Ray's The Cat

Ray follows Writer Lady into the kitchen, food bowl in hand with Tinkletoes bringing up the rear.

“I have no idea what to put in the bowl.  I don't keep a lot of snacks around the house.”  Writer Lady says as she searches through cabinets.

“Maybe I can just eat what's in here.”  Ray suggests picking up a kibble and putting it into his mouth.  Ray turns a little pale and starts coughing.   “It's a little stale.”  He croaks.

“That's the healthy food.  Dobby has a habit of tasting each kibble and rejecting the healthy food.  It must go stale faster because the kibbles are dampened.”

“So every kibble in that bowl has already been in Dobby's mouth?”  Tinkletoes asks.

“Yes.”  Writer Lady confirms.

Ray pales further.

“I guess it's time to hope the lil' guy doesn't have worms.”  Tinkletoes whispers, patting Ray on the back.

“I try to keep his bowls clean and the food fresh.” Writer Lady says offering to take the bowl from Ray's hand.  Ray relinquishes it all too willingly.

“Do you worm Dobby?  You know, regularly?”  Tinkletoes asks grinning.

“You know I don't.”  Writer Lady says.   “Dobby is a house cat who rarely spends time with other animals.”  Furnatche runs through the kitchen.  “Unless dragons have some kind of worm or parasite...”

Ray coughs.

“Dobby gets wormed every year when I take him to the vet for his shots.  His appointment is next week, I hope he gets back in time.”

Ray stands still, mouth hanging open as if to speak but no words are coming out.

“Don't worry, Ray.  I won't be taking you to the vet.  None of that nasty wormer for you.”   Thinking of something Writer Lady snaps her fingers, Ray jumps.  “I have some cheese puffs in the cabinet.”  Writer Lady crosses the kitchen to pull a bag out of the pantry.  “Okay, they aren't cheese puffs they're cheese balls. But it's a new bag; never been opened.”

“Perfect.”  Tinkletoes says.

Smiling Writer Lady heads for another cabinet to pull out a cereal bowl.

“Uh...uh.  He's the cat.”  Tinkletoes points out.

“Yes he is.”  Writer Lady winks at Tinkletoes to show him she's playing along. “I have a clean food dish right here.” She says pouring some cheese puffs into the bowl and handing it to Ray.

“Thanks.”  Ray mutters.

“Is something wrong?”  Writer Lady asks.

“Yeah Ray.  What's the trouble?”   Tinkletoes asks.

Writer Lady looks at Tinkletoes with a worried expression.

“It's okay...he'll be his old self in no time.  Short attention span.”  He says.

Writer Lady looks at Tinkletoes doubtfully.

“If you watch him you can almost see his mind going blank again.  Ray's going to get really quiet and then three, two, one...”  Tinkletoes says.

Ray shakes his head, looks around the room, looks down, sees the bowl, and says,  “Cheese balls, Cool!”

Writer Lady looks at Tinkletoes.

“I'm the cat.”  Ray says, raising the bowl to his mouth and eats a cheese ball.

“Better?”  Writer Lady asks.

Ray nods.

“They're one of Ray's favorites.”  Tinkletoes says.

“Dobby's too.”  Writer Lady says.   “And no.  I didn't feed him cheese balls. Sometimes I would let him lick a little bit of the cheese off of my fingers.”

Ray looks at Tinkletoes.

“Don't even think about it.”  Tinkletoes says.  “You have your food, so get going.”

Ray takes his bowl of “food” into the living room which immediately inspires Dylan to come into the kitchen.  “Ray has cheese balls, can I have some?”   Dylan asks.  Writer Lady hands him the bag and Dylan skips out of the kitchen before Writer Lady has a chance to change her mind.   “Don't spill.  Share!” Writer Lady calls after him.

“So...how are you feeling now?  You still look a little bit sad.”   Tinkletoes holds out both arms.  “Come here.”

“I'm worried about Dobby but I'm okay.”

“It's okay really.”  Tinkletoes says.  “Come here.”

“I'm fine.”  Writer Lady says.  “Thank you.”

“If you change your mind.  I'm right here.”  He says, lowering his arms.

“Okay.”

“Anytime.  It doesn't matter.  I'm right here.”  Tinkletoes stresses.

“Thanks.  I'll remember that.”

“Duuuude!”   Ray's exclamation can be heard from the living room.  Anticipating an argument over the bag of cheese balls, Writer Lady heads towards the living room followed closely by Tinkletoes.

“There's a picture!”  Ray says looking up from his discovery and smiling.   Ray has settled himself on the floor near the coffee table within sight of the television screen.  Dylan is sitting next to him.

“Yes there is.”  Writer Lady confirms.

Ray continues nosing his way through the magical bowl of cheese balls.  “It's a picture of a dog, cool.”  A cheese ball falls out of the bowl and rolls across the table.  Flicking it with his fingers, Dylan sends it rolling along the table.   “Really cool.”  Ray says.   He looks around the room for another place to try out the rolling cheese ball thing.  His eye stops at Dobby's plastic track toy, picking up his food dish Ray crosses the distance walking on his knees, removes the plastic white ball that is usually in the track and replaces it with a cheese ball. Reaching down he flicks at the cheese ball separating the top third of the ball from it's bottom and making a mess.  

  "It needs lubricant."  Dylan says absentmindedly as he channel surfs.  

  "No it doesn't."  Ray argues, brushing away crumbs.

  "Does too!"  Dylan responds.

  "Did you hear something?"  Tinkletoes asks Writer Lady.

  "No."  

  "I think it came from the bonus room."  He says.

  "Dobby, back already?"  She asks.

  "Why don't we go check."  Tinkletoes offers guiding Writer Lady to the far side of the house.  When she has turned her back on the living room and its activities he says.   "This has the potential for experimentation.   Dylan, there's a can of non-stick spray in the kitchen cabinet  when Writer Lady has exited and I turn my back Ray will get it for you.  Let's grease that track up and see what happens."

  Ray, Dylan, and TP nod.

  "If you get caught.  I know nothing,"  Tinkletoes says.