Mrs. Washington stared at the car as her neighbor drove away. The young man seemed stressed. Coming out dressed like a hooligan, lights on to all hours of the night, yelling about demon cats and now pretending he had lost reception on the phone. Yeah he was heading for a mental breakdown. She smiled. It would be wonderful to watch. Maybe she would invite Mr. Paris over so they could watch the show together.
Humming to herself she went back to shaping her bushes and cutting off the flowered heads of the cursed orange roses.
It was well into the night before Fred made it back home. His car was loaded with his various purchases from the stores and his mind clearer than it had been in a long while. He sighed pleased that he had accomplished his to-do list and now all that remained was setting up the new cat stuff, fixing dinner and then writing. “Yep I'm getting things done today!” cheered Fred as he pulled into his driveway.
Demon watched as the car pulled up in the driveway. Her tail twitched in irritation. She was hungry and the man dared to leave her without any food. How inconsiderate, how rude. She thought she had broken it to him that she must be fed and that she was the ruler of this domain. How dare he not provide for her needs. That was alright she would fix that attitude of his. Smiling to herself she licked her paw and groomed brushed her ears, excitement ruffling her fur at the thought of the upcoming entertainment.
Whistling to himself Fred hopped up each step. So very pleased with himself on not only had he completed his to-do list but a thrill of joy shoot through him every time he thought of hanging up on Mary. It felt good to get the last word. Smirking to himself Fred placed the bags onto the welcome mat. With his hands unburdened he ruffled through his keys until he found the right one. Inserting it in the lock he turned it and jiggled it for a minute until it unlocked. Pushing in the door he yelled out a ridiculous cherry greeting.
“Cat, I have arrived!” Hmm thought Fred it feels nice to come home to someone even if it's just a cat. Picking up the bags Fred took two steps inside before giving a yelp of surprise as his legs slipped from under him. Trying to hold onto the bags and maintain his balance Fred swung from one side to the other trying without success to get his feet steady under him. Instead he ended up sliding down the wooden floor into the wall. Which he promptly bounced off of and landed on his butt with a crash. The bags slipping from his grasp landed sideways on the floor spilling their contents.
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Demon watched the proceedings from her now favorite position on the ottoman. A Cheshire grin spreading across her face, culminating into its full form as the man fell onto his butt on the floor. Cackling to herself she thought this will teach him. So focused was she on the man's sad attempts to rise that it took her several minutes before she realized that she had been sniffing the air repeatedly. A heavenly scent was permeating the area. What is it she wondered? She had smelled this before at the shelter but had never been able to find its origins.
Sniffing, she tried to ignore it but... It smelled so heavenly. How could she ignore it? Standing she stretched first her front legs then her back giving each a good shake before jumping from the ottoman to the sofa and finally to the floor. Was the smell coming from the man? She crossed to the man paying no attention as he moved slowly and cautiously from his back to his front and using the wall as support to get to his feet while muttering curses under his breath. Instead she followed the scent, weaving effortless through the various items on the oil slicked floor until she reached the source of the smell. With no hesitation she dived head first into the fallen bag, ignoring the man’s angry squawking. The smell was indeed stronger here but she could see nothing that might be the cause; perhaps it was hiding from her. Well she was an apex predator after all. She would find the animal that scent belonged to and... and... ohhh, ohhh, this is nice. This is heaven. This is so MINE!
Fred looked down at the cat whose bottom and tail were the only things visible from the opening of the big brown paper bag. He wanted to be angry. He should be angry, but watching that little butt and tail wiggle while hearing the bag rustle was too cute.
“Well I guess you found the catnip huh? I really shouldn’t let you have it after this latest stunt you pulled. What in the world did you do this time? Moving carefully and using the wall for support Fred slipped and slid down the hall back to the front door where he turned on the light. To find himself covered in grease and most puzzling of all was the white fluffy stuff. Picking a ball of it from his pant’s leg he squeezed it between his fingers. It felt springy, coarse and durable. He held it pinched between his thumb and index finger and used his other hand to try and tear it apart. It wouldn’t yield. Shaking his head he threw the piece on the floor. Cautiously he sniffed his hand and was relieved to recognize the smell as baby oil.