Week Twelve: Storytelling

Tom had always lived in his brother's shadow. Being the second born cat to a king and queen cat, Tom was always compared to his brother Tim. Tim was the older, bigger cat. He was in line to become king soon and everyone loved him. First in school, athletic and popular, Tim was the perfect child. Their parents fawned over Tim, destined to take the cat crown and carry on their father's legacy.

Tommy on the other hand was the opposite. Not a bad cat, but not as perfectly rounded as Tim. Tom loved his brother, obviously, but was secretly very jealous of all his status and position. When their father died, Tim became King of all the Cats. And Tom was still nothing. Bitter and jealous, Tom ran away a week later. He found a nice home in the woods and a older couple to take care of him. He caught mice in their barn and napped on their rug by the fire. At his nice home he was no longer "Tim's kid brother," here he was a beloved part of the family.

He spent many years with the older couple. During this time he never went back to his home or checked on his family members. Sometimes he'd hear some news: Tim got married, visited a neighboring cat society, blah blah. Tom never told any cats he met that he was Tim's brother. He didn't want to be in Tim's shadow any more.

One day, as Tom was falling asleep on the warm rug after having a delicious can of Fancy Feast and a dish of milk, his owner barged in. He was sweaty like he had just gone for a run and was frantically yelling Tom's name. Why is he calling for me? Tommy wondered. He doesn't know my real name.

The older woman calmed her husband and asked him what in the world was going on. As Tommy's master retold the story, Tommy was in shock. Apparently, his master was at a graveyard and had witnessed a traditional cat death processional. Nine black cats with white spots on their chests, like Tommy, were carrying a cat coffin to a new grave. They came and stared at the old man and then one stepped forward and told him to tell Tommy that Tim is dead.

By the time his master had gotten through the story, Tommy knew what it meant. He kept meowing as he got more and more excited. Tim had gotten married but he had never had kittens. That meant that Tommy was now the King of the Cats! He could barely believe it! He meowed loudly and then rushed out the door, never looking back.

Author's Note. This story is based off of The King o' The Cats. I kept most of the original plot line and the same story theme. The only thing I changed was the point of view. The original was told from a third person point of view, focusing on the human couple. The husband walks in and retells the story and when he finishes their cat, Tommy, runs away saying he will be king. I took that idea but told the story from the cat's point of view. I thought it would make an interesting twist.

Bibliography. The King o' The Cats by John D. Batten (1894) English Fairytales Unit (2). Picture Source.