; that is not funny.”
Abigail walked up and spotted the floating gross sock in a pot full of tomato bits and water from spaghetti last night. She snorted, which didn’t help her seem innocent.
Abigail realized her mistake a moment later as Mom’s eyebrows raised higher up her forehead. “Abigail, I’m very disappointed with you. No iPad tonight, and no brownies this evening.”
Abigail's face quickly took on a look of horror. “But I wasn’t even inside!” she shouted.
“Well, the sock and shoe didn’t find their way into the kitchen sink by themselves.” Mom looked at Lily’s bowl. “And Lily sure didn’t put them in there.”
Oh no. This was not what it was supposed to be like. Of course Lily didn’t put them in there. But Abigail didn’t either. I thought hard about how I could get Mom to see it had been me. After all, it was my fault, and as a tiger it's my duty to protect my Abigail.
I walked up to Mom and began rubbing against her legs. When she just reached down and scratched me briefly on the head before turning back to a mopey Abigail, I reached up like I was stretching and gently let my claws catch on her legs.
“Tiger, no,” Mom said briskly, yanking her leg away from my claws. I retracted them as quickly as possible, but the fabric of her pants still caught and dragged one of my paws forward with her leg.
What do they think, that I’m just some small little house cat?
“Maybe Tiger did it!” Abigail said, her eyes wide with wonder, now looking more impressed than mortified. How I do love my Abigail.
Mom was still not convinced.
“Can I please have a brownie?” Abigail asked, standing on her tiptoes to catch a glimpse of what was in the pan.
“No,” Mom said sharply. “I already said no brownies, as a consequence for you putting a sock and a shoe in the sink.”
“But you said I could before!”
Mom walked over to the brownie tray to cover it.
And then, she saw the brownies.
“Oh, Tiger!” Mom gasped.
Abigail hurried over to the counter and then I heard her groan, “Oh, Tiger, why’d you have to do that?!” She bent down, scooped me up in a bear hug around my belly and lifted me off the ground. “You’re being a destructive little tiger.” It’s such a weird way Abigail picks me up, but I don’t mind because I like Abigail so much.
“I’m sorry, Abigail.” Mom said. “We need to get Tiger some new toys or something. Crazy cat.”
How is it fair that Abigail was going to get in big trouble for the shoe in the sink but instead I get toys?? Cool! I’ll have to think of something bigger to drop in the sink next time!
“Abigail, why don’t you feed Tiger and Lily. Do you remember how?” asked Mom.
Abigail set me down on a kitchen chair as she went to retrieve the little container of fish food. It had a really strong seafood smell. I leapt up on the counter in order to get a better look of Abigail feeding Lily.
“Watch, Tiger.” Abigail dropped these really tiny pellets into the water, and they floated down. Lily’s little mouth opened and closed, catching them as they fell. She spun excitedly in circles. It was such an amazing thing. So graceful, like an Olympic figure skater flying and twirling through the air.
Abigail then scooped me back up in her two-hands-under-the-tummy style, like a forklift. When she set me down to give me my chicken pate cat food, I decided to try imitating Lily. I took a few steps back, and after Abigail had scooped the food onto my plate, I leapt through the air, pouncing on my food. I landed right on target… My paws slid through the chicken pate and I slipped across the floor, sliding over the plate of food and crashing headlong into the wall behind it.
“Tiger!” Abigail said in a surprised voice. “Mom, I think Tiger’s trying to show off for Lily.”
“Show off?” Mom said skeptically. I felt my whiskers twitch in embarrassment. I wasn’t trying to show off. I was just trying to swim through the air like how Lily eats food. “Well, something’s definitely gotten into him.”
I backed away from the wall, thinking about what Abigail had said about showing off for Lily. I can see why she’d say that; Lily does have a sort of magic to her. Who else can float around so gracefully?
I licked some of the chicken pate off my paws. It was a great pounce. I won’t be eating my dinner from the plate tonight, as it's all over my paws and a bit on my stomach, but no matter. My cat food is finger-licking good.
Next > Episode Four: Blue Fish
