Leah, A Short Story

Once upon a time, there was a cat named Leah. 🐱

At three months old, she parked herself under the stairs of some college freshman’s apartment. As she lay stealthily in the monkey grass, she planned how she would take over the world one species at a time. When the young man came home from school, it was her chance to act. She jumped out from underneath the steps and mustered up her best meow. Her first objective was a success. She was taken inside and fed taco meat. She never left.

The man would take her on car rides to pick up his gf & friends from their classes or even long trips to his hometown. Leah knew that most young men get dogs, so she made sure to come to her name when called and learned to play fetch. Her life was perfect.

A few months went by, and the man brought something black and fluffy home with big ears. Leah showed this new species her dominance & scratched its eyeball. The man was upset, but Leah was victorious. As time went by, another dog entered her life. Then another and another. And, then worst still, another cat. What were these people thinking? Hadn’t she been enough? The new cat hid behind corners & unexpectedly pancaked her. Life couldn’t get any worse.

More and more cats & an entire farm of animals eventually entered Leah’s life. Her plans of world domination diminished with age. She had no idea there were so many species. Sixteen years of classified operations had taken its toll, & Leah was tired. She resigned herself to the yellow front porch rocker to leisurely watch the birds she longed to chase.

One sunny afternoon, one of the man’s children left a doughnut on the ground. Remarkably, no else saw the doughnut, so Leah pounced on the opportunity. As she slowly crept towards it, she heard rustling in the monkey grass. Determined she would be beat out any opponents for the treat despite her bony stature, she dared not look what or who it could be.

A multicolored rock slowly waddled towards the prize. Unsure of moving rocks, Leah stepped back. Then another smaller rock attached to a wrinkled extender gradually arose from the bigger rock. To her great surprise, an eye blinked, a mouth opened, & a friendship was made.