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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Fairy Tale / Folk Tale
- Published: 01/17/2021
It was a cold day and the mist on the leaves and branches had turned to ice overnight. The trees, symmetrically placed every 2.5m apart, were neatly clipped, tended for and decorated. Coming out of the house into the chill, he glanced around snobbishly. Passers-by, haste in their pace, a crying baby-too sleepy to catch up with his mom, a dog peeing on one of the trees; they were all too unimportant to him. Especially that dog. They would always sniff around and leave their mark. No subtlety in their manners, none whatsoever.
Tsitsos gave an apathetic look to the dog at it started barking at him. He couldn’t care less! Confident, as a cat can be, Tsitsos glamorously descended the cement staircase leading to the street as if on the red carpet-for cats…
Across the street was his hang-out spot. Tsitsos and the gang would spend endless hours chilling and plotting adventures and the elimination of the annoying, loud, smelly, sniffing-everything dogs. Berry, a thick, fluffy, tiger-looking male not too bright, was the first to join the pact. Prokopis followed, a goliath of a cat, the so-called intimidator of all dogs-the shield of the gang. Sandra, the girl, smooth-talking and a professional at sneaking and stealing treats, was the only female among them. Oh, and of course, Zoozoo, a new recruit, 3-month old kitten, still clumsy but eager to learn the ropes of surviving the city.
Tsitsos and Berry were housecats living on the same street. Neutered and freshly groomed, they just didn’t see the time to get out of the house and live a little. Not that they had anything to complain about, but was there really anything better than scavenging the garbage cans? Really? Oh, the heart-warming appetizers a cat could find, especially during the holidays. By the way, neither one dared sneak around in the kitchen and munch on anything. This meant punishment. That’s why it was rarely attempted by them.
Prokopis, on the other hand, had grown up in this neighborhood too. But on the streets. So, inevitably, he had grown into a gentle giant, mainly because of all the food he scavenged. Sandra was his sister, if one could say that. Slimmer, smooth, quiet feline ninja-walk, she had the air of a star. Unlike her brother, she had been fortunate enough to be adopted by an old-lady who lived on the second-floor of the corner building. Still, she was free to roam the streets at her will-grandma would grant her all favors. Last but not least, Zoozoo had been born in the back yard of one of the houses nearby, but had found it extra hard to settle for the cute meowing and purring for a food helping.
Today was a great day for being mischievous. Two days before Christmas, and people hectically rushed to finish preparations. Shopping, cooking, decorating, all the chaos that favored the gang in sneaking around, stealing food without being noticed-breaking things and vanishing on the spot, without being reprimanded later, was a delightful bonus. Loads of fun-for them, not humans. Twas the season to be jolly…
But the best fun of all was when they could blame a dog for their mischief. So, it was settled. Rocky, that way-too-cute of a face mutt was about to get an unpleasant surprise before the day was over. Followed hopefully by a bonus, cashed-in in a treat or broken things.
Tsitsos yawned as he took a long look at his soldiers. Prokopis was smiling as always, ready to follow-up any given orders. Sandra, a bit more independent, would think twice before doing something silly, not worthy of missing out on her having a home. And then there was Zoozoo who still had to prove himself.
The plan was in place. Tsitsos had eagerly spent most of the night thinking over the details, while enjoying the crackling fire and pretending to be a thug. Humans would always fall for it. How convenient! Casually as always he nodded to each one of his gang members and he started down the street leading to Rocky’s house. The gang eagerly followed. Before reaching the front gate, Tsitsos opted for the oak tree on the side of it. This way he could give orders to his crew without being noticed by any of the dogs. See, Rocky wasn’t the real menace. No, no. It was a bunch of dogs barking like beasts the minute he tried to go past the block. And in all honesty he wouldn’t mind if this didn’t mean that him and the gang missed out on all the left-overs at the bins in the alley behind the Italian restaurant. Useless canines. No good for anything except for causing trouble. But dealing with the rest of them would have to be on a different day. With these thoughts he climbed on the branch that extended into the yard of Rocky’s house. ‘Today is the day’, he thought and smiled at his gang. And he went on explaining to them what they had to do…
Sandra smoothly came down from the tree and walked past the front gate of Rocky’s house. It wasn’t until the little boy noticed her, that Rocky actually started his barking. She didn’t slow down-she knew the boy would pet her and feed her. No kid could say no to a smart-looking, well-behaved kitty. She started purring and lazily meowing at the boy’s feet, all-the-while smiling mischievously at the puppy. ‘She’s up to no good!!!’ Rocky barked despairingly. No use. Humans only found it more annoying for a puppy to bark this much. Step one completed!’ Tsitsos exclaimed. The boy took the pup by the collar and attached it to a leash.
Now, for the follow-up, it was time for the new-comer to prove his worth. Risky, sure, but no better time for his initiation than this! So, Zoozoo came down the bark of the tree, or rather landed on his face, and went to meet Sandra. Oh the delight in the little boy’s face. Humans were such naïve beings. For all their intellectuality, they could be so easily manipulated, it almost took out half of the fun-not really. Hahaha. Once they got that treat in their mouths, they couldn’t care less about silly humans. It was tradition for Rocky’s family to build a gingerbread house, whilst baking over-sized, delicious pans of meat. The biggest obstacle had of-course been the loud, noisy, clumsy mutt. But now all was in place for his final step. He had always kept it simple-3 easy steps: distract the human, grab the food, disappear without looking back. Now with the dog securely taken away, they were free to proceed with step 2. Prokopis was the man for the job. Or rather, the cat for the job. Surprisingly enough for his size, Prokopis managed to get himself on the ledge of the kitchen’s window with only a leap and a quick trot. He was a true feline afterall. Grabbing the sizzling pork thigh was challenging, but not his first time dealing with hot food. He had been training all his life-surviving long days on chili peppers and aubegrine peels. The set was ready; success was in their hands.
As Prokopis climbed down the window with the humongous piece of meat in his mouth, something grabbed at his back. Oh, no!’ Tsitsos hissed. It happened too fast for him to warn anyone. The dad was at home. How irresponsible of him not to check the tin boxes-so-called cars-that humans used to get around. Two of them in the driveway, not one. Too late. ‘Abort mission’, he meowed warning the two cats in the garden. He had to save them first, and then pick-up the potentially injured Prokopis. Prokopis vanished into the inside of the house being held tightly by the man. Sandra and Zoozoo quickly exited the garden and pretended to walk away, until the humans were not watching anymore. Then they swiftly found themselves on the branch with Tsitsos, overlooking the garden. All this time Rocky had been barking like crazy, but neither one of them paid him any heed. The leash was as safe as anything. But now, the boy had run into the house tagging the dog along. That was an accident waiting to happen. Tsitsos was infuriated. Not only had he missed out on that juicy-looking piece of meat-his mouth was still watering at the thought-but also his best soldier, his right hand, his buddy. They had to re-group and save him. He quickly went over the new facts with the other two. ‘So, dad is at home, Prokopis was caught red-handed, anddd the mutt is there too. No time for sulking. Action must be taken immediately. ‘Go home’ he told the other two. ‘This is a job for me’ he continued dismissingly. ‘No!’ Sandra yelled. ‘He’s my brother! We go in together!” she set her ground. ‘I have an idea’, Zoozoo hesitantly put in. ‘Ah’ Tsitsos exhaled. ‘Spill it’ he told Zoozoo. As Zoozoo described his plan, Tsitsos’s face gradually lit up. ‘Very good Zoozoo’ he responded hiding his enthusiasm. The kitten had great potential to earn his rightful place in the gang. So, without further delay, they quickly got to work.
It wasn’t an easy task for Tsitsos to follow, status-wise, that is. The plan was to ask help from an enemy nowadays, a best-bud in the past. Worse of all, Fife was a dog! Older in age, slow in reactions, too bored to be doing anything else but lazily sleep anywhere she could walk to, but all-the-while wise and swift as a cat. Truly, this was the only dog he had met to have matched a cat in flexibility, quick reflexes and acceptance to them: cats. Well, to be completely honest, it was her that had saved him from starvation. But that was another story to be told. As the three cats walked two houses back the way they had come, Fifi lazily got up and met them at the gate, smiling at the up-coming encounter…
‘Long time, no see Tsitsos!’ she addressed the leader of the gang. ‘How are you Fifi?’ he responded not trying to hide his disappointment at having to ask for her help once more. ‘Oh, you know the usual. Canned food, shots at the vet and lots of lounging. A dog must do, what she must do”, she playfully responded, hoping to annoy him. She was all too aware of how much he despised dogs. Quickly dismissing that spiteful feeling, he took on the face of a diplomat: ‘so, you remember Prokopis, right?’ he cut to the chase. ‘Well, it appears that the people got him stealing food again. Stupid guy. Anyway, it’s a pity. We should do something about it. He’s one of our own, afterall’, he added all-the-while studying Fifi’s reaction. ‘I know’, she responded. You guys couldn’t be louder and clumsier at scheming and executing an impossible mission. Could have used the back door to the kitchen, ya know? She added, infuriating him at the realization that he really had not planned it that well afterall. ‘What’s done is done’, he quickly gathered his initial seemingly calmness. ‘What do you propose we do?, he asked finally admitting that he needed her assistance to save his mate.
Fifi was truly brilliant, he thought-for a dog, that is. And her plan was quick and simple. Without expecting his consent, Fifi briskly walked down the sidewalk and into Rocky’s front yard. Rocky immediately started barking from inside. Remarkable how dogs could sniff each other from miles away. Fifi went all the way to the front door and started crying as if she had been locked outside or had gone hungry for days. Brilliant! All of the family, including the mutt, rushed to open the door and let her in. In the meantime, Tsitsos and Sandra leapt to the ledge of the kitchen window in search of Prokopis. Zoozoo, on the other hand was left behind, standing at the gate of the garden as a back-up plan in case Fifi didn’t manage to get everyone outside the house.
As Tsitsos and Sandra got to the inside of the house, they blinked in disbelief. Prokopis was munching away a luscious helping of dog food in the dog’s bowl. ‘Can’t believe you!’ Tsitsos yelled, while laughing at their luck. ‘Come on you stupid giant’, he added, nudging Prokopis to quit eating and head for the window. ‘But they 're so nice here!’ Prokopis whined. They pet me, and fed me and never said anything about the meat. Come on Tsitsos! It’s unfair! Let me at least finish my food.
It was all that Tsitsos could do: let the guy get another chance at life. Perhaps, there would be a proper family for the likes of his best bud, Prokopis. With that thought he gave the signal for retreat and headed home content. True, there had been no treat or mischief, but it had been a good day afterall…
It's tough to be a cat(Athena Kyriakopoulou)
It was a cold day and the mist on the leaves and branches had turned to ice overnight. The trees, symmetrically placed every 2.5m apart, were neatly clipped, tended for and decorated. Coming out of the house into the chill, he glanced around snobbishly. Passers-by, haste in their pace, a crying baby-too sleepy to catch up with his mom, a dog peeing on one of the trees; they were all too unimportant to him. Especially that dog. They would always sniff around and leave their mark. No subtlety in their manners, none whatsoever.
Tsitsos gave an apathetic look to the dog at it started barking at him. He couldn’t care less! Confident, as a cat can be, Tsitsos glamorously descended the cement staircase leading to the street as if on the red carpet-for cats…
Across the street was his hang-out spot. Tsitsos and the gang would spend endless hours chilling and plotting adventures and the elimination of the annoying, loud, smelly, sniffing-everything dogs. Berry, a thick, fluffy, tiger-looking male not too bright, was the first to join the pact. Prokopis followed, a goliath of a cat, the so-called intimidator of all dogs-the shield of the gang. Sandra, the girl, smooth-talking and a professional at sneaking and stealing treats, was the only female among them. Oh, and of course, Zoozoo, a new recruit, 3-month old kitten, still clumsy but eager to learn the ropes of surviving the city.
Tsitsos and Berry were housecats living on the same street. Neutered and freshly groomed, they just didn’t see the time to get out of the house and live a little. Not that they had anything to complain about, but was there really anything better than scavenging the garbage cans? Really? Oh, the heart-warming appetizers a cat could find, especially during the holidays. By the way, neither one dared sneak around in the kitchen and munch on anything. This meant punishment. That’s why it was rarely attempted by them.
Prokopis, on the other hand, had grown up in this neighborhood too. But on the streets. So, inevitably, he had grown into a gentle giant, mainly because of all the food he scavenged. Sandra was his sister, if one could say that. Slimmer, smooth, quiet feline ninja-walk, she had the air of a star. Unlike her brother, she had been fortunate enough to be adopted by an old-lady who lived on the second-floor of the corner building. Still, she was free to roam the streets at her will-grandma would grant her all favors. Last but not least, Zoozoo had been born in the back yard of one of the houses nearby, but had found it extra hard to settle for the cute meowing and purring for a food helping.
Today was a great day for being mischievous. Two days before Christmas, and people hectically rushed to finish preparations. Shopping, cooking, decorating, all the chaos that favored the gang in sneaking around, stealing food without being noticed-breaking things and vanishing on the spot, without being reprimanded later, was a delightful bonus. Loads of fun-for them, not humans. Twas the season to be jolly…
But the best fun of all was when they could blame a dog for their mischief. So, it was settled. Rocky, that way-too-cute of a face mutt was about to get an unpleasant surprise before the day was over. Followed hopefully by a bonus, cashed-in in a treat or broken things.
Tsitsos yawned as he took a long look at his soldiers. Prokopis was smiling as always, ready to follow-up any given orders. Sandra, a bit more independent, would think twice before doing something silly, not worthy of missing out on her having a home. And then there was Zoozoo who still had to prove himself.
The plan was in place. Tsitsos had eagerly spent most of the night thinking over the details, while enjoying the crackling fire and pretending to be a thug. Humans would always fall for it. How convenient! Casually as always he nodded to each one of his gang members and he started down the street leading to Rocky’s house. The gang eagerly followed. Before reaching the front gate, Tsitsos opted for the oak tree on the side of it. This way he could give orders to his crew without being noticed by any of the dogs. See, Rocky wasn’t the real menace. No, no. It was a bunch of dogs barking like beasts the minute he tried to go past the block. And in all honesty he wouldn’t mind if this didn’t mean that him and the gang missed out on all the left-overs at the bins in the alley behind the Italian restaurant. Useless canines. No good for anything except for causing trouble. But dealing with the rest of them would have to be on a different day. With these thoughts he climbed on the branch that extended into the yard of Rocky’s house. ‘Today is the day’, he thought and smiled at his gang. And he went on explaining to them what they had to do…
Sandra smoothly came down from the tree and walked past the front gate of Rocky’s house. It wasn’t until the little boy noticed her, that Rocky actually started his barking. She didn’t slow down-she knew the boy would pet her and feed her. No kid could say no to a smart-looking, well-behaved kitty. She started purring and lazily meowing at the boy’s feet, all-the-while smiling mischievously at the puppy. ‘She’s up to no good!!!’ Rocky barked despairingly. No use. Humans only found it more annoying for a puppy to bark this much. Step one completed!’ Tsitsos exclaimed. The boy took the pup by the collar and attached it to a leash.
Now, for the follow-up, it was time for the new-comer to prove his worth. Risky, sure, but no better time for his initiation than this! So, Zoozoo came down the bark of the tree, or rather landed on his face, and went to meet Sandra. Oh the delight in the little boy’s face. Humans were such naïve beings. For all their intellectuality, they could be so easily manipulated, it almost took out half of the fun-not really. Hahaha. Once they got that treat in their mouths, they couldn’t care less about silly humans. It was tradition for Rocky’s family to build a gingerbread house, whilst baking over-sized, delicious pans of meat. The biggest obstacle had of-course been the loud, noisy, clumsy mutt. But now all was in place for his final step. He had always kept it simple-3 easy steps: distract the human, grab the food, disappear without looking back. Now with the dog securely taken away, they were free to proceed with step 2. Prokopis was the man for the job. Or rather, the cat for the job. Surprisingly enough for his size, Prokopis managed to get himself on the ledge of the kitchen’s window with only a leap and a quick trot. He was a true feline afterall. Grabbing the sizzling pork thigh was challenging, but not his first time dealing with hot food. He had been training all his life-surviving long days on chili peppers and aubegrine peels. The set was ready; success was in their hands.
As Prokopis climbed down the window with the humongous piece of meat in his mouth, something grabbed at his back. Oh, no!’ Tsitsos hissed. It happened too fast for him to warn anyone. The dad was at home. How irresponsible of him not to check the tin boxes-so-called cars-that humans used to get around. Two of them in the driveway, not one. Too late. ‘Abort mission’, he meowed warning the two cats in the garden. He had to save them first, and then pick-up the potentially injured Prokopis. Prokopis vanished into the inside of the house being held tightly by the man. Sandra and Zoozoo quickly exited the garden and pretended to walk away, until the humans were not watching anymore. Then they swiftly found themselves on the branch with Tsitsos, overlooking the garden. All this time Rocky had been barking like crazy, but neither one of them paid him any heed. The leash was as safe as anything. But now, the boy had run into the house tagging the dog along. That was an accident waiting to happen. Tsitsos was infuriated. Not only had he missed out on that juicy-looking piece of meat-his mouth was still watering at the thought-but also his best soldier, his right hand, his buddy. They had to re-group and save him. He quickly went over the new facts with the other two. ‘So, dad is at home, Prokopis was caught red-handed, anddd the mutt is there too. No time for sulking. Action must be taken immediately. ‘Go home’ he told the other two. ‘This is a job for me’ he continued dismissingly. ‘No!’ Sandra yelled. ‘He’s my brother! We go in together!” she set her ground. ‘I have an idea’, Zoozoo hesitantly put in. ‘Ah’ Tsitsos exhaled. ‘Spill it’ he told Zoozoo. As Zoozoo described his plan, Tsitsos’s face gradually lit up. ‘Very good Zoozoo’ he responded hiding his enthusiasm. The kitten had great potential to earn his rightful place in the gang. So, without further delay, they quickly got to work.
It wasn’t an easy task for Tsitsos to follow, status-wise, that is. The plan was to ask help from an enemy nowadays, a best-bud in the past. Worse of all, Fife was a dog! Older in age, slow in reactions, too bored to be doing anything else but lazily sleep anywhere she could walk to, but all-the-while wise and swift as a cat. Truly, this was the only dog he had met to have matched a cat in flexibility, quick reflexes and acceptance to them: cats. Well, to be completely honest, it was her that had saved him from starvation. But that was another story to be told. As the three cats walked two houses back the way they had come, Fifi lazily got up and met them at the gate, smiling at the up-coming encounter…
‘Long time, no see Tsitsos!’ she addressed the leader of the gang. ‘How are you Fifi?’ he responded not trying to hide his disappointment at having to ask for her help once more. ‘Oh, you know the usual. Canned food, shots at the vet and lots of lounging. A dog must do, what she must do”, she playfully responded, hoping to annoy him. She was all too aware of how much he despised dogs. Quickly dismissing that spiteful feeling, he took on the face of a diplomat: ‘so, you remember Prokopis, right?’ he cut to the chase. ‘Well, it appears that the people got him stealing food again. Stupid guy. Anyway, it’s a pity. We should do something about it. He’s one of our own, afterall’, he added all-the-while studying Fifi’s reaction. ‘I know’, she responded. You guys couldn’t be louder and clumsier at scheming and executing an impossible mission. Could have used the back door to the kitchen, ya know? She added, infuriating him at the realization that he really had not planned it that well afterall. ‘What’s done is done’, he quickly gathered his initial seemingly calmness. ‘What do you propose we do?, he asked finally admitting that he needed her assistance to save his mate.
Fifi was truly brilliant, he thought-for a dog, that is. And her plan was quick and simple. Without expecting his consent, Fifi briskly walked down the sidewalk and into Rocky’s front yard. Rocky immediately started barking from inside. Remarkable how dogs could sniff each other from miles away. Fifi went all the way to the front door and started crying as if she had been locked outside or had gone hungry for days. Brilliant! All of the family, including the mutt, rushed to open the door and let her in. In the meantime, Tsitsos and Sandra leapt to the ledge of the kitchen window in search of Prokopis. Zoozoo, on the other hand was left behind, standing at the gate of the garden as a back-up plan in case Fifi didn’t manage to get everyone outside the house.
As Tsitsos and Sandra got to the inside of the house, they blinked in disbelief. Prokopis was munching away a luscious helping of dog food in the dog’s bowl. ‘Can’t believe you!’ Tsitsos yelled, while laughing at their luck. ‘Come on you stupid giant’, he added, nudging Prokopis to quit eating and head for the window. ‘But they 're so nice here!’ Prokopis whined. They pet me, and fed me and never said anything about the meat. Come on Tsitsos! It’s unfair! Let me at least finish my food.
It was all that Tsitsos could do: let the guy get another chance at life. Perhaps, there would be a proper family for the likes of his best bud, Prokopis. With that thought he gave the signal for retreat and headed home content. True, there had been no treat or mischief, but it had been a good day afterall…
Mary Eileen Callan
01/18/2021I loved the way you got into the heads of a gang of cats. I'll look at cats differently from now on.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Athena Kyriakopoulou
01/19/2021Thank you! Perhaps because Tsitsos and Fifi are actually my pets...
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Athena Kyriakopoulou
01/18/2021Thank you for your kind words!
COMMENTS (2)