*Summer Cat, Winter Kitty

Intro: I had every intention of making this a fantasy story. As my husband and I were driving to the gym one morning we saw several cats along the side of the road. One was still fairly young and I said "What a cute kitten." "No," my husband said. "That's a cat. It just shrunk because it is cold. They get bigger in the summer because of the heat." That was where my story was headed. Who knows, maybe I'll write that story later. (And this is my 300th post on Blogger. Kind of cool that it is also the first one of the year.)

Stephanie loved cats, but her mother didn't. They lived in the country and owned a farm. Stephanie helped feed the 10 chickens, 9 cows, 8 pigs, 7 sheep, 6 rabbits, 5 geese, 4 horses, 3 dogs, and 2 goats. She liked counting all of the animals as she fed them. Her father and brother would help her with the larger animals but most of the time they were busy in the field. Occasionally she fed the cats that came around the farm but her mother scolded her.

"Don't feed the cats. They can find their own food."

Stephanie agreed and didn't feed the cats but still tried to pet them every time she saw one. They ran away and sat on top of the fence posts. One cat in particular always came around the same time and left presents for her at the door. The cat was gray and white and looked twice as big as the other cats. The presents weren't pretty and Stephanie wasn't sure what they were exactly, but her mother didn't like them. Her mother would edge around them and use a shovel to take them away and bury them. She never said anything about them.

When winter came the snowdrifts covered the fence posts. Stephanie trudged through the snow in pathways her father and brothers made. Her mother always made sure she bundled up before going out to feed the animals.

Other pathways were in the snow and once or twice Stephanie watched cats walk along the crusted top. She tried to walk on top of the snow but every time her boots broke through and once she had to yell for someone to help her.

One day, when she was walking back to the house after feeding the goats when she heard a meow. She looked up and walking across the snowdrift was a small gray and white kitten. Stephanie stayed completely still as the kitten leapt from the snow and landed on her shoulder. It snuggled its head under her chin and purred. She held the kitty steady and walked back to the house.

"Can I keep it?" She asked her mother. Her mother looked at the kitten and sighed. "Not in the house. Keep it in one of the barns."

Stephanie let out a small noise of delight and hugged her mother. "Thanks. I'll take good care of it, I promise."

All winter long, Stephanie checked on the little kitten and played with it in the barn. When spring came and the snow melted Stephanie let the little kitten out of the barn. The next day as she trudged through the mud she saw two cats, large gray one with a small one following behind. Stephanie went to pet the kitten but they both ran to the fence. When Stephanie went back to the house she noticed two presents lying in front of the door. Her mother stood at the screen looking out at the fence where the summer cat and winter kitty still sat.