Gemstone
Here for the Journey
The Day the Sky Fell Down
(Further adventures of Cody/Pusser)
(Further adventures of Cody/Pusser)
Something was very wrong with the world tonight. The day had started quite strangely as Archie wasn’t his usual happy self. Cody couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he knew that Archie was not cross with him. It was definitely something outside, something out of his control. That something had been creeping up on Cody all day and when Archie was late home Cody began to feel very unsettled indeed and decided to go out and look for him. He pushed his way out of the cat flap and was on the street within minutes.
Even then there was something in the air, Cody knew that smell from before, it was a smell that got to the back of his throat and made him feel uncomfortable. The last time he felt like this he remembered heading home, but then home was somewhere completely different. He remembered snuggling up to the old lady in her big soft chair and being tickled under the chin and hearing her reassuring voice telling him everything was ok.
Tonight, however everything was not alright. The old lady was gone and now Archie was missing and the gloom was creeping over Cody once again.
Half an hour later and Cody was still on the street but Archie was still nowhere to be seen. He thought about turning back but he was afraid. Something had gone very wrong with the world. People were running around and children were shouting. There were incredible noises above his head and – the sky was falling down. Yes he was quite sure – the sky was on fire and it was falling down in great multi-coloured chunks. He couldn’t actually see where the pieces of sky hit the ground so he supposed they were quite a long way away.
Cody had to get away so he ran as fast as he could. The sky broke up above him and massive chunks still fell but still Cody ran on relentlessly, looking for a place to snuggle and someone to say “It’s alright”.
As he ran Cody began to recognise landmarks – not recent landmarks but something deep in his memory. He realised that he was heading for the big road but still he did not stop. When Cody reached the motorway he still did not stop but ran straight at the 6 lanes and would have reached the other side ok if he had not collided with the edge of a car. Cody tumbled over and over like a rag doll and landed on the verge behind the hard shoulder, a lifeless heap of fur.
Archie was disgruntled. He hated firework duty but every couple of years he had to do it. The Council had a display every year and one of the gangs was expected to work as stewards and parking attendants and later to clear up the litter and debris and make the fire safe. This year it was the turn of Archie’s gang and he didn’t like it one little bit. He would have been much happier curling up in the armchair in front of the TV with Pusser. He wondered how Pusser was coping with the flashes and bangs and he hoped that he had stayed cosy inside and not left through the cat flap and been frightened by all the noise.
At last Archie made his way back through the smoky streets towards home. There were still a few odd bangs and flashes but Guy Fawkes Night was pretty much over for another year.
Turning the key in the door Archie called “Pusser!” There was no answering call and no furry brush around his legs – Pusser was nowhere to be seen. Even then Archie was not worried. He assumed Pusser had followed the call of nature and would be back in soon – but no cat came through the cat flap that night.
In the morning the house was silent and Pusser’s supper remained untouched. Archie cleared it away and put out more food, hoping the cat would return soon. By the evening it was clear that Pusser had gone missing and Archie walked around the estate quizzing the neighbours. No-one could remember seeing the cat. Archie persuaded people to look in sheds and garages but still no Pusser. Archie was very worried.
Several days went by and Archie was sad. His mate Charlie tried to cheer him up, saying Pusser had probably decided to move in with someone else – cats were like that – but Archie knew different.
Cody had crawled under the arch of corrugated metal to shelter from the cold. He slept a lot over the next few days and dreamed he was on a cushion with an old lady cooing over him. Then the old lady became Archie and he tickled him under the chin and chuckled and called him Pusser. Always there was the sound of the 6 lane motorway which separated him from Archie and home.
Charlie was on motorway duty again and as he parked up and put the bollards along the hard shoulder he noticed something moving under the corrugated metal in the grass. He went to investigate and was amazed to see what looked like Archie’s cat so far from home. Pusser, if it was Pusser, looked a little worse for wear but he was still breathing. Charlie picked up his mobile phone and called Archie.
“How many of his nine lives has this cat used” asked the vet with a wry smile after he had checked for injuries. “He’s managed to get away with bruising and shock and he’s very hungry. With a little tender loving care he’ll be right as rain in a week or so”.
Once home recovery was swift and back on the estate Cody (or Pusser) was surprised to see the blue sky was still above with no pieces missing.
© Gemstone November 2009
