Free Write - Cat and Flowers

 D-L's Free Write

They call me Felix after the cartoon cat in the cat food commercial, the one with Robbie Williams singing. Only I'm cuter.

My real name is Satin for my silky coat.

It's been three years since I became the young couples landlord. They looked like a nice couple: young, smiley almost always cheerful.

Mornings, before they opened the flower shop, I'd sit in front of their flower shop. One rainy day, they let me in and then every day after.

They gave me a cushion and then food of various quality and even a litter box tucked in the back office.

I do some work for them. I listen to what clients say the want then go over to what it is: a bucket of flowers, big plants, little plants. If they don't notice me, I meow.

"I think he's showing our merchandise," the man Ted said.

She just smiled and reached for a kitty treat. Salmon, my favorite.

Nice to have good tenants.

Rick's Free Write

Zermatt was in a panic. The door was closed. The shopkeepers were not coming. He wanted them to open the door so he could curl up in the warm, sunny spot in the chair and observe the customers buying plants and flowers.

This wasn’t Sunday. The day they usually remained closed, and he would try to sneak into the church until an altar boy shooed him out.

In fact, it had been several days since the door last opened. Conges annuel? He peeked through the glass. The store was empty! No plants, no flowers, no chair!

His world was unravelling. What did this mean?

Zermatt – so named for the Matterhorn-shaped peak above his nose – began to wander the streets of the village, searching for the shopkeeper couple, or any inviting open door, careful to avoid the plethora of dogs (the small ones were the nastiest), peoples’ feet, bicycles, and kids on scooters. It was harrowing… and cold and wet.

After about two weeks, as he checked out the last section of Rue Victor Hugo, Zermatt sniffed a familiar fragrance. He looked up at the green-painted door, which was closed. But he had a sense this was the place. His new Florever home.

Julia's Free Write

She was out and about doing a few errands.

Ever since her husband had died and her children left with their own families for the four corners of the world, she had ruminated.

Perhaps it was time for her to do something for herself. Over the years she had had a good life, never really thinking about what she wanted to do.

Living in Northern Scotland, the winters could be rough, her arthritis was acting up more and many of her friends had either followed their children or opted for warmer climes. Maybe she should do the same while she could still enjoy it.

A few months of research later, she discovered that there were places on continental Europe with a few expats. Although she felt entirely capable of learning Italian, French or Spanish, she kind of wanted a core of English speakers: not that they would understand her accent.

It also needed to be near an international train line of airport.

And so it was, that she landed in a small town in Southern France.

Now to get on with her errands instead of staring at the cat crouched amongst the flowers!

Rick Adams is an aviation journalist and publisher of www.aviationvoices.com, a weekly newsletter reporting the top stories about the airline industry. He is the author of The Robot in the Simulator. AI in Aviation Training.  

Visit D-L.'s website  https://dlnelsonwriter.com, She is the author of 15 fiction and three non fiction books. Her 300 Unsung Women, bios of women who battled gender limitations, can be purchased  at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/300-unsung-women-d-l-nelson/1147305797?ean=9798990385504 

Visit Julia's blog. She has written and taken photos and loves syncing up with friends.  Her blog can be found: https://viewsfromeverywhere.blogspot.com/