I Told You So!!!

by Fern and Maddie

Last Halloween I swore Fern was not going to scare me again this year. That cat does it to me every single year. When I say scary things that go bump in the night, I suspect you get an idea. But, despite all of my best laid plans, I was gotten. Let me tell you how.

This year I woke up firm in my resolution not to be scared. I stretched, looked around and saw Fern. “Meowsie,” I mewed hoping for a sisfurly greeting in return. Fern licked her lips, and I got just a tiny bit scared. Pretending to be brave, I sauntered on little cat’s feet (a Carl Sandburg joke there) to the food dish, but I was really very cautious. Nothing jumped out at me so I started to eat. All of a sudden Fern walked up behind me. I panicked and ran from the food dish. I knew that cat was up to something, and I wasn’t going to get caught. Fern looked, smiled and started finishing my breakfast.

Later, I was stretched out on the mat in the sun from the front door. My fur was warm, and I was cozy and drowsy. But I knew something was up when the sun stopped shining. I opened my eyes, and there was a giant shadow, a huge, bigger than I’ve even seen shadow. I jumped and ran half scared out of my mind. Yup, you guessed it. It was just Fern blocking the sun. She looked up me, sat down on my spot, curled up and fell asleep.

As the day got older, I got more and more scared. With not much time left to Halloween, I knew I was a target. I looked around every corner. Before I jumped on the bed, I lifted the covers and looked underneath. I checked the water and the food dish for spiders. I was even afraid to eat my dinner. Fern took care of it for me. If I heard a paw step, I ran and hid. If Fern couldn’t find me, she couldn’t scare me.

As it neared midnight, I was so scared all four of my knees knocked. My whiskers twitched. I was a wreck. As the gong hit twelve, and the day was over, I was exhausted. I had spent the entire day hiding, hadn’t eaten at all and had jumped at every sound. Fern then came around the corner. She was whistling, a most uncharacteristic behavior for a cat. “You didn’t get me this year, Fern.” She laughed and said, “Yes, I did, and I didn’t do a single thing.” She was absolutely right. I was scared the entire day, and I did it all to myself. Next year, I swear she won’t get me!

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