The Cat Support Group

Freewrite for July 28th, 2016. The prompt was to rework a previous writing I'd done. I took a story I wrote "The Black Cat Support Group" & tweaked it to make it more interesting and have better flow.

The Cat Support Group 

In the back alley behind a local bakery, a group of cats had gathered around a metal trash can lid on the ground. After a few minutes of conversing and waiting for other cats to arrive, a Mau began banging on the lid with his paw. Everyone immediately became quiet.

“Hello everyone,” the Mau said. “How are we all doing today?” Everyone gave a response along the lines of “okay” or “good.” “Alright. Now, today have a new member in our support group.” He pointed to a black cat with green eyes. “This is Frank everyone.”

“Hello Frank,” everyone replied. 

“Frank, why don’t you introduce yourself, and talk to us about why you’re here today?,” the Mau said.

“Alright,” Frank responded. “Hello, my name is Frank. I’m from the North side of town, my owner is the man who runs the Laundromat on Old 5th Street. I’m here today because I have a big problem: I keep bringing bad luck to people who cross my path.”

“Oh c’mon Frank, that’s just superstition,” a Siamese cat interrupted.

“That’s what you’d think,” Frank continued. “But it’s true! It keeps happening with me! And I don’t mean it! For instance, one time a milkman crossed the path I was walking, and the next thing I knew a trashcan fell out of a window and landed on his head!”

“That was just a coincidence,” the Siamese responded mockingly. 

“George, we’re supposed to be supporting each other, not bringing them down. So please, be quiet and listen,” the Mau scolded. He turned to Frank. “Frank, please continue.”

“Alright,” Frank responded. “Another case was this cute girl that was on her way to school. She was wearing a pretty dress, which I overheard her say was a present for her birthday. She crossed my path, and then she tripped and landed in a mud puddle! Her dress was ruined, and she had mud all over her! I mean, can you imagine going anywhere covered in mud like that?”

“I still don’t think that’s bad luck,” George said, receiving a glare from the Mau. 

“That’s not the worst of it though,” Frank said. “Here’s the real reason I came to this support group. There was a day when I came across a three-way intersection I had to cross to meet my sister. After the previous two incidents, I was afraid I would cause trouble. I kept telling myself It’s just a superstition, it’s not true, don’t worry about it. I took a deep breath, and started crossing the road. A car drove across the path I walked on. As I finished crossing the road, I heard a couple loud crashes. I turned around, and I saw a three car pile-up!” Frank paused to take a breath. “It was then that I realized I cause bad luck, and I needed to come to this support group.”

The other members of the support group sat in silence, unsure of what to say. Even George was quiet. Finally, the Mau spoke. 

“Thank you Frank,” he said. “Now as George said earlier, the idea that if someone crossed the path of a black cat they become inflicted with bad luck is just superstition. All those accidents you dealt with were just coincidences. What I think we should do is figure out a way to help you deal with the anxiety that came from these incidents.”

It was then that another black cat bolted across the street over to the alley. “Sorry I’m late guys, what did I miss?,” he asked. A car crossed the path he had run, and almost immediately afterwards everyone heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of a car alarm and gushing water. Once again, no one had anything to say. That is, until the Mau started speaking again. 

“On second thought,” he began. “Louie, how are you doing with your Catnip addiction?”

Author's Note

The is image is not mine, it's by Hot Topic

Reviews

[thaleeyaLuna]

Nice, funny story! :D
Interesting. Especially that it involves cats ^_^

[RaeAlyn]

Ha-ha-ha! Very funny story. The dialogue is very good. I think you could extend this to a book, or at least a longer story.