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How the Cat Charms Birds

A New Horizon Story

By H.L. DowlessPublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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Once there was a bright red bird,

who spoke his mind with big loud words,

while he sat on a springy hickory limb.

Well, one day when he was sitting, thinking,

a sly black Tom cat eased up slowly, slinking

along the chinked log wall of the old tobacco barn,

toward the bright little red bird.

The old cat suddenly appeared, silently sitting,

watching with big hungry eyes. At first, the bird never noticed,

but suddenly his shy small caught sight of the big black cat.

“Cat,” he boisterously yelled, “you do not look so big and mean

from way up here. I will bet that you are not even half as tough

or as smart as everybody tells me that you are!”

The cat smiled showing his long sharp teeth,

pausing, gazing up at the bird, then saying;

“Well then, what are you afraid of so? If you

really believe what you are, then let me take

ten steps closer.”

“O.K. then,” replied the bird.

So the cat eased up ten steps closer.

The bird suddenly spoke up.

“Cat if you are trying to scare me, then do try again...

If you are trying to test my bravery, then please take ten more,

and then you will see just who is the bravest little red bird

in all of this land!”

So the sly black Tom cat eased up ten more steps.

“Oh cat, you slick devil you,” quoth the bird.

“We all shall see that you are not nearly so wise or

tough, if with us you would just be level.

So if you feel real good, then just take ten more steps,

right away!”

So the cat eased up ten more steps.

The bird exploded into laughter, pointing and saying;

“Oh cat, you just look funnier as you get dumber.

So why don’t you just take ten more steps, and you

will see that I am the bravest little bird in all the land indeed!”

Now the cat drooled and licked his lips as he sat upon

his hind legs gazing up at the little red bird talking trash

high upon the hickory limb, and said;

“Bird…, oh you just don’t know, do you?

If you are truly the bravest little bird in all the land,

then you’ll let me take ten more steps closer…”

The bird paused, and spoke out loud in a boastful voice..;

“Well...now cat there...just let me see..,

that would place you directly underneath this tree…,

yes.., right beside the trunk. So do you see,

I fear not, there old cat.

Please then, say it out loud, that you think that

I am the bravest little bird in all of this land!”

The cat then smiled broadly, drooling

as he gazed upward at the bird.

“Oh no, no, no,” replied the sly Tom cat.

“Not until you come down at least two limbs,

then I may venture to say that you are the

bravest little red bird in all of this great land!”

Well.., the little red bird suddenly broke into a

big cold sweat, because he was now right above the

cat’s smiling face...When he forced himself to look down,

he could only see grinning blood colored lips and

long sharp teeth.

“Well now,” said the bird, “I just don’t know,

how far I can go without risking my safety so..”

The smiling cat then replied…;

“Oh come now...if ye truly fear not,

you will calmly land on my tongue.

Then and only then, will we both be true adventurers,

dare I say, swashbuckling brothers of the blood,

living together for ever, as one among the same.”

“I do not know,” trembled the bird as he spoke.

“I just don’t know if I should. My dear Mother always

said never to accept a foolish test,

and she most certainly always knew best!”

“Well just look at yourself,

you are a big bird now…,” snarled the old black cat.

“Only mama’s birds fear and worry. So if you are the bravest

little red bird in all of this land, then just right here,

on my tongue!”

The old cat instantly stuck out his long purple tongue.

The little red bird’s heart raced as he fought with himself

to push the fear out of his mind. And when at long last

he had built up his nerve, he suddenly pounced…,

landing flat footed there on the cat’s tongue, with his toes spread.

“Just look at me now,” screamed the little red bird.

Now tell me just who is the bravest little red bird in all of

this great land!”

The cat suddenly snapped his tongue back into his mouth,

smiling comfortably, completely satisfied as he walked back toward

the drainage pipe in the ditch that he called home.

So now the whole world knows just how the sly old black Tom

cat charms birds...Never should sweet children be like those birds

charmed by the old Tom cat.

birdcat
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About the Creator

H.L. Dowless

The author is an international ESL instructor. He has been a writer and author for ever thirty years. His latest publications were in the area of nonfiction with a company called Algora and fiction in Vinculink, or purchase through Amazon.

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