Just off the busy sidewalk sat a café. Its door open for business, but for lack of customers, the café might have well been closed.
A woman rushed inside before halting briefly. She inhaled sweet, cinnamon scones. Saliva sprayed her palate while her eyes searched the floor. Her attention diverted only a smidge before she remembered herself.
She wasn’t here for the food. She had lost something rather dear to her heart. She was looking for her cat.
Unaware of a potential customer, a young boy seated behind the counter turned the page of his graphic novel. His head bounced rhythmically and white cords swung from his ears.
Reaching the counter, she cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me, have you seen Sailor?”
Startled, the boy jumped as if a villain had entered his realm. Grabbing his headphones, he looked up and stuffed his book into his back pocket.
“Um, hi, what can I get you?”
“Have you seen a grey tabby?”
“A what? I’m not sure we carry those,” he replied.
“He’s not a what. He’s a who.”
“Who?”
“Sailor—my cat. He’s grey with white bands and big fluffy tail.”
“Um…ma’am…no pets are allowed in here. This here’s a restaurant.”
She sighed and shifted in her shoes thinking, “Crikey. This is going to be a long day.”
–To be continued.
—
May 7, 2011. This is a glimpse at a character that’s been germinating in my literary dreams. To see if my imagination can be captured, I will attempt a set of serial installments about Samantha. As to the image, I created it in Sketchbook Pro and finished it in PhotoWizard. Sent from my iPad. © 2011 Steph Abbott. All rights reserved.
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