Luna The Black Cat

Luna The Black Cat

The Blue Peacock Collection

A Short Story

By Kathy Hayes

Isla checked in at The Blue Peacock Lodge.  She selected Cabin #12.  She unpacked and headed back over to the lodge to dine at The Blue Peacock Restaurant.  As she was walking back to the lodge, she noticed that a black cat was following her.  Hello kitty, what is your name?  The cat walked up to her and rubbed her legs.

Isla had reserved a window table in the restaurant.  Bob, the long time server at The Blue Peacock, seated her and took her drink order, and she settled back to look at the menu.  Isla looked up and the black cat had settled herself in a seat next to her, and she looked around to see if anyone reacted.  She was sure this cat was not supposed to be in the restaurant.  

Bob, the server, came back to her table.

“Luna, did you find a friend?  I hope Luna is not being a pest.  I can move her if you would rather she didn’t dine with you.”

“No, she is fine.  I was just afraid she was not supposed to be in here.”

Bob said, “Luna more or less owns the place.  She is our boss.”

“I don’t mind.  She is good company.”  

Isla reached over and pet Luna on her head.  She meowed and purred.

There was a beautiful sunset over the lake when Isla left the restaurant and she strolled down to the dock in front of the lodge and selected a chaise.  She settled in to watch the sunset and Luna jumped up on her lap and settled herself.  Isla pet Luna as the sun lowered itself over the lake and Isla pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

“Hello Love.  How are you?”

Isla had dialed her husband, Andy.

“I am fine.  Just walked in the door.  It was a long day.  How was your trip?”

“Uneventful.  I am checked in and have had supper.  Oh, I have a new friend.”

“Should I be jealous?  A good-looking pool boy, maybe?”

Isla said.  “No need to panic. Her name is Luna, and she is a beautiful black cat.  She has taken up with me.  Even had supper with me in the restaurant.”

“Wow!  They allow cats in the dining room?”

“I was told that she owns the place.”  Isla said.

“I should be able to come to The Oaks in a couple of days.  I will rent a car so we can drive back together.  How are you feeling?”

“Still tired, but okay.  I plan to rest and read and then read and rest tomorrow.  That and hangout with my new cat.  I have booked a massage and a facial for tomorrow morning.  Don’t worry, I plan to do nothing but rest and relax.”

“Good.  I am sure you are just over tired.  You have had an exhausting year and you just need to reset.”

“I plan to do just that because I need to get back to work.  I am feeling useless.”

“You are perfect.  You will work after you have had a proper rest.  Good night, love.  I will talk to you tomorrow.  Rest.”

“Good night Andy, talk tomorrow.”

One of the deck servers came over and offered her a drink, and since the temperature was cooling gave her a fleece to wrap around herself.  She ordered a glass of white wine and enjoyed the evening sunset and the boats coming back into dock.

Long after it was dark, Isla walked back up the path to her cottage and noticed Luna following along behind her.  

“You surely don’t think you are sleeping with me tonight?”

She fished out her key, opened the door and Luna ran into the cottage and settled herself in front of the fire that had been lit for her.  Fall evenings at the Oaks were often chilly.

“Okay, I guess you are spending the night.”

Isla undressed and turned her bed back.  She rummaged in her suitcase until she found her book and settled into bed.  Luna jumped on the bed and laid beside her.  Isla had to admit, the soft, warm body in bed with her was comforting.  She didn’t know what Andy would think about this when he arrived.  Luna would most likely move on to new guests by then.

Around midnight, Isla became sleepy, turned off the bedside lamp, and slid into the sheets and under the covers.  She put on her blinders and laid on her back.  Luna crawled up on her and began kneading her left breast, then settled on top of her breast.

“Really Luna?  I am not sure this is going to work for me.”

Luna began a light purr and made no move to leave.  Isla nudged her a little, but she held firm and Isla slipped into sleep, with Luna lying on top of her, kneading her breast.

Isla woke early the next morning and Luna was still with her.  When Isla stirred, Luna went to the door and wanted out.  Isla opened the door and let her out and wondered who was to feed her.  Isla showered, dressed, and left the cottage.  As soon as she left the cottage, Luna appeared and once again followed her down the path to the lodge. Once again, she walked into the dining room, asked for a table and when she sat down, Luna took up her place beside her.

Bob, who always seemed on duty, took Isla’s order and brought her a pot of coffee.  She took her phone out of her purse and checked her email while she waited.  After she finished her whole grain toast and oatmeal, she headed to the spa for her massage and facial.  Luna trailed along after Isla and went right into the spa when they got there.  

Isla walked to the reception desk.  “Hi, I am Isla.  I have a massage and facial scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, please come this way”.  Luna followed along.  

“I don’t know what is up with this cat.  It has been following me ever since I arrived.”

“Oh Luna is our mascot.  She makes herself at home.”

She showed Isla to a massage room.  “Jennifer will be with you soon.  Undress and make yourself comfortable.”

Isla undressed and wrapped a towel around herself.  She popped up on the table and Luna jumped up and sat beside her.  

“I am not sure you can stay up here, lady, but we will see.”

Jennifer came in and introduced herself and ask if there was any place that needed working over.  

“No, just a general massage will be fine.”

Jennifer said, “Sorry Luna, wait in a chair.”

She picked up the cat and deposited her on a chair.  When the massage was over, Isla dressed and went back to reception.

“Ready for your facial now?”

“Yes, thank you.”  Luna was still following.

In another room, a girl named Nikki came in to do her facial.  Isla leaned back in a chair, and Nikki covered her face in a hot towel.  Once again, Luna jumped up and settled herself in Isla’s lap. No amount of encouragement could move her, so Nikki worked around her.

“You all accommodate this cat.”

“Well, Luna is special, so she gets her way most of the time.”

Isla felt drained when she finished her facial and went back to the cottage for a nap.   She had been tired for the past few weeks and she just thought it was the stress of her job, but now she wasn’t so sure. She felt relaxed today, more relaxed than she had been in months.

Luna followed her back to her cottage and when Isla laid on the bed, Luna crawled on top of her again, centering herself over Isla’s left breast.  Isla fell asleep, and when she woke up, it was getting dark.  She looked at her watch and wondered how it got to be six o’clock?  Luna moved closer to her face and nuzzled her neck as she purred.

“Are you hungry?  Let’s go to the lodge and get something to eat.”

Isla rolled out of bed, surprised that she was still tired.  She brushed her teeth, combed her hair and changed into a long sleeve dress.  Isla grabbed her purse, went out the door, and locked it, dropping her key into her purse.  Luna jumped into her arms.

“Oh, are you kidding?  Now you want to be carried?  Okay, I guess.”

Isla had again reserved a window table for supper.

Luna settled herself in a chair next to Isla and went to sleep.  Isla felt unwell and exhausted, but she pushed through her meal.  She ordered the broccoli cheese soup and a side salad.  She ordered a pot of coffee rather than any alcohol. Isla felt faint, and she was breaking out in a cold sweat.  She hoped she could make it back to the cottage without making a spectacle of herself.  She ate half her soup and left the salad.  Bob wanted to know if there was something wrong with the food and she told him she just wasn’t hungry.  As she left, Luna jumped into her arms again. 

Isla stepped out onto the porch of the lodge, took a deep breath, and fainted.  When she came to, many people surrounded her and Luna was lying on top of her on her left breast.  She tried to sit up, and Bob told her to lie back. The ambulance was on the way.  She insisted she was fine, just a little light-headed, but he would not hear of it.  

The ambulance arrived, siren blaring.  As they were getting ready to load her on a stretcher, one paramedic reached toward Luna to pick her up and she hissed, showed her teeth, and threatened to bite him.  

Bob said, “Maybe you should let Luna ride and I will follow in my car and take care of her when I get there.”

The paramedic looked at Luna and relented, although he was sure it was against some kind of regulation.

Before Bob left for the hospital, he looked up Andy’s phone number in their files and called to tell him what had happened.  

When Bob arrived at the hospital, they had just wheeled Luna in and a doctor was checking her out while on the gurney.  Bob rushed to the gurney and picked up Luna.

“I am sorry doctor, this cat attached herself to Isla as soon as she arrived at the lodge.  Won’t leave her side.”

“Not to worry.  Pets are a great comfort to people.  We will get her in and check her out.  You can wait in the family waiting room.”

“I have notified her husband and he should be here in about an hour.  I am sure he will want to see her as soon as he arrives.  Come on Luna, to the waiting room for us.”  Luna looked over Bob’s shoulder to Isla and struggled to be let down, but Bob had a firm grip on her.

An hour and a half later, Andy came charging into the waiting room. 

“Bob, what happened?  Where is she?”

“You can go to the desk and they will let you back.  I went back about thirty minutes ago and she was sleeping, so I didn’t bother her.”

Andy went to the desk, and they sent him back to go to Isla’s room.  Andy walked in and he noticed how pale Isla looked.  She was sleeping and looked peaceful.  He took the only chair in the room and tried to be silent.  A nurse came in to check Isla’s IV.

“You must be Andy.  I will get the doctor for you.”

Doctor Robinson entered the room, introduced himself and gave Andy a hand shake.

“Isla has elevated white blood cells and some of her other blood work is concerning.  I noticed the cat, Luna, was sitting on Isla’s left breast.  I did an examination, and I felt a lump and we need to do a biopsy.  It is a tiny lump and we hope we caught it early.  We are doing the biopsy in the morning.  Until then, we will check her into the hospital and get her comfortable.”

“Are you telling me she has cancer?”

“No, I am saying I want to check.  I felt a lump, and I talked with Bob.  He told me that Luna attached herself to Isla as soon as she arrived at the lodge.  I know it seems improbable, but pets are sometimes very sensitive to illness.  Let me show you.”

The doctor stepped out and spoke to the nurse.  He told her to bring Bob and Luna back.  When they entered the room, Luna struggled to get down from Bob’s grip.  The doctor told Bob to let her down.  Luna jumped up on the bed and laid down on Isla’s left breast.  This woke Isla.

“Luna, I can’t believe they let you in here.”  Isla nuzzled the cat and reached her hand toward Andy.

“Andy, what is wrong with me?”

“Nothing that they can’t, darling.”

The doctor repeated everything he told Andy to Isla and assured her she would be fine.

Next day, they did the biopsy early in the morning.  The biopsy came back later that evening and it was cancer, but the doctor said they caught it early.  The next day Isla underwent all kinds of scans and they determined it was stage one cancer and removal of the lump and surrounding area should resolve the issue.  They determined that chemo or radiology was unnecessary and put her on a three-month watch. The doctor encouraged her to see her doctor at home as soon as possible.

Three days later Isla and Andy returned to Oaks On The Lake and stayed an extra couple days so Isla could rest.  As soon as they returned, Luna showed up at their cottage.  Andy let the cat in and she ran to Isla and jumped on her lap.  Luna no longer laid on Isla’s breast.  

Isla recovered and at the five-year mark, no cancer had returned.  Isla and Andy returned to Oaks On The Oak every year at the same time and Luna, although excited to see Isla, never again laid on her breast, but acted just like the spoiled cat she was.  Luna became famous in the area for detecting cancer and people from far and wide came to visit the Oaks and Luna, hoping she didn’t detect cancer inside of them.