It all started with that darn cat. She taunted me constantly, walking along the upper edge of the backyard fence as if to say, “I am way up here, and you cannot get me.” No amount of my barking disturbed her. Every day she passed by, she acted like she owned the place. Sometimes she would sit on the top of the fence and just ignore me jumping up at her from below. She was always just out of reach, and she knew it.
Then, one day, I was helping my little boy do yard work. I got to help dig the holes when he was planting some trees. He had a wheelbarrow full of dirt that he left near the fence.
The little boy went back into the house. The stupid cat came for her daily taunt. Now was my chance to catch her.
I took a few steps back and then ran and jumped on the wheelbarrow, which was high enough to let me get over the fence. The scaredy-cat was shocked. She ran away, and the chase was on.
I ran down the alleyway chasing her, and she ran out into the street. She was almost hit by a car but darted under it, barely avoiding being smashed by the tires. She is such a stupid cat. I was still close on her heels as she ran down the block.
She ran into the backyards, and for many blocks, I chased her. She jumped up on a fence and onto a steeply-slanted roof, thinking I would not have the courage to follow her on top of the houses. She wasn’t going to get away that easily.
I have to admit that balancing on the roof peak was very challenging. Then she jumped from one house to another across a wide gap. I tried to jump after her but lost my footing on the edge and did not get enough push off the edge to make it across.
I was falling, and there was nothing I could do about it except brace for impact. I hit the ground hard, and it knocked the wind out of me, making me unconscious. The ground was soft where I landed, so luckily, I did not break anything.
It took a few minutes for me to recover my senses after I came to. At that moment, I realized I had no idea where I was. Which way was my house? I tried to smell my little boy. All I got was a mixture of confusing smells from a totally new neighborhood.
It took me a long time to find my way back. I was gone for many days. I was so happy when I recognized my house and saw the boy’s mother in the front yard. She called me over, and I jumped into her arms.
She took me in the car to find the little boy who was playing in the playground. He was so surprised to see me. He hugged me and started crying. Little boys cry because they do not have a tail to wag.
