My Grandma’s Cat Is Internet Famous
Chapter 7: Nighttime Tales and a New Beginning
Grandma turned off the light and lay on her old spring mattress—patting the bed and calling me to sleep.
My bed was at Grandma’s feet, a little basket woven from twine and lined with a thick blanket Grandma knitted.
Because Grandma said kittens can’t get under the covers, I couldn’t sleep in her bed.
Every night, Grandma told me a bedtime story: “Once upon a time, there was a red barn on a hill, and inside lived three little kittens...”
I’ve heard the story of the three kittens fetching water at least a hundred and eighty times.
But I’ve never heard the ending—Grandma always falls asleep before she gets there.
Once Grandma was asleep, I’d quietly get up and patrol the yard.
The only sound was the distant croak of frogs and the hum of the neighbor’s bug zapper. Night was deep, and stars twinkled overhead.
I chased away sneaky birds, drove off the annoying dumb dog, caught two mice passing through, and squashed a wandering cockroach.
A few kittens saw me and greeted me in chorus: “Hey, Boss!”
That’s right, that’s right.
My fearsome reputation had already spread among all the country kittens.
With my strong build and the skill to take on three dogs at once, I was the undisputed boss.
Little Calico flicked her tail at me and suddenly asked, “Boss, why does Grandma call you Pearl?”
Pearl. It’s like giving Paul Bunyan a cutesy, sweet name. It’s just not right.
I gazed at the sky and said thoughtfully, “Without my grandma, I wouldn’t be here today…”
The kittens were awestruck, instantly worshipping my poetic soul.
Very satisfied, I turned to head back inside—only to run into the grandson, up for a midnight bathroom trip.
His face was pale, clutching his pants, fleeing in terror: “The cat can talk! Boss Cat, I’m sorry, please don’t eat me!”
And then, something strange happened.
The little grandson suddenly started to understand everything I said. Out here, under a sky full of stars, anything could happen—especially when you’ve got a talking cat, a stubborn grandma, and a kid who finally listens.
