My Nine Lives

A black ball of fur she was and very adorable to look at. Her eyes would dance and watch keenly and the mice had no chance once they came in her sight. She was alert, supple, lively and swift and had sinuous grace. Her movements had perfection in steps that would put a ballerina to shame. She could huddle and flex herself from slight spaces and get inside the places which were supposed to be out of reach.

She had her favorite spaces, places where there were a lot of mice, some area where she could play hide and seek, she enjoyed to scaring the butterfly in the garden. She loved to sleep lazily and then languorously stretch herself.

The shop on the corner of the street was high on her must visit list. That one had dark glass doors and it was tightly closed. There was no space for her to flex and enter. Neither did it have any window for her to get inside. She would roam around the place and look as the doors opened as women would enter and exit from those doors which had a mystery world inside.

She tried hard to get inside but it did seem like an impenetrable fortress. But that black fluff was undaunted in her resolve to get inside that forbidden world. She spent some time surveying as to how she could get inside. She jumped on the back white wall and hid herself behind a door. From here she could see how people entered the door and take a chance to sneak inside. There was a lattice marble screen on to the left and the sun created flowery patterns on the white walls. Cat looked around walked softly and wriggled herself through the door which was left ajar for few minutes. She was inside at last and hid herself in a corner. Slowly she came out and made sure there was no one looking around and then delicately went inside another door. Her eyes sharp and focused looked around with wonder and awe. The white marbled floor felt refreshingly cool and revitalizing after coming from the bright sun outside. The sound of water fountains and deep musical notes resonated the atmosphere. Many lovely women were laughing and talking and sleeping and resting. She was curious to know what this was. Listening to the conversation she twitched her ears and from the age old memory of some other lives etched in her cat mind she understood that this was a Spa. A place where you can rest and relax. She looked at them well she shrugged and glanced at herself she was graceful and soft silky coat of black. She had absolutely no stress in her life. Well none looked more alluring and enchanting like her she watched them in disdain.

She then decided explore the new place. Surely there must be some interesting objects behind those closed doors. She walked along the walls sneaking and moving with care. A black door looked mysterious and a woman came out of the room wearing a black gown.

"Heena" someone called her

"Have you dusted the room properly?"

"Yes Madam, I have and kept everything at its place.'

."You were careful with the glass bottles."

'Yes Madam." the woman bowed her head and went away

Bottles...wow that was interesting

Let me go inside thought the Cat, they could be milk bottles. Yes she was so sure.

The Door was heavy though it wasn't locked. She moved along the wall and noticed a woman in white coming with a big lock in her hand. Quick she had to take a chance as the woman would close it and lock it.

Ohh! She wriggled herself and was successful to glide inside unnoticed. There was a strange smell of oils and essences and she was immediately put off, but now the door was locked and she was a captive. She looked around long rows of oil bottles and caskets and boxes adorned the shelves.

She was extremely disappointed with the contents in those bottles. She screened them with piercing eyes to see if there was anything of her interest.

And as she moved on her paws examining them a strange looking bottle slipped and before she could put the paw to stop it from rolling down it slipped and crashed on the floor. She closed her eyes.

The delicate bottle was shattered to thousand glittering pieces which looked like shining beads of silver. Cat moved down to check and then twitched her ears to listen to any footsteps but there was silence.

And then unexpectedly smoke whirled up in circular motion and strange wind sang a tune. Soon the smoke began to coalesce into a form of a stunning woman. An extraordinary sight she made. Her hair was like mist and her lips of rose, her perfect brows shone with silver and her faced the gentleness of moon and the splendor of Sun. Cat was scared now very sure of getting a scolding she wanted to get out of this place to her own dusty dirty world.

She heard a sweet voice as the enchanting being bowed a perfect bow

"What is thy wish mistress?"

My wish Cat was confused.

'Yes my lady you have freed me from my prison of the bottle, I have to grant you three wishes. Thy wish is my command."

She was confused. "My wish! What do you mean?' she asked

"Your wish my lady. I am the wife of Aladdin's Genie and I will grant your wishes

“Aladdin’s Genie!” Cat exclaimed.

“Yes my lady.”

"What should I ask for?" Cat was introspective

“Something you have always yearned and but were not able to get it yourself.”

She moved her arm and there in front of their eyes were riches of gold and silver and jewels all glittered brightly.

"You can ask for this." she said and looked at the Cat.

No Cat was sure this was useless nothing what was the utility of gold and silver

"No thank you." she said in a very formal voice.

"Well then do you wish is to have all the love in the world. All types I mean from the parental love, love of siblings to the most important LOVE of a mate and ..."

“But I can get it myself. There were enough Tom cats competing for her attention already she had no dearth of lovers with the feline beauty she was and intelligent too.”

“Would you like to have milky rivers which never run dry?” asked the beautiful creature.

"No, I can always sneak into homes to get that and enjoy sneaking and making use of my senses."

"Oh then freedom from death..." She prompted "Is that what you would like to have my lady."

Cat thought over the possibilities of such a situation. Life forever how dreary would that be...nothing to be scared of nothing to cherish, nothing to get excited about because where there is no fear life becomes predictable and loses the excitement. Life should be dangerous enough for you to want to live not just exist in a heaven of obviousness.

"So my lady what do you wish." She bowed again

Yes am coming to it...I would like more lives ...more lives as me the cat

"Granted!' she exclaimed: "You will have one and two three and four five and six seven and eight nine......" for three to play, for three to stray, and for the last three to stay.

“Is that fine my lady!”

"Enough I am not greedy." Cat replied proudly

"Fine my lady nine lives you will have."

"And the next wish. I would like to have power over people's mind. Power that they never take me for granted would be nice if they are in awe and are a bit scared too, and let darkness be my friend where I could move with we equal ease in the light and the dark."

"As you wish my lady you would have an impact on human minds and they would be scared and you would always have very sharp eyes to see through the darkest of dark and light and twilight world."

With a swift wave of her hand that stunning genie made some circular motions and a little cloud of white came down from the roof encircled her danced around her tips and floated away through the window.

"And the third wish my lady!"

“The third wish” Cat tilted her neck and closed her eyes longingly

"May there always be more mice than the cats." Cat said lightly

"Avery wise wish my lady."

Again the cotton white cloud danced around her fingers as it moved away through the window.

"And now here I again I bow my dear lady as I grant you one more wish."

"One more but there have always been three wishes"

“Yes but this is because you gave me my freedom. I have been in this glass prison for many years captured by my husband the Genie who stays in Aladdin's lamp."

"Where were you before you were imprisoned?"

“Well with him in the lamp.”

And he wanted me to work like a slave and I refused so he cunningly imprisoned me in this glass prison. Now as you have broken the lid I can go back to my home, to my beautiful lamp home. I have to sort out with my husband too,

“Tell me your last wish.”

"But I do not have any you can keep it for yourself."

"No we can only grant wishes to others cannot wish for ourselves."

But Cat was firm she was not going to tire herself with thinking more. She stretched herself as she settled down for a refreshing nap.

The Genie nodded her head

"Fine I will give you nine lives and I grant them to your descendants until forever."

With a graceful bow to the sleepy Cat she floated out through the window to the azure blue sky

“To my lamp home and my genie” with a delicate trail of laughter she left.