CAT'S TALE Contributed by Lisa Suhay

Cat was walking along one early evening, heading toward the village.
Cat was a friendly sort. In her lives she wore many hats. Sometimes she was a companion, listener and even a watch cat. Suddenly, out of the shadows leaped a massive dog. To cat it seemed as if a chunk of the sky had fallen into her path.

In the shadowy darkness, the animal towered over cat and bared its great, sharp, yellow teeth.

"Run away," the dog snarled.

Startled nearly out of her wits, cat knew that if she were going to survive she must not panic. She imposed a steely calm on herself and looked up at the beast.

"I beg your pardon," answered cat, far more calmly than she felt. "I have business here. Let me pass."

The dog had not expected this reaction. He usually left his victims weak with fear by simply looking at them.

"Run," he repeated. "I don't like the way you drift about these parts cozying up to people and making them feel so secure. This is my place. Everyone here does as I tell them to."

Now cat was nearly paralyzed with fear and running was absolutely out of the question. Cat knew that if she did run away she would never be able to see her friends in these parts again. She also realized that if she did not stand, she would always live in fear of dogs. Perhaps she would spend her life cringing at shadows as so many other cats did.

It wasn't right. There was nothing wrong with cat helping people. The wrong was in the animal she was facing.

Cat breathed a silent prayer; "Oh help me find my way home safe." A little spark kindled in cat's heart. The light in her heart began to fill her and unfreeze her muscles and nerves. Suddenly, cat was no longer pretending - she really wasn't afraid.

Cat realized at that moment, nothing mattered more to her than shining her light in this dark creature.

"I invite you to come with me and meet my friends," cat purred. "I hate to think of you out here all alone."

Slowly, cat managed to put one paw in front of another until she found herself gliding past the menacing creature.

"Stop," snarled the dog. "Take one more step and I will destroy you. Don't you dare cross me!"

It was too late. Cat had found her feet and was going at a fast pace toward the village where her friends waited for her.

She rushed into the home of the village's guard dog and told her story.

"Did I do right?" cat asked "You did just fine," he answered. "You aren't finished. Now you must go out and tell your tale so that others who find themselves in fear might recall it and find their light."

And so cat did.