The cat who lived in the Minotaur's palace

The stones were still warm from the sun of the day. Twilight was a great time to wander about the temple after tourists left, usually leaving behind leftovers of tasty food that she and her kittens enjoyed so much. From her advantage point, just below the central courtyard of the Minoan palace, she could reach any area in no time. And time was of the essence when Mutzi, Motsi, and Minnie were hungry. It's been a warm day, but the palace guards were very kind to her and her family, pouring some water on a low plastic container for their perusal, provided they kept themselves out of sight while tourists were around.

After she fed her three dearies, they all could go for a walk and visit the different areas of the palace, acting as its ancient human occupants many years ago, before that terrible eruption the tourist guide talked about. But, always with their ears alert, in case an astray dog would pass by and feel tempted to have some fun chasing them.

In the room with the three women depicted on one wall, in a hidden corner behind an ancient Minoan vase, she found the leftovers of salty chips in a piece of a paper bag, a banana peel, and a paper cup with some melted ice cream. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her family voracious needs, so Cassia continued looking for food until the dolphins' room. Although she abhorred water, she liked the creatures represented on the walls of that room. Near the seaside, she had frequently observed them jumping out and in the water, forming a graceful arc with their bodies in the water foam, just to enjoy themselves. Her nose told her there was something much more delicious in here. A group of English tourists had abandoned a couple of bags almost full of fish and chips. That would be it.

Cassia caught one of the bags with her mouth and got on her way to their shelter. When she arrived, she found the kittens chasing around flies and ladybugs. Seeing her, they all quickly ran, trying to get as much as possible of the meal. Happily meowing, they pulled the bag from her.

The mother told her kittens: "No need to haste, please. There is another bag where I found this. There will be plenty for everyone tonight".

After ensuring they all peacefully shared their meal, Cassia started towards the dolphins' room to recover the other bag. On her way, she mused about how lucky she had been to find such a wonderful place to raise her family. It was perfect while she breastfed them, and now even better; food was abundant, the weather was mild, and they did not have great enemies to fight in the palace. She lived at that place like a queen! What else could she wish?

It would have been better not to follow that train of thought. Just around the corner to the dolphins' room, another cat was feeding from the second bag of fish and chips. By the Minotaur! That was an unfortunate coincidence. It was the first time she had seen a cat in the temple. And a male cat to that!

She calculated that the first bag of fish would be enough to feed her family, but she had not eaten a thing in the whole day and was ravenous right now after the exercise and the fresh air. Cassia stopped, observing the other cat who, concentrated as he was on his meal, had not noticed her yet. Her back to Cassia, he was still unaware of her presence just a few steps behind him. From her observation point, she saw a well-built masculine frame and well-kept fur in reddish orange, looking even reddish under the afternoon sun. She decided to act sweet and look like a worried mother worried for finding food for her insatiable litter.

She started walking from where he could see her coming, looking fragile and worried . 'Meowwwww?' she said, in a greeting and questioning tone. The cat raised his head and looked at her. Luckily for Cassia, she was a beautiful white and orange cat, looking distressed. He was intrigued and stopped eating from the half-empty bag, looking at Cassia. He instantly captured the message of her meowing tone while looking appreciatively through her.

That was the signal Cassia was waiting. She started towards the orange cat and explained: 'Sorry to interrupt your meal Sir' she said, acting humbly. 'I have been looking for food I could give my kittens after the whole day and could not find but some crumbs that had not been nearly enough to satisfy them. If you have already served yourself, could I take that fish and chips bag to them?'

The cat, used to always getting his way, could not believe his ears. He was the most feared cat in his neighbourhood, winning any fight he got in. How could she dare? He looked her up, from the tips of her ears to the tip of her nails and then directly into her eyes. He could not deny she had beautiful eyes. And he was feeling magnanimous, like a 'satisfied king'.

'Wellllll,' he said slowly, 'if we are going to get into business, we should introduce each other, shouldn't we?'

'Absolutely, Sir! My name is Cassia, and I am the mother of three lovely kittens: Mutzi, Motsi, and Minnie, who should by now be very upset because I am not showing up with my supper'.

'Delighted to meet you, Cassia. I am Pat O'Connor. A few years ago, I landed on this beautiful island. And I tell you, I do not miss that miserable Irish weather an inch.'

Seeing that he was trying to behave like a gentleman, Cassia did not wait further to repeat her question. 'Now that we know each other's name, might I grab the fish and chips bag and take the dinner to my kittens?'.

'Of course, my dear', said he, flashing her a wide smile. 'But in return, you should let me accompany you and get better acquainted'.

'Well, that should not be a problem', said Cassia. 'But you must know they are a playful bundle and may try to include you in their games'.

'That might not be all right at this moment', said he reflexively. 'Perhaps, we could arrange for a more intimate meeting tomorrow night? I would much like to invite you to dinner at a special place. What would you say to that?'

Cassia considered that, now that the kittens were five months old and slept a lot, she could leave them to their slumber after an exhausting day and spend some time with this 'Irish gentleman'.

'I will be delighted', said Cassia, batting her eyes. 'Now that we have agreed, I will take my bag and run. See you tomorrow here, in the dolphins' room. At elevens?'

'I will be right here', said Pat O'Connor, mentally licking his lips in advance. 'Until tomorrow then'.

Cassia took her trophy and ran along, relieved that Pat did not insist meeting the kittens presently and would realize that this was her second bag of food tonight.

After feeding her kittens and herself, Cassia decided to call it a day. It's been an exhausting day, and she needed her sleep. Tomorrow, she had a date with a handsome cat and wanted to look pretty..