Day 640: 5 Minute Freewrite: Monday - Prompt: awry
“Since you apparently were engaged in matters more important than attending the feral small rodent community meeting, you have been selected by your friends and neighbors to bell the alley cat. You will not be allowed your family allotment of extra food until the task is completed.”
Innvinchun the mouse read this note with dismay. Had it been only him concerned, he would have scoffed at it; he was more than capable to scratch up enough food for himself.
Yet of all of his 246 siblings, he alone had the care of his widowed mother, Nisessiti.
Upon hearing her son read the note, old Nisessiti smiled wryly and waved her knitting needles.
“Why me, Mom? They know our situation!”
“Why not you, son? They know we can figure it out. Go forth, son. The cat is shedding. He is hunting in the street, and is not now in the alley. Bring me all the cat hair you can safely find before he returns. He will be good and tired when he gets back, and that is the perfect time.”
24 hours later, Curly the alley cat woke up knowing something was awry. He stretched, and rang … every time he moved, he rang. Someone had belled his collar, not him, slipping the little bell on a thread of woven cat hair and then tying the thread tightly around and around his collar. His sharp claws could not untie the knot, or fray the thread.
Innvinchun of course became a community hero, but gave credit where it was due.
“When the annals of small rodent history are written for this year, let it not be forgotten that Nisessiti is the mother of Innvinchun!”
Mothers always have a solution
And siblings.... gahhhhhh
Enjoyed this story :D
Yeah, there was a little something for everyone in this one... thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it!
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Brilliant word play. Hillarious :)
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reading... yes, that WAS the punch line!
Yes! Let it be done! Excellent story! wowser!
Here is Tuesday’s encouragement from @freewritehouse . PLEASE write us all another!
https://steempeak.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-641-5-minute-freewrite-tuesday-prompt-swirls-of-cigarette-smoke
Thank you for reading, and for the prompt ... I am thinking about this one at present ...
OMG! What a cute story @deeanndmathews! You know that I am the resident cat and this is my kind of story. LOL! Who knew that the "necessity is the mother of invention" could be used in such a creative and fun way, and in more ways than one. Love this! I also nominated your story as my Favorite Freewrite. : )
I couldn't quite think of what to do with "awry" for a good while ... and then "Who's Going to Bell the Cat?" came as an anaIogy to a situation my co-workers and I have to deal with, so, necessity was the mother of invention in throwing those things together, and then I needed to name the mother and son, so...
Thank you for reading, and for the nomination! Glad I decided to be gentle to Curly the resident (alley) cat in this story!
My pleasure! You should be glad that you were gentle to Curly or you would have had to deal with me. LOL!
I tend to be a light touch most of the time ... unless a character is a villain beyond hope of redemption whom I have to mess over to make a point, I tend to leave creatures and people in good shape!
Ah! Good one, @deeanndmathews. you are such a creative writer and this is very unexpected for the prompt. I feel sorry for the cat now :(
Alas for the forever-jangling cat ... sacrifices had to be made... folks gotta feed their mommas...
Thank you for reading, as always!