<div style="font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:black;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">This chapter covers a lot of
territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I know that she had been attacked. It is
vbarely mentioned, yet so much of the story springs from that trauma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Ugly cat grows into white swan cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Mom gets burglarized . <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">She gets married, babies and another cat. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Plus she moves again. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">The story is now opened to many possibilities<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font><font size="3">and there are many questions to be
answered.</font><font size="3"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Despite the fact that so much has
happened, the chapter seems transitional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Is that intended?<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></u></b></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></o:p></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">The
Ugly Barn Cat part 2<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Word
Count: 1491<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">I
wasn’t sure why Mom called her car a “Rabbit,” but Once again, she wedged a box
lined with towels in the back of her hatchback for me to travel in. This time,
Mom’s friend from college helped us drive from <st1:state w:st="on">Colorado</st1:state></font><font size="3">
to </font><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size="3">California</font></st1:place></st1:state><font size="3">.
Before hitting the road, they installed an eight-track cassette player to
entertain us along the way. The trip was boring until we got a flat tire just
over the border into </font><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size="3">Nevada</font></st1:place></st1:state><font size="3">.
Mom and her friend didn’t want to be stranded in a small town, so we paid too
much money for a new tire and drove on. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Mom’s
friend was a big cat lover. I liked sharing her bed at the motels we stopped at
along the way. She played with me like I was a normal kitten. My fragile legs
grew stronger jumping at the string she dangled. After two days of driving, we
reached the “Bay Area.” Mom said we were about 3,000 miles away from the barn
where I was born.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">“I
can’t get far enough away from <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New
York</st1:place></st1:state></font><font size="3">,” she said. I guess she wanted to protect me
from the fleas and horses.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Unfortunately,
when we reached <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state></font><font size="3">,
we couldn’t live with the nice lady who loved cats. She had something called a
boyfriend and two cats of her own. Instead, we stayed with another friend of
Mom’s from high school, but she was allergic to cats like my Mom’s mom, so it
was back to the basement for me. I sure was getting a slow start on learning
how to be a cat in the light of day. When you’re confined to barns and
basements and boxes, it’s pretty scary to stick your nose out the door. I
hadn’t learned how to meow. I was happy hiding quietly in the dark until Mom
made it home from work to feed me. Alone, I dreamed of changing from an ugly
barn cat into a fluffy white feline, like the ugly duckling that turned into an
elegant swan. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">It
took Mom three months to find a place of our own. By then, I was nine months
old. My white fur had filled in all over my body. I looked like a softball with
ears when I was curled up on the bed, Mom said. Of course, our housing choices
were limited on account of my being a cat.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><font size="3"> </font></span><font size="3">“The market sure is competitive - I can’t
believe I need a resume of my rental history just like I need for my job
history. And, the rent is double what I was paying in </font><st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size="3">New York</font></st1:place></st1:state><font size="3">,” she complained. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Mom
landed a place down the hill from her friend. Down the hill meant dropping into
a poorer neighborhood, closer to the interstate, closer to crime. Mom was kind
of nervous about living alone for the first time since she had been
attacked. I chirped, trying to convince Mom that I would guard our
place - as long as I could do it safely from under the bed. It didn’t bother me
that their were bars outside the windows to protect us from the bad guys, but
Mom made curtains in the bedroom to hide the bars from view. Inside, our place
was wonderful. I skittered about the living room and bedroom on hardwood
floors. A picture window in the living room overlooked a grassy and secluded
back yard. Mom placed a wicker stool topped with a soft cushion in the center
of the window for me to watch the world outside. Perched like a princess on my
throne, I chirped at the birds and squirrels, guarding our home from intruders.
I was in heaven. I had no desire myself to venture outside; the view through
the window suited me fine. I laid on the cushion all day, sleeping or grooming
my fur, soft as the down on a swan’s belly. I tried to rub out the dark
spot on the top of my head that made me look like I’d fallen head first into a
bucket of black paint. It was kind of strange – my mom had a splash of white on
her black hair like she’s brushed it with white paint. We were each touched in
the head, I figured.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I
could tell that Mom was getting stronger like me. She shopped at a popular
import store for tables and lamps, excited to set up our home. At a furniture
store, she bought her first-ever new couch, although it was the cheapest one on
the floor. She hung lace panels in front of the picture window to provide
privacy without blocking the sunlight or my view. At a department store, she
found grey bath towels to complement the pink tile work in the bathroom. For
the first time in a long while, she functioned like a confident adult. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">One
day while Mom was at work, a loud crash sent me scrambling for cover. Strange
men kicked in the back door, so I squeezed myself into the springs of Mom’s new
couch. I peaked through a crack in the cushions and watched while they
ransacked drawers and cupboards. I saw them drop some of Mom’s stuff into a
bag. They left the way they’d come in, leaving a gaping hole in the back door. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Mom
panicked when she came home. I was nowhere to be found, she imagined I had
escaped through the busted door during the burglary. The impact of the
splintering door would have scared me into bolting, she worried. She told the
police that the thieves had taken a jar of change and an old gold wedding band,
but these things were of no value to her. On the other hand, she couldn’t bear
to lose Yoda, her ugly barn cat. Mom and I needed each other. I was bedraggled
and neglected; she was Recovering from a rough time, too. <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">For
two days, I trembled inside the couch, unwilling to come out even after all the
commotion died down. After all, I was accustomed to hiding in dark places
without uttering a sound. Mom sat on the couch and cried about losing me, but I
knew I wasn’t lost. I just wasn’t ready to reveal myself until hunger pangs
drove me out of hiding. Mom screamed when she felt my paws bat her butt when
she sat on the couch the third day. You would have thought the sky was falling,
the way Mom jumped off the cushion. Blinking back tears of disbelief at my
discovery, She scrambled to fill my water bowl and food dish.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">“Maybe
my luck is beginning to change,” she exclaimed. She pulled up a cushion and
found a rip in the fabric covering the couch springs. From that day forward, my
cat house was in the couch. Mom never worried because she knew just where I was
- when I wasn’t preening in front of the picture window.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Mom
made new friends and occasionally brought someone over to watch a movie or
share a meal. Most of her friends never knew that Mom had a cat because I
rarely came out of hiding when anyone was in our home. Then, one guy kept
coming around all the time so that I got tired of the couch. He was always
sitting on it with her. He must have weighed twice as much because he
compressed the springs twice as far. One day, I spanked his butt with my paw
and he jumped up saying, “What the hell?”<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">After
that, I didn’t bother to hide from him but I scratched and clawed at his hands
whenever he tried to pick me up or play with me on his lap. Didn’t he know I
was the runt of the litter and couldn’t play rough like that?<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I
thought I was holding my own, secure in my place as queen of the castle, until
the man came up with a terrible idea.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">“I
know what! We should get another cat to play with her while we’re at work. She
needs another cat to keep her company,” he suggested. Somehow, Mom got talked
into the idea. One day, the man brought home a black and grey cat with bandit
eyes that made him look like a raccoon. But, for whatever reason, the guy named
the cat “Beaver.” <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Beaver
liked to beat me up when Mom wasn’t around. He also liked to eat my food.
That’s when I went back into hiding in the couch. I thought I was losing the
battle, but then my Mom and the man moved me and Beaver into a bigger house
with more hiding places. That was a good thing, because along came a couple of
baby girls to add to the chaos. Mom left me alone to hide, busy with babies and
work and that man. She didn’t notice at first that I had grown into a fluffy
white feline even more elegant than a swan.<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">(to
be continued)<o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <o:p></o:p></font></font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font><p class="yiv5859790340msonormal" style="margin: 1em 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font></span></p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></div>