Mrs Pepper's Cats 1-3

Chapters 1-3

          

Mrs. Pepper's Cats

 By 

John Alexander

 

Chapter 1

Havana Brown

(A cat's tale)

Havana Brown was not just any cat and she certainly was not what one would call common, she was definitely not a street, or for that matter what Americans call an ally cat. She was way too dignified and refined for any such lowly lifestyle. In fact she was very sophisticated for a feline, not that other cats are less sophisticated, merely Havana had breeding that set her head and shoulders above most of her compatriots.

Havana was a bit of an extrovert, with a loving and affectionate nature. She was very sociable and relished the company of her owner Mrs. Pepper and any friends or visitors who happened by Mrs. Pepper's lovely semi-detached 'converted' barn. She was so happy in company, adored attention and detested being left on her own for long periods.

Her temperament and intelligence was akin that of the Siamese from whom she had, down-the-line, inherited her attributes. However that meant she was also as demanding, mischievous and inquisitive as her oriental cousins. She was a most playful cat, and would keep Mrs. Pepper and any guests endlessly entertained with even the simplest of toys, which also helped to keep her out of mischief, if even only for a short time.

Havana Brown had a svelte and elegant body shape and a sleek and glossy coat the colour of warm dark milk chocolate. Her eyes were vivid green. She was she was unquestionably striking and most definitely pleasing to the eye.

Unlike most Western cats Havana was quite conversational, so much so that she simply had to have the final word in any verbal exchange. Especially so when in the company of Mrs. Pepper who loved her to death. Her pet name for Havana Brown, whom she had lived with for eleven whole years, was 'Stinky'.

Mrs. Pepper was employed by the local council as a social worker. She loved the job as she cared deeply about helping others but it was a stressful role and her thirty-seven and a half hour weeks often turned out to be forty or forty-five in length. Thus she enjoyed her time back at Mongoose Barn where she would eat a quick and healthy meal then get into her zebra or tiger onesie, snuggle up on the sofa in front of 'mindless' TV with Havana Brown curled upside down on her lap, purring happily as her belly was massaged, and relax.

Mrs. Pepper loved animals and nature more than anything else. She did not really have time for humans, although she had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She supported several animal charities with regular donations and intended to leave her estate to them on her demise.

Mrs. Pepper also loved her garden. She would sit with her morning coffee, Havana on her lap, watching the garden hail rain or shine. She detested pristine, sculpted gardens, preferring to watch nature take its course. She did though tend the lawn, weed the beds and keep the worst of excessive growth at bay. She liked nothing more than being in the garden in the spring and summer pottering, with Havana stalking the garden birds or lazing in the sun. She would have her mid morning tea on the patio with the sun directly in her face, imbibing the warmth on her skin and taking in the aroma of the plants and flowers drifting on the warm still air.

Havana Brown loved living with Mrs. Pepper and was largely a proud but timid creature. She was petrified of sudden movement, the wind and many other things she encountered from day to day, however she was really afraid of one thing in particular, Mrs. Peppers vacuum cleaner. Whenever Mrs. Pepper started it in the lounge Havana would leap from her chosen resting place and scuttle in low profile across the room, launching herself out of the front door cat flap in one movement. She detested rain but despite this she would remain outdoors until she was certain the vacuum cleaner was safely returned to its lair in the bedroom closet.

Havana was not a fussy eater and thus was easy to cater for, although she preferred good quality proprietary brands of cat food, with regular treats of cooked chicken, ham and grated cheese. Contrary to popular belief she, as a cat, did not enjoy cow's milk as it upset her stomach. She was very partial to a proprietary brand of Chicken Terrine which she was given each evening as a treat. Should Mrs. Pepper be at all tardy in providing this, Havana would harass her remorselessly with loud plaintive meows.

Havana Brown was content to lay about the house and did not have any real desire for the outdoor life other than when Mrs. Pepper was in the garden or she was shooed out for fresh air and exercise. This was more pronounced in the winter or in rainy weather when she could sleep in her comfortable basket on the floor beneath the lounge radiator or, from time to time, emerge stretching, go to the kitchen to have a drink or snack from her bowls or leap onto one of the radiators, or the top of the boiler in the kitchen for additional warmth. She was definitely a house cat and could while away each day in peaceful slumber in her basket or secreted beneath a rug or any clothing left lying around the house. She had a proud heritage being descended from Elmtower Bronze Idol who was descended from Oriental stock, the Siamese.

When Mrs. Pepper had moved into her newly converted barn in rural Leicestershire she had been left a small legacy by an aunt to whom she was close. She had been widowed the year previous to taking up residence at Mongoose Barn and decided she would use her inheritance to purchase a pair of cats.  She had always liked oriental cats and on looking into the matter had the option of buying a pair from the same litter who were descended from the Siamese by blood-line. Marmalade and Havana Brown had become her deeply loved companions. Both had different personalities, Havana Brown being the more reserved, nervous and less active of the two. Marmalade was altogether more dominant, outgoing and adventurous. Often getting herself into all sorts of scrapes.

 

Chapter 2

Marmalade

(and the Fox)

Mongoose Barn was in the most pleasing of rural locations within half a mile of the outskirts of a Leicester suburb and half a mile from the nearest village. Thus it was within walking distance, or a short car journey, from shops and local facilities. And yet it was in a tranquil, rural setting amidst a small development of converted agricultural buildings.

The hamlet was set back from the road by a long farm driveway which gave it a unique feel of being isolated but not alone. The land around the development was largely cultivated, arable fields with a spinney and small woods. This attracted many animals such as rabbits, voles, mice, muntjac deer, badgers, barn owls and foxes.

Havana Brown and Marmalade felt so at home here where they could roam and hunt and bask in the sun in a tranquil, peaceful environment. Now most domestic cats do not roam far and wide. They have limited territories and criss-cross these checking for intruders and scenting to keep their area marked. They travel no more than 40-250 metres with Tom cats covering more ground. Domesticated cats are still wild at heart and are generally solitary in nature other than when mating, they tend to 'timeshare' territory to avoid confrontation with neighbouring felines and 'visit' each others houses. However, they still  squabble over territory and on occasion come into conflict with other creatures.  

One such conflict occurred on an early spring evening after Mrs. Pepper had been out after work tending her garden. She has put her tools in the shed, come inside and washed her hands. She went to the fridge and took out the ingredients to cook herself a risotto and also removed the sachets of wet foot for Havana Brown and Marmalade, which she spooned into their bowls.

The sun had set and the night was drawing in; Mrs. Pepper waltzed around her cottage closing blinds and putting on lamps ready for the evening. She has diced some onions, grated some Parmesan cheese, measured out some white wine, Arborio rice and stock, and unwrapped the mixed seafood bought from Sainsbury's. The butter was melting and glazing in the pan as she added the onion. Suddenly all hell broke loose.

She had heard the cat flap some minutes earlier and had not reacted, assuming one of her charges had decided to venture forth. Then she heard a caterwauling that froze her to her core.

Only six weeks earlier Marmalade had had to be rushed to the emergency veterinary surgery with a deep gash to one of her hind legs. It was so deep as to expose bone and tendons. After stitching and bandaging and wearing a head cone she had recovered well. Mrs. Pepper had concluded it to have been a fox attack given the severity of the wound and the fact that the beast had taken Marmalade by surprise-her front paw claws were worn down from scrabbling on a hard surface to gain a purchase as she was dragged backwards.

She stopped stirring the softening onions, quickly removed the pan from the heat and  rushed to the front door. Marmalade was inside the cottage hissing and spitting ferociously through the cat-flap. Mrs. Pepper peered through the small window set in the door and in the gathering dusk spotted a fox skulking around the court yard.

Without thinking she swung the door open to shoo the beast away, but as she did so Marmalade launched herself stealthily at great speed, with agility and precision, right at the foxes head. Mrs. Pepper's heart was in her mouth. Both animals locked together in a ferocious and noisy battle that can only have lasted thirty or so seconds, but to Mrs. Pepper it seemed an eternity. Suddenly the fox yelped, disengaged and darted away with its tail between its legs.

Marmalade righted herself and followed the fox for a few metres before turning and sauntering back to the cottage. She sat on the path licking her shoulder, but thankfully and to Mrs. Pepper's great relief, she had no visible injuries. She seemed not to be phased by the encounter and casually turned towards the cottage.

'Silly-Billy Popkins'. Mrs. Pepper scolded as she tenderly raised Marmalade from the path, took her inside and checked her over for any physical damage.

Thankfully Marmalade was unscathed and seemed to have gained not only her revenge for the previous attack upon her, but she had also clearly marked out the area as her territory.

During the attack Havana Brown hardly stirred from her basket under the lounge radiator.

 

Chapter 3

Havana Brown

(On the tiles)

Havana Brown was not as brave or as daring as Marmalade but over the years she too had been in a few scrapes. On many of these disastrous escapades she had followed her sister, but whereas her sister seemed to largely avoid trouble and calamity, Havana was not so good at doing so.

One such incident was what Mrs. Pepper described as the squirrel incident.

One spring morning Mrs. Pepper had decided to take a day's toil. Meaning she was taking time off from her social work duties because she had accrued overtime hours for which she was not paid.

She loved Springtime as the garden began to come into life with the Hazel bursting with greenery, trees budding and shrubs and flowers blossoming. She adored being out in the sunshine just pottering or undertaking an annual maintenance or horticultural tasks. She always felt at peace at these moments.

On that morning she had awakened at eight o'clock to the Today programme on Radio 4, with the dulcet tones of John Humphries and Mishal Husain, the first Muslim presenter of the programme. She had listened to the headlines, risen pulled on her pink stripped, hooded dressing gown and gone to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

Already the sun was streaming into the cottage, dappled by the hedging and the window and door frames, and Mrs. Pepper sighed deeply as she contemplated a relaxed day away from the pressures of employment in a failing social care system. She felt deeply about her profession and simply wanted to do good so that society was improved. However swinging austerity cuts imposed by the government had decimated every aspect of public service since the crash or 2008.

She brewed a strong latte and a small bowl of Scotts Porridge Oats with stewed apple added, and ate it sat on the settee watching breakfast TV with Marmalade and Havana vying for her attention. Havana was always the jealous one.

After breakfast she placed the dirty crockery and utensils in the sink and headed to her ensuite for a shower. She changed into her gardening 'togs' and went out feeling ready to face a morning of pottering, snipping and clipping.

Havana was sitting by the back door soaking up the sun and Marmalade was exploring in the bushes when she emerged from the shed with her gardening gloves donned and her clippers in one hand and her plastic tub for cuttings in the other.

Mrs. Pepper became engrossed in her garden. She would was largely oblivious to anything other than the task in hand and the comfort of the warm spring sun. She thanked her lucky stars at times such as this that she had chosen to move here after her husband had passed away.

Mrs. Pepper worked away slowly, enjoying herself in the quiet of her garden plot with the warm spring sun on her face and arms. She had been aware, from time to time of her two cats exploring the garden or simply lounging in the golden rays emanating from the late April sky. She was contemplating having a lunch break and having been lost in thought, had failed to see her felines saunter off together. Marmalade had gone off to explore their territory and to examine and mark it as cats are prone to. Havana had followed on behind, shadowing her sister. At one point she saw a grey squirrel heading for the sunflower hearts hanging in a feeder adjacent to the neighboring property, High Barn. But Marmalade had launched herself after it and she has seen Havana follow. She had been unconcerned as she knew the cats unlikely to apprehend the offender or for them all to come into physical conflict. She had returned to her gardening in an almost trance like relaxed state.

Suddenly Mrs. Pepper's attention was drawn by a plaintive meow. Concerned, she looked in the general direction of the sad refrain. To her absolute horror there on apex of the neighboring roof of the two story, converted  'cow sheds' was Havana Brown whose body language bristled with fear.

Havana was half way along the roof profile, her body low against the ridge tiles and her limbs stretched over either side.  Marmalade was nowhere to be seen.

Mrs. Peppers heart was in her mouth. She rushed to the end of the garden close to the building shouting loudly 'Silly Billy Popkins, come down from there!' She was terrified that Havana would lose her grip and plummet to the ground. Of course she knew cats to be masters of freefall from three to four months of age due to the cat righting reflex, which is a cat's innate ability to orient itself as it falls in order to land on its feet. She knew that with their righting reflex, cats often land uninjured. However, this is not always the case, since cats can still break bones or die from extreme falls. Over two stories up was, in Mrs. Peppers view, much too risky.

Should she get the ladders from the garage? no they were far too short and would never reach the level of the roof ridge. Besides that might spook Havana and cause her to panic, Should she call the fire brigade and do they even still rescue cats in these days of public sector austerity?

Instead she was rooted to the spot afraid to move in case she uneased her beloved Havana Brown.

Suddenly Havana raised herself on all fours and moved gingerly along the roofline a few yards. Mrs. Pepper was petrified, she held her breath and stood stock still as she watched, fully expecting to see a disaster unfold in front of her eyes.

Suddenly Havana disappeared out of sight over the other side of the roof, 'Nooooooo!' cried Mrs. Pepper rushing to the gate, pulling it open and running the few yards to the service road at the front of the 'cow sheds'. She saw in her minds-eye her beloved cat laying on the road motionless. When she reached the front of the building there was no sign of Havana Brown. She stared down the road assuming that the cat had fallen and scuttled away injured to die somewhere in the undergrowth, she set off at pace down the road in search.

As she passed the second property the front door swung open and Mrs. Pugh stood there

laughing.

 

'Oh Mrs. Pepper! Your cat has just frightened the living daylights out of me.'

 

Mrs. Pepper was trying to understand the significance of her words, as Havana appeared from the hallway, scuttled past Mrs. Pugh and was off at a trot back towards Mongoose Barn.

 

Mrs. Pugh continued, 'I was just coming out of the bathroom and there she was on the landing, fair frit me to death I can tell you!'

 

Mrs Pepper looked up, saw the open Velux skylight window and suddenly understood.

'I am so sorry Helen.' she said. 'Havana must have chased a squirrel up onto the roof and got herself stuck. I do hope you are ok.'

 

Turning, she waddling back up the garden path to her cottage, only to find Havana curled up in her basket fast asleep. After a quick physical check Mrs. Pepper was satisfied that she had indeed been unharmed, and had managed to come out unscathed after all the drama.

Author's Note

Three chapters based on characters I know.

Reviews

[Island Hippy]

Aloha John, this is lovely from start to finish. You write with elegance & spellbinding detail which makes every image leap off the page. Mongoose barn sounds fairly magical; actually the entire hamlet seems a world of discovery for Havana and Marmalade. I love how you give them each such individual personalities.
There were lots of funny moments scattered throughout, I laughed out loud imagining Mrs. Pepper in an animal print onesie. She's a lovely character (Mrs. Pepper) very warm.

The opening chapter paints Havana so expertly, she is very easy to imagine. Marmalade is very cool and more my speed :) these two (3) are going to be very entertaining. Izzy

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Thank you so much Izzy. I live in 'Mongoose Barn' with 'Mrs Pepper' and 'Havana.

[Island Hippy]

That's lovely to learn John, what a magnificent tale! Please tell Mrs. Pepper I think she's awesome and Havana too. The fact is all based to true events and your family and home makes this feel so much more special for me to have read. Mahalo for your wonderful story John.

[ReedWrite]

I really enjoyed these chapters...there's a kind of "Wind in the Willows" feel to them. My own novels, while moving toward a relatively happy ending, tend to evoke tension, darkness, suspense, and sometimes pain. Not surprisingly, I read those kinds of books, as well. Still...every now and again...it's so refreshing to pick up a novel and feel...good. From start to finish. This read does that for me. It was refreshing, funny, and uplifting, and it also held my attention. Nicely done!

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Mant thank yous RW

[DIVYA]

Havana embodies distinct oriental qualties being of exotic beauty, a bit languid, inward looking and calm. I liked Marmalade better though, never forgot a slight, took on a stronger enemy and got even. I identified with her so much. Thanks for the enjoyable read, John. 🌸

[DIVYA]

Your pets? Interesting. What about the third character, Mrs Pepper?

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Mrs Pepper is a mixture of fact and fiction.

[wordman]

good story john,the making of a fine book
and i know i wasn`t one of those characters