Cat for a day

It was a bright beautiful sunny day in the middle of March. Dannie wasn't too fond of early mornings or long school days. It was a few weeks away from spring break and she couldn't wait just to have long days sleeping in and swinging on lazy days gazing at the sky from the porch swing. Dannie was a quiet, observate girl not to worried about hanging out with the popular kids or getting invited out. She'd rather be snuggled up to a good book or watching movies with her cat pixie. Leah, Dannie's little sister was the complete opposite. She had to be part of the popular group and be in the middle of everything going on at school. They were only 16 months apart. Middle school was full of ups and downs but Dannie and Leah knew they could count on each other even if it came with the occasional sibling rivalry.

"Dannie you and that cat are like two peas in a pod, you both could lay 'round all day if you could! When are you going to start making friends or going out for once" Leah stated as she brushed her long blonde hair, getting ready to go to a friend's house for the weekend. Dannie just rolled her eyes and continued to read her book while pixie snuggled next to her. His fuzzy gray tail curled up so comfortably as he slept the day away. It was Friday evening and Dannie was already prepared for her nightly routine. Read a few pages of her favorite mystery chronicles then snuggle up and watch a good movie with some buttery popcorn and pixie by her side. Leah had left now and Dannie was home alone. Dad was still at work and mom had went grocery shopping. Something felt off this evening. Dannie started overthinking Monday morning she was already trying to think of a way to get out of going to school. Dannie was very smart and a very good student but if she had it her way she would be home schooled just so she didn't have to get up early. "Hmm, I can't fake sick. I've already done that too many times. I can't tell mom and dad it's a teacher appreciation day so school is closed, already tried that and they got a phone call about my absence.." Dannie thought as she grazed pixie. Just then Leah came storming through the front door, "I can't believe Kayla's grounded just over a dumb argument with her little brother ugh, now it'll be another week before I can go over there!" Leah explained with her sassy attitude as she said most things. "Poor Leah boo who you gotta stay home this weekend" Dannie said.

It was close to midnight now and Dannie couldn't sleep. She walks in Leah's room "psst, hey are u awake?!" Leah picked her head up from the pillow "well I am now, what's up?!" "Do you wanna hang out, I can't sleep?" Dannie said. "Maybe play video games or watch a movie.." "Yea, sure." Leah replied as she rubbed her tired eyes. After a few rounds of video games and a movie the girls sat talking about funny stories about school and things they wanted to do during spring break. Dannie couldn't wait to go fishing and Leah just wanted to go swimming.

It was Sunday evening now. The girls were hanging out talking as they ate a late evening snack. Dannie says "I wish Monday was the start of spring break, I sure need a break!" Leah says "yeah that would be nice but we don't have long to go, besides your going to just spend most of your time just laying around with that cat anyway." Just then a thunderstorm storm started. Dannie got a pretty good idea. She sat next to Leah with pixie on her lap, she says "I wish I could be a cat for a day!" Just then lightening struck in front of there house and the power went out. A few minutes went by and the lights came back on but something was really not right. Leah was meowing and pixie was rolling her eyes yelling "what did you do!" Dannie was in aw of what was happening. She couldn't believe her eyes! She had turned her sister into a cat and her cat into her sister! They switched bodies! Dannie was also a little jealous because she wanted to be a cat not the other way around but now she had bigger issues. She had to come up with a plan. For the next 24 hours she had to cat sit her sister and talk to her cat.

"Look, Leah this is the plan. We're going to go to school tomorrow. I'll help you get ready or pixie get ready and your going to hop in the book bag so if and when people talk to you, you can reply from inside the bookbag." Dannie admitted that's not the best plan and if it was up to her they would have stayed home but she knew she had to help her sister make it through the day. It was first period and already Leah was not acting like her self. Her friends noticed she wasn't so talkative and she kept licking her hands. "That's strange" they thought but didn't say anything to her. It was lunch time now so Leah could be with her sister. Dannie says "how's the day been going so far?" From the book bag she heard "good besides the fact that I can barely breathe back here and pixie keeps making me lick my hands while I'm in class, tell her to stop it! She's making me look weird in front of my friends!" Leah explained. Dannie whispers "ok watch me pixie" and begins picking up her spork to eat her turkey and mash potatoes combo with a small carton of milk next to her. Pixie, now in Leah's body has no idea how to eat like a human so she decides to pour the milk on the tray and lick it out of the tray. From in side the book bag you could hear "great now they're really going to think I'm weird! Good job Dannie this is all your fault!" Dannie proceeds to help pixie figure out how to eat like a human once more. "No it's like this!" And Dannie picks up the spork and hands it to pixie. "Pick up the food with the spork, like this" and shows him once more. Finally the bell rang and everyone hurried back to class.

School was finally over now and the girls were home. Dannie took pixie and Leah into her room. "Hey kids how was school?" Mom yelled from the kitchen. "Great mom!" Dannie replied then shut her bedroom door. She unzipped the bookbag and Leah hopped out. "Bawh!" She gasp for air "finally I can breathe!" Then she curled up next to Dannie and says "this is a comfy spot to be in" Leah was starting to understand how nice it was to get an evening nap in and she was getting comfortable in her fuzzy fur. Leah yawned then said "I could get used to this." Dannie replied "oh no you don't! Your turning back into your self very soon, I can't wait until this is over!" Pixie wondered through the hallway rubbing her side against the wall. From Dannie's view it was a odd site seeing her sister acting as a cat walking through the hallway. She laughed a little then grabbed her hand and pulled her back into her room. "Your staying in here tonight until this whole thing blows over!"

Morning came. Dannie hopped out of bed and woke Leah up. "Hey, hey are you ok?!" "Are you still pixie!?" She said as she shook Leah slightly. Leah opened her eyes. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" She explained. Leah had never been too fond of cats especially pixie. She always said pixie was the laziest cat she ever seen. Now that she has had a very unique experience of knowing how it felt to be pixie for a day, she understood her feelings and connected with her on a different deeper level. Dannie was happy to finally have her sister back to normal and her cat back to being her cat. She was also happy her sister was getting along with pixie for once in for all. Dannie never wished to be a cat again! Infact she was happy just being Dannie and never complained about getting up early again!