"The Poet's Cat"
Part 6
by Breyll & Vagabond
~ Orli ~
I stood in front of the open fridge and considered it's content.
There was some cheese, some eggs, some juice. No raw meat sadly. It's strange
to be hungry for raw meat even in human form, but what the heck. Viggo had
read some of the magazines to me when we had gotten back after the dog incident,
and it said I had been a vegetarian. Another part of my former life I couldn't
really relate to anymore. The thought of a big piece of beef made my mouth
water.
Viggo was still up in the bedroom, dozing fitfully after another extended
session of love-making. I could spend hours caressing him, making him feel
as warm and loved and happy as I did when he stroked me when I was a cat and
asleep on his lap. I felt like I owed him some return of all that affection
he offered me so generously.
But I still hadn't told him how much I really loved him. I would, as soon
as I had found some sort of midnight snack. Maybe just a glass of milk? I
took the bottle out of the fridge and was looking for a glass, when there
was a loud knock on the front door. Who could that be at this time of night?
I was about to just go and have a look, when I realized I didn't have any
clothes on. It was sort of difficult to get used to dressing again. Especially,
as my human delighted in undressing me...
I grabbed one of the jeans Viggo had washed in the morning and hung up to
dry over the kitchen chairs. It was a bit too wide and a bit too short and
not really dry, but it was not like I was going to photo session, right?
The knock came again and I hurried over to the front door to make sure my
sleeping beauty would not be woken up by the noise. When I opened the door
I almost recoiled and snarled in disgust. It was that 'Sean' person again!
What did he want?!
But I kept my temper, did not scratch his face again and instead leaned in
the door frame, effectively blocking the entrance. "Yes?" I asked
nonchalantly, noting the confused expression in his face with satisfaction.
"I want to talk to Viggy." he said. "Is he home?"
I smiled, showing my teeth. "Yes, he is. But he is busy." The man's
brows drew together and he stared at me with hostility. "I'm Sean. I'm
his..." - "No, you are not." I interrupted him. "He doesn't
want to see you. He's had enough of you. He told me all about you."
His eyes glinted in anger. "And who are you?" he challenged me.
My smile grew even wider and more wicked. "I'm his lover. And I think
you'd better leave now." For a long moment we stared at each other and
I was reminded of a fight I had had with another tom cat a couple of days
ago. About whose stretch of beach this was. I had won that fight as well.
Then his face suddenly changed and he looked confused. "Don't I know
you?" he asked. "Aren't you that actor... Orlando... something?"
I shook my head immediately. "No." I lied smoothly. "But many
people think I am." I looked him over once more and then said as politely
as I could: "Would you please leave now. You are really not welcome in
this house anymore."
His head snapped up and the arrogant expression I had seen on his first visit
returned. "Well... if it is like that... I hope the two of you will be
happy together." 'No, you don't', I thought, but I smilingly watched
him turn around and leave. Only when he had disappeared into the darkness
did I close the door.
~ Viggo ~
A loud knocking on the door awoke me and grumpily I got up
to open the door. Seconds later I was wide awake when I heard Orli answering
the door and sending Sean away, and felt immensely grateful.
"My lover, huh?" I smiled, when I went down the stairs to take Orli
in my arms. He looked incredibly cute in my faded and still wet jeans. "I
think that one hit Sean hard. It seems my Orli keeps his claws even in human
form." I teased and drew him closer to me to kiss him softly.
"But I am a bit concerned about him recognizing you. I mean, they are
certainly looking for you. And it wouldn't be good if they find you before
we have found a way to get rid of that curse." I looked at Orli worriedly.
~ Orli ~
I smiled back at Viggo. "He woke you." I said grinning.
"I should follow him and scratch him for that." But then I noticed
his seriousness. My fingers trailed caressing over his cheek. "Don't
worry. I think he believed me, when I told him I was not that 'famous actor'.
Shrugging, I took his hand and led him back up the stairs. "I don't want
to be found anyway." I continued. "Curse or no curse, I want to
stay with you."
Pictures came to my mind. Pictures of me arguing with a woman I was pretty
sure had been my manager, pictures of me hitting her. Other scenes of me behaving
like a spoiled brat instead of a sensible young man. Stardom must really have
gotten to my head. I didn't know how to tell Viggo this, but the more I remembered
about myself, the less I liked the person I obviously had been. I didn't want
to be that person again.
I turned around halfway up the stairs. "Viggo, can I please stay with
you? I don't want to go back to that life. I don't like it." I looked
at him pleadingly. "I love you." I whispered. "Please don't
send me away..."
~ Viggo ~
For a moment I just stared at him completely dumbfounded.
In my head, thoughts and pictures were blurring into each other. Orli and
I on the beach, at the cafe, in bed... happy, content... for ever.
"Oh god, Orli. I would be the happiest man in the world, if you stayed
with me. I love you so much. But don't you want to go back to your family,
your friends? And would you really want to stay with me in this hut? Aren't
you used to a better life? Won't you miss that? - I can't go to expensive
restaurants with you, or fly around the world just for fun. And I don't like
parties and don't care about fashion and all that stuff. I'm... just Viggo.
The dreamy poet. I won't be able to give you much - only my love. For Sean
that was never enough. After a while I always bored him to tears..."
I looked at the beautiful young man standing on my stairs and my heart was
full of doubt. For the hundredth time in the last days I asked myself, what
fate had in store for the two of us.
~ Orli ~
Looking in his dark blue eyes - so filled with emotion, so
true - I felt utterly helpless. Like a new born, dependent and in need of
protection. Restaurants, parties, riches, stardom... none of that had made
me happy. It had made me into someone I now despised. But my human made me
happy.
'My human'. The word resonated in my mind and another memory came to the surface…
I had been cruising the city with some friends. Not really drunk, but certainly
not sober either. They had been rich assholes. Fitting company for me. We
had made fun of the poor people living on the street. Shouting at them from
our sports car.
When we had found an old homeless woman sitting on a bench we had stopped
to taunt her. She had mostly ignored us, but in the end she had stared right
at me. "You will learn to behave." she had said, her tone icy. "You
will live in the street begging for food, till you find someone who loves
you. And only when you have learned some decency, come back and find me."
We had laughed at her and she had walked away. The next dawn I had woken up
as a cat, not remembering who I was… Now I realized she must have cursed
me somehow.
Viggo must have noticed my sudden turmoil because his eyes were full of questions.
"I remember." I whispered. "I remember what happened to me.
There was an old woman. Must have been a witch. She cursed me. To make me
learn decency."
~ Viggo ~
"She cursed you to live as a cat until someone truly
loves you." It really sounded like a fairy tale. "Do you remember
where you met her? We have to find her!" I was really excited now. We
could make Orli a real human again!
I took his hand and dragged him up the last steps to the bedroom to make him
put on some clothes. Why was he so strangely undecided? He should be jubilant
that he now had a way to win free of that curse! Even Hugo was squeaking excitedly
in his hole. Maybe he was under a spell as well? I had to grin.
"Come on, Orli, what's wrong?" I caressed his cheek and tugged on
a long lock of curly dark hair. "Don't worry. I will convince that witch,
that you have changed. And that I love you more than anything else."
~ Orli ~
I listened to Viggo's excited babbling and felt strangely
calm. Yes, it seemed I heard learned the lesson, the witch had tried to teach
me. But obviously I had learned it better then anybody could have anticipated.
I had not only learned a bit of decency, but also how to be content.
And that did not necessarily include being human. What it did include was
dozing under the porch when the sun got too warm, peering out at the human
feet walking by, feeling superior because they could not see me. It included
gobbling down unreasonably amounts of tuna and then lying in Viggo's lap,
letting him soothe my aching belly. It included fighting with the tom cat
living in the next beach house. It very much included being a cat.
I sat down on the bed and smiled up at Viggo. "I think, I don't want
that witch to take the curse away." I said and actually enjoyed Viggo's
shocked expression. "I would much rather stay your Orli-Cat."
~ Viggo ~
"You want to... oh Orli..." Somehow that was the
most beautiful declaration of love I had ever heard. "But you can't do
that." I whispered several times, utterly confused. Orli just drew me
into his arms and started kissing me, till all my doubts slowly evaporated
from my head.
I would keep my little kitten. My kitten that had shaken up my life in such
a healing way. Would spend wonderful, funny days with my cat and nights with
my beloved Orlando, whose human form was still taking my breath away. It was
so much more than I had ever dared to hope for.
Contentment and an incredible happiness spread through me and I let myself
sink onto the bed, drawing Orli with me. "I think," I teased, "you
look really ruffled. I should do something about that." Gently I pressed
my lips to Orli's and it wasn't long till the bedroom was filled with contented
purring.
And they lived happily ever after...
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Beryll & Vagabond