“Please? Please, please, please.”
“Yeah, sure. Alright already.”
The little girl watched him climb up on the ladder, grasp onto the lowest branch, and pull himself up. He heard the ladder fall, clattering to the ground, and shook his head. ‘Only me,” he thought.
“Up just a little higher,” he heard her voice.
Carefully looking up, he scanned the branches, and saw it, a little fur ball, mewling plaintively. “It’s okay, girl, I’ll get you down.” He reached up, as he steadied himself on the branch, close to the trunk of the tree. The thanks he got was a claw catching on his hand, and he started to pull back, felt gravity begin to pull at him, and thinking as quickly as he could, clutched another branch, just above his head. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he stood perfectly still, waiting to feel more steady.
He made the sound people make when calling cats, then said, “Come here, kitty.” It just mewled back, and he pulled himself up a few more inches, until he was nearer still, to the animal. Slowly, straining, he managed to put his hand around the little shaking body, and pulled in from it’s perch.
The world began turning, as he felt his foot slip off the branch, and unable to find it, fell, bringing the kitten to his chest, holding it carefully, and landed in a recently raked pile of leaves. It did little to ease touch down, and he felt something break, somewhere, and pain searing through him. He lay there, lifting his arm up toward the little girl who was now hovering over him, reaching for her lost pet.
“You’re my hero,” she said, taking the cat out of his hand.
“Anytime,” he heard himself say as he lost consciousness.
Quantum Hermit 
May 25, 2015 @ 19:48:07
funny and cute
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May 25, 2015 @ 20:10:27
Thank you!
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May 25, 2015 @ 19:48:42
We can only hope the kid knew how to dial 9-1-1. Or is there a whole unconscious dream sequence? Don’t tell us he just dies there. Nice guy anyway. See what a good writer you are? I’m all involved.
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May 25, 2015 @ 20:12:53
Oh, I never thought of the whole unconscious dream sequence. Great idea! Wonder what it would have been? Oh, I just had a thought!
Thank you!
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May 25, 2015 @ 19:50:05
LOL. Cute and totally plausible. I wonder how many people that’s happened to. Just think, only six more days to go!
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May 25, 2015 @ 20:15:41
Probably too many. I just remembered Groundhog day with Bill Murray always catching the kid who fell out of the tree, and the kid never once says thank you.
Oh is that what that light is, down by a week from today? But what will I do then?
Ack! 🙂
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May 25, 2015 @ 19:59:18
A great ending that left me thinking for a bit. I had to go and reread the story to get the ending.
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May 25, 2015 @ 20:17:21
Thank you! I knew he was going to fall. That is just the way it is… plus the prompt was about the hero not necessarily being up for the task, like being clutzy… thus, the ‘Only me’ thought.
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May 26, 2015 @ 05:47:29
Cats. Gotta love em. This brought back memories of a number of cats I once belonged to. One went up a very tall tree, too thin to climb. Had to leave him there because I was running late for class. This is a great beginning to a story. Or perhaps, a great ending. Or just fine as a vignette that it is, a flash piece, a glimpse. It’s a very tight piece of writing.
Yeah, and I found the Five guys post. I thought so…Calen is number one. I’m number five. You do say good stuff, though! And five is my number—has to do with “change.”
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May 26, 2015 @ 13:15:08
Thank you for your thoughts about the story! It was only meant to be a vignette.
I’m sure many (all probably) cat people have lots of stories to tell… This was part of A Story A Day challenge, and was supposed to be about the ‘hero’ who might not have been as able as he hoped for the job. I’ve been learning about flash fic… I love the idea. While I really appreciate a long read, there’s also something to be said for those stories which are short but sweet. I never knew about them before coming to blog-world.
Consider this my bad fishy friend… YOU are the foundation, the rock… Five is also the number of the teacher, which you also are! I just knew I wanted you in the list. There are quite many I am going to put in a 2nd list, just cause I can. 🙂
Maybe I’ll make it a weekly thing. Another neighbor, I read on here, has a great post she includes every week, of five sites of interest. That is a nice way to do it.
Great to see you back here. I know, as the summer comes in, you may be off on your adventures… We all will, perhaps. I want to get outside and sit, and walk, and commune. Not enough of that over winter.
Peace out, dude!
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May 27, 2015 @ 00:41:05
Well, all right! I’ve never been nobody’s rock before. And I never wanted to be a teacher, but ended up being one in real life (to pay the bills). I like the idea of sharing other sites…can I do that, too? This summer is being very odd: I have not made plans to go anywhere. And Hawaii seems a no go. I may just not travel at all, and just stay home and write. Then I think, no, you should go some where. Then I think, no. Stay and write and learn PhotoShop. Then I think, go. Then I think…
(welcome to my brain).
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May 27, 2015 @ 11:17:34
I’ll bet you just never knew how many people you helped to build their foundation. Rocks are cool that way. For someone who didn’t want to be a teacher, you make a damned good one. Don’t know what you were like up at the head of the class, but I figure there was some amount of humor and stepping out of the box teaching.
Yes, you absolutely can share sites! I’m going with you do as many as you want. You can do it like we did it, or like Rosie Reast Writer does it… http://www.rosiereast.com/2015/05/25/5-sites-ive-enjoyed-25-05-15/
Wow, I can’t imagine you not traveling! But, why not go somewhere and hangout and write? But I so get the back and forth of should I? or Not? I’m feeling that on our next move which I just can’t see doing, not being far enough away from the last… Give me another winter here, and I might change my mind very quickly.
But you’ll figure it out, one way or the other.
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May 27, 2015 @ 22:31:37
Right…if I helped anyone build their foundation, I didn’t know it (and/or got a ration of crap for doing it the hard way is what I’m thinking). Maybe I’ll wait till I’m done with work to start sharing sites, I can barely keep up with stuff now, don’t need nuthin new on my plate, but love that idea! Summer travel? I guess it’s wait and see. I had a chance to housesit a guy’s house in Vientiane, Laos, for six weeks. Procrastination messed that up.
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May 27, 2015 @ 23:15:01
It’s still early in the season (not even summer yet) so I’ll hold hope for your adventure.
Your blog will still be here when you get back to share sites. Seems like everything online is almost eternal. 🙂
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May 27, 2015 @ 23:32:22
I really missed blogging during the last few weeks, missed the banter, and really didn’t like the lack of traffic to Badfish Cafe. Addiction runs in my family! I didn’t like the absence of visitors. Withdrawal is the pits. Summer—too many possibilities.
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May 28, 2015 @ 01:36:12
Moved this down below your last response, to give us more room. Getting squished by WordPress compactor…
I know that I’d feel the same way. This has become so much a part of my everyday that I have neglected many other things so I could be here, not just posting, but commenting, and enjoying the interaction!
As my favorite quote goes: what we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
I know that’s not always an option for everyone.
OH I like Badfish Café! What a great way to see it. The gathering place, where we are treated to good food, good friends, and good conversation!
Summer is only as many possibilities as we choose.
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May 29, 2015 @ 01:32:51
Yah, I almost named the blog Badfish Cafe, just opened an Instagram account (because I just popped for a smartphone after years of resisting them…and couldn’t open an account without one!!!), and named that account Badfish Cafe. How do you put those faces on comments?
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May 29, 2015 @ 12:57:00
Oh COOL!!!! The traveling café 🙂 <<<<< and are you speaking of that kind of face?
That's the smiley stuff… for instance, if you want to put a smiley like that one you use a colon : and the close parentheses ) together and you get 🙂 or you can use a colon : and a capital D and get 😀 or a semi colon ; plus the close parentheses 😉 for a wink.
If those are not the faces you're talking about… you're smoking something more potent than you thought I was smoking 😀
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May 29, 2015 @ 23:55:57
No, they showed up as yellow faces in that previous message…on both yours and the other person’s comments. In this comment, it’s a colon with a d, no face ;-P
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May 30, 2015 @ 00:42:58
oh wait… you might have your emos turned off. Check that out. Because you can have them turned off. If you turn them on, they’ll show up, and you too will be able to make 🙂 😉 😛 😀
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May 26, 2015 @ 09:36:05
You are hilarious and engaging in your writing. There is something about cats that just captivates. have you seen how many posts there are of cats on YouTube? It is insane. Funny post.
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May 26, 2015 @ 13:25:47
Thank you! Yes, there is something about cats. I’ve had them in my life since somewhere around when I was 3 years old (but I don’t remember that much)… This is the first time in my life when we have not had fur people sharing our home, adopting us, as it were. BUT, to compensate, I do have Cappy the sock monkey, Tess the Alpaca, and of course, Claire the adorable alponkey (aka furball), and let’s not forget Henry the bear, and Icarus (named for one of our actual kitties), and Pierre, the frog, and all the furbys and I can’t even put a name to them they’re so …. uhm…. interesting, on the stuffed critter front, and come in rainbow colors. whew, oh, yes, and my huge collection of little stuffed mice, and my collection of stuffed orcas.
And I’ve just been reminded by our kitchen guardians (the buffalo, lamb and Ms. Mouse) that they’re just as important. 🙂 Never a dull moment and sure helps us with our ventriloquism studies. 😀
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May 26, 2015 @ 13:33:09
Ha! ha! You should be writing for some comedy show because you come up with words on the fly. Wonderful imagination and ability to express at the snap of your fingers.
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May 26, 2015 @ 16:54:26
I think that would be too much pressure lol But thank you for believing I can do that 🙂
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