NOVEL NEXT Chapter Sixty-Seven: What the cat dragged in...
The door was still unlocked, so I expected the next visitor any moment, but that wasn’t what happened. The Cat finished his coffee, and I finished mine. I ended up making a second cup for myself, with lots of cream and vanilla to prepare myself for this meeting. Indigo kept on sleeping. Now and then, a little snore would be louder and I’d need to resist chuckling about it.
I caught myself just watching her sleep, then I noticed the Cat watching me.
“She’ll be okay, right?” I asked.
“Yes, she is a growing little dragon.”
“But, will she get too big for the shop…?” Concern filled my voice and the sunlight coming in from the skylights dimmed a little. The shop reacted to the concern, and I could feel like the shop could, and would, get bigger if needed.
The Cat chuckled. “She has decades before she grows bigger than me.”
I glanced at the Cat, then at Indigo. She was about half the size of him now, if I didn’t count her wings spread out behind her. Hopefully he was right and she wouldn’t grow too big too fast.
The bells on the door jingled, and my head snapped up. Yet, all I could see was someone struggling with a large painting that had to be at least 3 feet by 2 feet, wrapped in brown paper. They made it past the door before I could jump out from behind the counter to help. At some point, an empty easel appeared near the window.
Ideas sparked at the edge of my mind as the cat-person set the still wrapped painting on the easel. Somehow they were carefully using their paws to not damage the paper, while still managing to hold the painting. Then, they stepped back and glanced our way.
It was the same Cat-person as the first time, with yellow eyes and brown fur. Their tail had stripes, and this time they wore an apron with what had to be paintbrushes stuck in one pocket. The Cat-person caught sight of the Cat on the counter and bowed. This time I knew what to do.
“You can rise,” I said with a confident voice. “What brings you to the shop today?” If only I could tell stories to my brothers. They would get a kick out of this.
“A present for the Highness,” said the Cat-person. He bowed again toward the Cat but this time didn’t stay in the position. “You have changed my life, lifting me up from my lowest to now being a renowned artist!” They nodded their head frantically. “I am Meser, the artist, at your service.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Meser,” I said, after a quick glance at the Cat. He sat there, staring at Meser.
The Cat’s voice whispered in my head. “You kid…”
I ignored his voice. “So, you brought a present?” I motioned to the painting.
“Yes, yes, I am now known as the cat artist. I paint only the most holy.” His paws clapped a few times. “I am not worthy of the honor, but the holiness wished for my presence, so I humbly accept.” Meser realized I was staring. “That is why I am here. To give a present to the most holy for changing my life.” He moved toward the painting and tore the brown paper off the frame. Then he stepped back to give us the full view.
My mouth dropped, and I resisted the urge to chuckle. The Cat sighed in my head.
The painting was of the Cat. He sat on the counter in a beam of sunlight, his fur sparkling and his eyes glowing with magic. His form filled most of the painting, making him larger than life. I had no idea how Meser had done it, but it was perfect. I moved around the counter to get a better look. The closer I got, the more detail I could make out. I could see that each hair of fur was carefully done in different shades of black. His eyes were the perfect shade of green, and they seemed to glow, even though it was only paint on a canvas. It must have taken forever to get correct.
Even the look on the Cat’s face was right. So much pride. I wanted the painting badly. I’d hang it up in my room and keep it forever, even after I was no longer at the shop. Even the frame was ornate. It was made of some golden wood, with leaves carved into it along each of the edges.
“This is amazing,” I whispered, unable to help myself.
Meser just about melted into a puddle.
“It’s alright,” said the Cat.
“The Cat agrees,” I added.
Meser shivered in delight, and tears formed at the corners of their eyes. “I can only hope that you enjoy the painting.”
I nodded before moving back behind the counter, wondering how the Cat was going to react. The Cat didn’t add anything else, but I glanced his way, like he had.
“The Cat accepts the painting, and the honor of the workmanship that went into it,” I said, confidently.
Meser actually jumped for joy and clapped his paws together. Then Meser bowed again to the Cat, then to me. “Thank you again for your assistance in helping me grow as an artist.” Meser then headed out the door, careful to keep facing us as he moved. It jingled quietly closed.
“That painting is epic,” I said. “I can’t believe they painted it. How do you think they hold a paintbrush?” I glanced at the Cat’s paws, wondering how that worked.
“It is done well,” grumbled the Cat. Still, his eyes were locked on the painting.
I wondered if he knew that was what he looked like. The only place that had a mirror was my bathroom. “It looks just like you. I have no idea how they painted it from memory. Meser was only here the first time for, what, twenty minutes buying that book?” I shook my head. “If you don’t want the painting, I’ll totally hang it up in my room. It’s just so well done.”
The Cat turned to look at me. “You would hang it up in your room?” He blinked twice.
“Of course, it’s the finest piece of artwork I’ll ever own! It’s hand-painted, has a custom-carved frame, and it’s a great cat!” The cat was crazy if he thought I was going to pass up hanging the painting up.
“You can keep it, then.”