never a dull night

The smell of pine drifted through the air courtesy of the candle Rebecca had lit. It was a special one she’d been saving for months now in anticipation for this special day: Christmas Tree day. Katie and her dad stood in front of the tree surveying their first step of work. The multicolored strings of lights clung tightly to the branches, looking only a little out of place beside the strings of white lights they ran out of mid-tree. Bean, their pudgy tabby cat, nestled under the tree, staking out her spot for the next few months. William reached down to pet her and remarked that he hadn’t seen Darwin- their lankier, more mischievous cat- in a while.

William dashed upstairs to check under all the beds and announced that he wasn’t there. A few of them went down to the basement making clicking sounds and shaking the treat bag in front of any dark nook and cranny. No cat emerged. Katie could feel her panic growing as she remembered the time Bean fell through the window screen and was lost for a whole day before anyone realized it. The family looked through the whole house twice, checking the orange shoebox he sleeps in even though one of his paws hangs out and his sanctuary under Rebecca’s bed. The mood was grim when Katie and her dad started grabbing for the flashlights.

The mud and soggy leaves squelched under their feet as they called for Darwin. The flashlight beams panned the front yard and abruptly froze when the pair heard a sound- a meow?. They rushed to find the source of the sound and longed to see his nose poke out of a bush or a flash of his tail as he ran past. Still, no luck. The wind blew through the holes in their mittens and straight to their bones. They knew Darwin couldn’t be out here all night. William joined them with another flashlight although he decided that Darwin must be inside because how could he have gotten out? 

Their search was fruitless and they went back to searching around inside. Katie was back by the orange shoebox when she heard a hey darwin! She rushed to the parents’ room where her dad held a squirming Darwin in his arms like a baby. Relief washed over her as she pet that innocent face. He’d been burrowed behind a tote bag in the back of their closet. They went back to the Christmas tree to greet the other cat who remained asleep despite the chaos. William turned the Christmas music louder and they reached for the sparkly ornaments strewn across the floor.

Bonus:

Darwin couldn’t stand the scent of pine. He darted upstairs in revulsion as soon as the scent made its way to where he was lounging on the couch. Checking that the “forbidden bedroom” was empty, he slipped in and wandered around to find another smaller room! He outstretched his paws, yawned, and decided to close his eyes.

Real footage of darwin after I try petting him

When he got kicked out of the closet and stole Bean’s spot