Louie and Krumpy were two cats from different tracks.
Louie lived above the train tracks in a lovely loft made of bricks, overlooking the water. Louie ate organic minced chicken and herring cat food. Louie’s white fur coat was brushed, and groomed, and was as soft as a cloud in the sky. Louie loved to look outside his big loft windows and listen to the birds sing in the morning. He longed to see what strange creatures made those terrific noises. They called to him.
Krumpy was brown and grey and lived on the other side of the train tracks. Krumpy’s fur coat was matted but she did her best to keep it clean. She lived near a tent by the water, and would splash about in the puddles by the lake. Krumpy would hunt fish, and birds, and field mice, and would sometimes leave them beside the tent for her friends that lived there. Krumpy loved when they would pet her. But they only pet her once in a while and she wished she could have friends that were there to pet her all the time.
One evening Krumpy travelled deeper into the city to see if she could find her friends. She carefully crossed over the train tracks and looked around in darkened laneways. She hunted some big mice by the garbage bin, and got yelled at for coming too close to a building that smelled of yummy things. Krumpy dodged big machines in the street and found more comfort in the back alleys away from all the noise a busy city night can bring.
At the same time, Louie was licking his lips from another delicious minced chicken and herring dinner and was just settling down by the window to look over the sounds of the night. Louie looked down at the lights in the street and the big machines that moved noisily underneath them. Louie longed to be out there sniffing the smells of the outdoor world. He longed to learn about the winding roads of the city and to travel down across the train tracks to the big lake water. He longed to be free.
As Krumpy was walking through the same streets, she came upon a gigantic looking structure with big giant windows and a tiny white cat sitting inside looking out. Krumpy climbed up a fire escape to get closer to the cat in the window but a big pair of arms came and scooped it up to take it away from where Krumpy could see. Krumpy longed for a big pair of arms to come scoop her up and keep her warm and cozy. Krumpy longed for a big place, across the train tracks, with big windows, where she would get endless pets and look down on the world safely.
Inside the loft, Louie struggled under his owner’s arms and longed to be back by the window. He squirmed about at first but the arms had big, clumsy hands, and they were petting him so nicely. They pulled his forehead close to give him a big kiss and placed him softly on his silk pillow. Louie slowly drifted off to sleep and dreamt of being free by the water, with no hands to scoop him, where he could explore the wide open spaces, and find a place to sleep in freedom.
Outside, Krumpy caught a big mouse by the train tracks and carried it back over towards the water. She arrived at the tent by the lake and ran towards it hoping to find her friends. Her friends weren’t there so Krumpy slept outside. She walked around the rocks by the lake and found a nice quiet place not too far from the tent. She went to sleep dreaming of a warm pair of arms cuddling her and keeping her warm for the night.
Louie and Krumpy were two cats from different tracks. But they both went to sleep that night dreaming dreams.
When Louie awoke, he lazily went over to the window to hear the sounds of chirping and looked over towards the water. Far in the distance he spotted a brownish grey cat chasing birds and splashing up and down through the water. He couldn’t help but imagine himself as that cat, running free and wild by the lake, jumping and playing and hunting in the cool air. He sat by the window a long time imagining, until the sound of a soft bell interrupted him to signal his daily breakfast.
Krumpy splashed frantically by the shore of the lake trying desperately to catch some breakfast. She had a long night searching for her friends and needed to sit down for a nice meal. She jumped, and danced through some tall grass, trying to catch a bird that she could feast on, and eventually sat down on the rocks to get a better look at things. She spotted a small mouse darting across a rock in the distance and pounced at the chance for something to eat.
Krumpy finally caught some breakfast and sat down by the tent to enjoy her meal in peace. She looked over across the tracks at the big building she saw the night before. She thought of the small white cat and the big, cozy, arms that scooped her up so lovingly. She hoped that cat knew how lucky it was to be safe, and warm, and loved by friends that were always there for her. She thought about it a long while.
Louie eventually came back to the window to look for the cat by the water but it was nowhere to be seen. He licked his lips from his yummy minced chicken and herring breakfast and he thought about the cat by the water. He thought about long nights by the shore, hearing the sounds of the waves, and the freedom to explore whenever he pleased. He hoped the brown cat knew how lucky it was to have the life of freedom it did. He thought about it a long while.
Louie and Krumpy were two cats from different tracks. They saw different things, smelled different smells, tasted different tastes, and lived different lives. They both dreamed different dreams and wished for different wishes. But they were both cats, in the same big old world, dreaming their dreams with the same beating hearts, sharing a city and a story just longing for different parts.
THE END