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CHAPTER IV
HARVEY, July 15 Sunday early afternoon The gingham dog went “Bow wow wow! And the calico cat replied Meow!
The air was littered, an hour or so with bits of gingham and calico! Eugene Fields Emily's mother lives in the old family house her great-grandfather built, down near the lighthouse. Sally lives with her. She's a black lab mix, ancient as the hills. She growls if I try to play with her, so I pretty much ignore her. I also ignore the big gray tabby who sleeps on the porch. I learned early on about that; he sliced my nose open the first time I tried to play with him! Emily’s father died the year before I met her, so I never knew him. Her mother is nice though, and always saves me a bone or some other treat. Today she gave me a leftover hot dog when I trotted in the door. Emily helped her Mom move a couple pieces of furniture while I tried to locate a mouse I could smell in the bedroom. Then they sat down at the big table in the kitchen and had a piece of sweet potato pie. They chatted for a bit, Emily catching her up on island news since her Mom doesn’t get out a lot. Ron O’Neal, Spot’s person and owner of the bait shop, was gonna have to have knee surgery. There was a new lady in town. She got a job waiting tables at the Jolly Roger—Miranda, Emily said her name was -- pretty in a city way, with long brown hair, perfectly kept, and painted nails. Didn’t seem to fit in on the island, Emily said. They talked about a fundraiser for this organization Emily works with, called "Ocracats," which catches feral cats and has them neutered, so they won't have more kittens. I personally don't approve, since where cats are concerned, I think the more the cheerier. More for me to chase, you know. But Emily says neutering is better for the cats and also for the birds. She loves songbirds and, according to her, they're getting scarcer and scarcer, and cats eating them doesn't help. After a bit she called me to go. I jumped in the truck and we drove over to the Community Store to get some dog food. When we pulled into the parking lot, her friend George, who was just leaving with a bag of ice and potato chips, stopped by the truck. He began talking to Emily through the open window, telling her about a boat he wanted to buy. Emily got out of the truck and continued to talk to him as she headed for the store. It didn't take me two seconds to notice that, in her distraction, she had forgotten to roll up her window! This was my chance to have some fun! I waited till she went inside the store. No one seemed to be looking, so I quickly squeezed through the window and hopped out. What to do now? It didn't take me a second to remember all the mallard ducks over near the dock. I took off happily and soon had them all floundering for safety, piling into the water with flapping wings and quacks of dismay. This was the life! I ran up on the dock, hoping to find a few more up there. Instead I saw something that looked even more exciting. Sitting on that new sailboat I'd seen, not more than a few yards away, was a small tabby cat with white socks. It was an easy jump from the dock onto the bow of the boat, and before the cat had time to blink, I was sailing over the lines and buckets in hot pursuit. She started to dive through one of the open portholes, but I was right on her tail, and I intercepted her before she could slip in. We went round the boat a couple times before the cat made an impressive flying leap for the dock. She must have miscalculated the distance, however, because instead of hitting the boards with a solid thud as I expected, she slipped down the slippery piling and all I heard was a splash. It happened so fast that I could hardly keep track of things, but at some point a man's head had popped up from the forward hatch. I could vaguely hear him yelling something. Emily had also come out of the store and was running over. She was yelling "Harvey! Harvey!" at the top of her lungs, but I was so caught up in the chase that I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention. I jumped off the boat and peered over the edge of the dock, looking for the cat, but I didn't see a thing. About then Emily ran up and grabbed my collar, and the strange man came scrambling out of the cabin. KALI, July 15 Sunday early afternoon Cave canem
Latin proverb I've never been so afraid in my life! I had dozed off in the warm sunlight and was feeling totally relaxed. Suddenly I heard a great commotion, barking and quacking and dogs and ducks running everywhere. Before I had time to figure out what was going on there was a huge dog almost on top of me. He was barking fiercely and I saw sharp teeth flash close to my head in the seconds it took me to get my bearings and take off running for my life. I ran desperately around the boat, seeking a place to hide, hoping Sam would come to my rescue, but there wasn't time for anything. I guess I panicked, and instead of hiding and waiting for Sam, I made a mad leap for the dock, not even taking time to aim. I'll never forget that feeling of terror as I realized I had missed the dock. I felt my claws grasping uselessly at the slick, hard surface of the piling, and I felt myself slide down into the murky horrors of that cold, black water. Before I knew it I was sinking deep into its grasp, being pulled down by the greedy hungry currents, unable to breathe or see. I struggled to reach the surface, to find the life-giving air, to live. I felt the currents moving me swiftly, drawing me away from the Mary Bee and from Sam, and I thought my lungs would burst. My last thoughts were of Sam's face as I felt myself sink into oblivion. HARVEY, July 15 Sunday minutes later All right, said the Cat, and this time it vanished quite slowly
Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland Ever since I was a pup, I've tried to see the bright side of things, to find the fun in life, to bring a little excitement into the world. But this time there didn't seem to be any bright side, and I was soon to regret the whole thing. At first I didn't think it was such a big deal, and I wagged my tail and danced around in excitement when Emily took hold of my collar. I figured she'd yell at me, but I thought I could make up to her and she'd get over it in a minute or two. She didn't yell, however. Her face was pale and she dropped down on her knees, scanning the spot where the cat had disappeared. There was nothing there though; the waters seemed to have swallowed it alive. In a second or so the man was on the dock too, calling in a hoarse voice, "Kali! Kali!" He ran to the other side, then to the end where the harbor waters moved with the tide toward the entrance to the sound. I looked also, expecting to see the little face pop out of the water at any moment. But there was nothing. Emily sat still, propped back on her knees, looking toward the man. I slipped my head under her arm, meaning to apologize, but she didn't even notice me. The man, tall and wiry with reddish hair, didn't look at either of us. He pushed past where we waited and hurried onto the shore, where he climbed down among the rocks and the jetsam, peering along the shore. He strode along the shore on both sides, clambering over an old broken dock, calling out the name Kali every once in a while. He came back empty handed and stood in front of Emily and me, his hands on his hips, breathing hard. I could feel hostility emanating from him, so I moved over in front of her, in case I had to protect her. Emily looked up at him and said, in a voice so low I could hardly hear, "I must have left the window open in my truck. I'm sorry." "Thanks a lot. You're being sorry does a lot of good. Is your dog sorry too?" Emily ignored the hostile tone. "If there's anything I can do to help..." "You've helped enough, thank you very much. Now if you'll excuse me...” He stalked past us and stepped across to the bow of his boat. Emily and I walked back to the truck and quietly got inside. We drove along Silver Lake, and when we came to the empty lot next to the Jolly Roger, an outdoor bar and restaurant overlooking the harbor, Emily got out and walked over to the water's edge. I couldn't help noticing that she carefully rolled up the window, and I figured there'd be no more open windows in the truck for a long time. The way I felt right then, I wouldn't have jumped out anyway. Emily walked back in a few moments, shaking her head. Beyond her, in the harbor, I saw a dinghy moving along the shore, stopping every hundred feet or so. It was paddled by a man with reddish brown hair.    |
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