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All I got. It’s not too small, but it’s not a world. It’s not life!  

She grabbed the diary and threw it out the doorless entrance, getting up and sitting at the farthest place from the entrance. Why didn’t I matter at the adoption center? I’m not supposed to be in this cat shelter. I’m supposed to be with my siblings! We’re family—and that’s what matters.            

Instead of crying, the cat spread its claws. Maybe if my siblings won’t rescue me, I can transform this cat shelter! She raised a paw, but just as she was about to strike at the black felt, a voice shrieked for her to stop.

“No! That’s our home, too. I mean, it’s our home, too. Your shelter.”               

The cat spun around. “Who’s there?”

The voice was accompanied by a baby tiger.

“Who are you?”

The tiger simply gave the cat a tour of what looked like a cat shelter in a fantasy book—one place was a black stage with blood-red curtains, another place was a St. Patrick’s Day shade of green grass for hills and hills and another place was the bright sky. The cat gazed at all the brightness, lost in wonder. When she came to, she stifled a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” The baby tiger asked, putting a paw softly on her arm.

The cat went back to her felt space. The tiger followed her. “I can show you other rooms—rooms of dancing cats, singing cats and cats swimming. I can even show you—”

“I don’t want to go, thanks.”

“What’s wrong?” Again, the paw softly on the arm.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why?”

“Because!” The cat whipped around, her claws extended.

“What’s—”

“Wrong?”

The cat sat, gesturing with one clawed paw. “When I was a kitten, I was abandoned. All my siblings had gone. I was told my mother had died in childbirth, and my father died of loneliness. I think he’s still out there, but I don’t understand why I have to roam the streets, eating eaten apples and…” The cat looked at the listening baby tiger. She looked away. I’m telling this story to a stranger?!

She looked outside. It started to rain. “Okay,” she said, getting up and walking towards the entrance. “I’m going to throw you and you’re going to get that diary. All the words—”

Are soggy!”

The baby tiger, who had gone up to the cat was grabbed by the scruff of its neck. She snarled, her face two millimeters away. “You will get me that book!”

The baby tiger fought out of its grasp, and then was dropped. “What’s it matter? The diary’s all wet. No one will read it—”

“You stupid tiger! Get out of my sight.”

“Let’s hope,” it chastised, “I find a warm shelter to sleep in tonight. Maybe the jungle!”

The cat, begging the tiger’s forgiveness, chased after it. But it had gone somewhere. The cat gave up. She blinked. “I’m sorry.” Then she traveled throughout the worlds—racing through the starlit sky. “No, don’t even. Don’t even line up.” She raced away. She tried not to imagine those constellations forming to become her siblings—

“No!”

“No what?”

She spun around, half-grateful that the baby tiger was here. “Look, I’m sorry—”

“No need. I can shed some light on that subject!”

As the voice’s owner revealed itself, the cat extended her claws. But the snake smiled calmly, maybe even warmly. The cat shivered, but she didn’t think it was from the cat shelter. It was wearing a Fedora hat, and it was grey with white around its mouth. 

The snake said that although it wasn’t a cat’s best friend, it was here to tell her that befriending one would be the best thing since…”sliced bread!” It laughed, but the cat looked around herself, seeing the cobalt curtains and black-as-soot stage. She blinked, wondering how she had gotten here all of a sudden.

“Hey.” The snake said, looking at her coolly with half-closed eyes. “You can be great, or you can be an audience member. Which do you think is—”

“To distract her from a warm place to sleep!”

Tiny black claws met grey body, and the snake let out a wild hiss. But it didn’t counterattack. The snake merely laughed. “Aw, no need to get all angry at me. You’re the perfect audience.”

“Audience for what? Your little—”

The snake shook its head, the cat even asking whether it was okay. The snake shook its head even more sadly. The baby tiger tried interrupting, but the cat was curious. Meanwhile, the snake grabbed a Fedora hat for her. She wore it gladly, grabbing some props to go with it. “Hah! I’m—”

“A friend. I’ve always wanted a friend. What’s kept me here is, well, myself. I entertain. But, you know, I don’t always want to entertain alone—I’m not that scary. I’m not that snakish. Anyone can entertain.” Then the snake’s turquoise eyes lit up. “Hey—you want to entertain with me? I pay in cat treats!”

The cat saw the snake move a huge barrel of, well, cat treats peeping out at the top of the barrel with its slender body. She didn’t have a good feeling about it, but the cat treats—maybe she could take some with her to go lie under those stars and enjoy a nice little show of constellations hugging and gathering together. All for her. She could even give her “siblings” a cat treat, talking to them, sliding it onto their beach chair. The cat returned to reality, a grin spread from ear to ear.

“Oh—sure! But I want the cat treats for my siblings and me. I don’t want you to just give me them because I’m a cat. You know, cats and snakes don’t get along very well…”

“Well, why would I let you down? I’m different.” The snake looked suave in its Fedora hat. It looked pretty sincere. So the cat went for it. Maybe if she entertained enough, she’d see her siblings. Yes! They’d come see her live, in shining lights. They’d roar her praise, applauding faster and harder than anyone else. The cat shook her head as she returned to reality. She nodded. “Sign me up!”

The baby tiger, watching the two become stars practically overnight, walked slowly away. It shook its head, hoping the cat would learn her lesson. Maybe the hard way! It ran away, upset with the cat’s decisions to betray it and befriend the snake. Most of all, betray her siblings.

“…aren’t you excited?”

The snake asked this question to the cat as she rehearsed for a show later that week. She bobbed her head, almost falling as she balanced herself to get a boot on. “Oh—I can’t wait! I just might see my siblings and I just might see my father.” She shook her head, a grin splitting her face. “I—I haven’t seen them since they were young.”

“That’s great. How are you going to do that if they’re not here?”

“Oh—well, I’ll see them in the audience. I’ll see them while they cheer and clap, very brief glances.”

“Don’t you want to know they’re here rather than hope they are?”

She thought. That could be better. She replied that she couldn’t just go rescue them. The snake offered to go do that for her. He’d be quick. She blinked, and looked up with a tight grin. “That’s very kind of you, sir, but I should be with them. That they’re here makes all the difference. Maybe they’ll surprise me!”

“Maybe they’d be better off knowing you’re a star!”

“Maybe…” The cat counterattacked. “Maybe I’ll be surprised!” She lightened the tone.

“Hey--we’ll be out there in five minutes!”

The snake was right—they will be together on stage. The cat played her part, to much roars of laughter as it was a comedy. It wasn’t a famous play—just a thought-up one by some pig out there who had directed many plays. Maybe he got the idea from his last play. Anyway, the cat didn’t understand what the hype was as the audience, she saw from behind the curtain, was acting strange. They seemed to be hypnotized, attached. But they kept coming. And coming. And the cat loved it.

The cat drank up every juicy comment, soaked in everyone’s praises and even gave a proud look as parents of baby animals hoped their children would be as good as the cat. But she didn’t have time to even talk, as she would say she’d have to get on with the cast party, or audition for another play. The snake smiled, bobbing its head up and down. The cat did the same, but noticed this quickly, and with the quick flash of an embarrassed grin, changed her little copycat attitude. She wasn’t like the snake anymore.

When the plays were moved outside to entertain humans, the cat didn’t want this.

“Okay!” the snake nodded. “Whatever suits. You’re fancy.”

The cat gloated in everyone’s adoration. Shaking hooves, talons, paws, feet and tails, the cat never forgot to say thank you or you’re welcome. She always ensured she got the last word, the audience leaving with her songs and words of wisdom ringing in their ears. The snake even congratulated the cat as she fell into a fluffy pink chair, collapsing from exhaustion as she put it from all the crowds’ awe. Awe of her.

“Hey!”

The baby tiger leaped into the scene. It went right up to the cat, who pushed it away. The baby tiger looked at her with blinking eyes, but then said, “I wish we were still friends.”

“Don’t have any other than those other actors.” She high-fived a llama, two penguins and five standing gazelles. Then she gave the baby tiger a smart look.

The tiger shook its head. “Come on! You got to do more than shine.”

“Yeah…maybe later.”

“Come on. We’re friends, right?”

“Uh…no!” And the cat grabbed the baby tiger and put it in a chair in the audience. “You belong here.” She hopped up on stage, ignoring the baby tiger, rolling her eyes as she left. When she got back to the snake, he asked whether she saw her siblings. She shook her head after thinking a little bit.

“Then let’s go get them. They’ll be so proud!”

The cat looked at the snake. Coldness spread like winter’s day throughout the cat’s body. She gulped. But she shook it off. “Sorry—I think it’s cold in here.” She went to adjust the thermostat. When the room was a little hotter, she laughed. “Well, let’s go. We’ll be late for the cast party.”

Weeks later was a big performance. The cat was ecstatic about her part, which was the lead. When she was behind the curtain again, she came out from behind it. It was cobalt but she felt it would be prettier if it were gray. So she asked the snake whether it could be grey. The snake nodded like it would give this cat anything. Anything her heart desired.

“One grey curtain for this actress coming right up!”

“Awesome!”

Standing back, the cat admired it. The snake then turned to her. “You like it? Wouldn’t it be better if your siblings were here? So you can take pictures with them after every play? Receive flowers? Watch them root for you in the audience?”

Coldness again went through the cat. She adjusted the thermostat. She looked outside—a bright sunny day. Her diary should be dry by now. Words alone don’t bring comfort. Reality does!

She ran away, apologizing for her lateness to the cast party. She had meant to bring some food, but no one seemed interested in her apologies. They accepted her as she was. Whenever she engaged in conversation, cracked a joke or acted out a scene, they didn’t seem interested.

Backstage, the cat took off her Fedora hat. Looking at it, she imagined her sibling stealing it from her and her having to get it back. Laughing, she imagined playing with them, laughing and leaping. When reality hit, she ran away from everyone (as stares became irritated glowers and mutters of annoyance), and then practiced acting on her own. When she was done, she hugged her hat tight to her chest. Smiling big, she said to it, “You guys! You’ll always—”

“Be with you!”

She jumped. “Snake! How are you? Hey—I got a show. How about my siblings and I—”

“Great!” The snake jerked his head. “Awesome. Mr. Pigs will love it!”

That night, the cat’s play hit the hearts of millions of fans. Her grin couldn’t be wider as she danced, sang and hung out later that night with the animals who played her siblings. As the bonfire burned bright, the cat cracked some jokes. Soon, only the fire crackled with joy. The cat blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“I…you’re an actress. Not funny off stage.” And they turned to each other, giggling over some pictures they said were taken last year. And the year before. And the year before.

The cat blinked. And looked at the grass below. Then the grass that was the shade of St. Patrick’s Day tempted her to move. She blinked, tears welling up in her eyes. I… She tore away, telling herself mentally she was nothing without her siblings.

“Hey—everything okay?”

She ditched them, going to the hills and hills. Rolling hills. She imagined her siblings and her chasing each other and falling, laughing into gaping piles of villainously slimy mud. She laughed, but it came out stale.

“Happy?”

She jumped, and turned.

“Baby Tiger?”

“First of all, I’m not an ‘it’. And second, congratulations!”

“Baby—”

“On your show!”

The baby tiger dashed away, blinking hard. The cat pursed her lips. I...

She heard a soft rustling sound. Another Fedora hat was in her line of sight. “Hey—I thought we’d practice for tonight’s performance by meeting on the stage of blood-red curtains. Is that okay?”

The cat nodded, letting the snake lead her. When they were there, she chased the snake, it being an action scene. He hissed, and she dodged, but whenever she reacted, he seemed to smile a little more and more sinisterly. Soon, his fangs showed, but he said he was just acting. She lunged, making vicious swipes. Laughing victoriously, she said, “Scared? Going to run away? Coward!” A nasty grin spread across her face.

The snake hissed threateningly.   

“We both want out, you and me. You see, the problem is, you’re a cat, and you love stalking, killing and eating little things, especially worms and snakes. However, I’m a poisonous snake. Don’t you want to keep your distance? Also, you should watch out, because I can kill you. I’m not just a piece of food—I’m a creature, too! All my life I’ve felt inferior. Well, no more. I’m a Black Mamba!”

“We’re not friends—”

“Your siblings. Are they?”

The cat tried not looking him in his turquoise eyes. Then he became beautiful colors—vibrant colors as only a rainbow can emulate—and smiled, she not looking away for a minute.

Maybe…I guess we can be friends.

“Oh—I can read minds, too. You want to be friends? Bring your siblings here, and we’ll watch you act. And your siblings can applaud—before they’re my dinner!”  

A cry was heard.        

“Baby!”

The baby tiger lay motionless, and the cackling snake reared back its head, striking the cat. She yelled, dashed towards the baby tiger and then dropped to her knees.

“Baby? Baby!”

“What’s wrong?” The snake put his tail softly on the cat’s arm.

She struggled to get up and then limped hurriedly away.

“Curiosity killed the cat!” The snake howled.

The cat sat on another stage—the one with blood-red curtains. She held it close to her heart. Making a little bed for it with her arms, she whispered, “I’ll never forget about you, Baby Tiger.” The cat blinked. Wherever you are, siblings, I hope you’ve been loved like I am right now. As the cat put her face to that of the baby tiger’s, it blinked and said, “You can call me Baby Tiger. Just not ‘baby’.” And the baby tiger asked why they weren’t affected by the Black Mamba’s poison. The cat staggered onto the beach chair, the baby tiger still in her embrace. “I…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe because we’re friends, you and me?”  

The stars stared down at her from above.   

“Good night, Baby Tiger. I hope you have sweet dreams.”

It yawned, snuggling into her arms. “You, too—”

“Get back!”

She scrambled up from her chair, clutching the baby tiger to her chest.

“Just want to put on a show with you as the lead—”   

“Put on your own!”     

The snake’s cold eyes stayed right on the cat. When a pig ran up to her, the snake slithered away.  

“Hey! Any ideas for our next show?”

“Well,” she said, “maybe one more. About me and my new friend!”

The pig smiled. “Sure. We’ll practice that one—”

“Tonight. And put it on tomorrow night.”

The director agreed and left, and the cat whispered softly to her sleeping friend. “Hey, I got a play for you. You’ll watch, right?”

She blinked, tears in her eyes. “Right? Please—you’re my only hope. I'm sorry--I'll never be a snake to you or anyone else again. Please! I shouldn't have blamed you. I just...I guess I'm not the cat I thought I was. Just a cat. My siblings would say so, too.”

The cat donned her Fedora. “Ready?”

“Okay—but what about the snake?”

“Oh—it’ll just have to wait and see what we’ll do. After all, we’ll all be together, right?” The cat laughed. And blinked back happy tears.