By: fabdab.near
Hephzibah

It was a dream come true when MarmaJ finally moved into her new house. It was everything she had ever wanted and more.

With a sprawling yard, hills and trees, the property had enough space for skating and all her other adventures. There were awesome spots to host her friends and a stream flowing through the length of the property, with gorgeous beach sand on the shores. The icing on the cake, in MarmaJ’s opinion, were the flowers and the butterflies 🥰☺️. Oh, how she loved butterflies and pretty flowers 🌺! The picturesque property looked like something from a soulful nature painting.

MarmaJ’s favourite things to do were sightseeing or skating around her property. She almost always returned with beautiful flowers to adorn her tables as trophies from her adventures. Other times, to her delight, she discovered wild fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, while “hiking” on the property, she’d sight an adorable squirrel or woodchuck zipping into the undergrowth. Oh, and the birds… their lovely, brightly-coloured plumages and glorious singing delighted her.

She was out on one of her adventures one day, when she saw the cutest orange tabby kitten 🐈 ever. It had somehow strayed onto her property, lost and all alone. Everyone knew that MarmaJ was a dog lover. She had two dogs, the absolute loves of her life. She had never imagined – not in a million years – that she’d fall in love with a kitten. But there they were – eyes locked, in the shade of some lovely, nondescript tree, the lady and the little, lost cat. MarmaJ fell in love with Tabby right there and then (see, she had already named it).

She knew the cat would be shy and probably take off if she approached it too suddenly, so she spoke softly to it and rummaged in her small bag for some of the dog treats she always carried with her. Luckily, she found some and ever-so-carefully tossed a few to the Tabby. Not taking its eyes off MarmaJ, the kitten sniffed and ate the treat.

And thus began a relationship that, for a while, felt a little one-sided. Everyday, MarmaJ would leave out food for the cat under the tree where they first met until slowly, the cat began to warm up to her. For weeks, they’d meet under their tree and build a tentative bond, MarmaJ faithfully feeding Tabby until her orange fur shone with good health. One day, MarmaJ took ill and could not come to the tree for 4 days. As she lay in bed for days recuperating, she worried about Tabby, surprised how her thoughts returned again and again to her feline friend..

It was the morning of the fifth day since she had last seen the kitten; she was lying in bed with a slight fever wondering what had happened to Tabby when she heard a strange sound from the patio adjoining her bedroom. She recalled faintly that she’d heard that sound a couple of days before but had been too sick to check it out. So she decided to investigate, and maybe even take a walk – after all, she was much better than she’d been in days, plus it was such a lovely day. She dressed lightly and went to the patio to investigate the source of the strange sound.

As it turned out, she didn’t have to investigate. Sitting right at the door, looking up at her with the cutest eyes was her tabby kitten. How had she found the house all by herself? How long had she sat outside waiting for her? MarmaJ was so touched, she scooped the cat in her arms and took it inside. “Time for you to meet the rest of the gang”, she said. Ma and Ki, her two energetic potcakes were very kind to Tabby taking her into the family.

Whenever Marmaj would introduce Tabby to her friends and family, they all mostly said the same thing. They’d say they never knew she liked cats.

And she’d reply with a warm laugh “I never knew either”.