An excerpt

A special Shelter

Laurel went into the garden in search of something very specific: his palace. At this thought alone, a flood of remembrance overwhelmed her. She saw herself running back to get there. The girl was finally in front of her. It was a cabin with the appearance of a giant wooden log. It had only one window through which Laurel tried to see the interior of the place. Impressions and images, both positive and nostalgic, immediately recalled his spirit. She remembered perfectly that sense of security and well-being that she once felt whenever she went there. She opened the front door and rushed inside. After turning on the light, a bric-a-brac of objects and stacked cardboard replaced his small living room, his makeshift kitchen and his painting workshop. She was proceeding cautiously along the centre aisle when she stumbled upon a cardboard box that blocked the passage. She bent down to take a look at its contents. The latter was open, many games and toys were overflowing. Laurel wanted to bring him closer to her when one of the objects fell into a dry noise activating soft music that reminded her

The lullaby

 I was on the bedside table. Part of the room was outside my field of vision. I was facing the front door which was half-open. The room seemed small to me although I knew it wasn't actually small. From where I stood, I could only see a large wardrobe, a mirror and mini sofas around a wooden round table. I assumed that this space had been converted as a living room. I was suffocating because of the dust that surrounded me. The door creaked and widened a little more, without opening completely. Caesar pointed his nose, then dragged the rest of his body inside, with a nonchalant step. As soon as he entered, he was probably inspecting the room in search of a nice place. He chose to settle in one of the sofas in the small living room. He was dozing, yawning twice, licking his snout, rolling around in a ball and falling asleep. What seemed strange to me in his behaviour was that at first glance he was asleep. Yet I saw him sometimes close his eyes, sometimes open them. I continued to observe him when his gaze fixed on me. His green eyes, wide open, peered at me. Their expressions alternated between greed and curiosity. After a few moments of looking at me, he got up, stretched out and jumped off the sofa. I did not understand at first his destination until he found himself in front of me. He was going around the bedside table looking for a way to reach me. I panicked. An unpleasant memory came to my mind. I remembered that day when Caesar was playing with Lulu the little mouse. He was having fun with her dangerously by swinging her from one side to the other with one of his paws. He was attacking her, biting her frail body. I didn't want to know the same fate. To my great satisfaction, he did not seem to find a technique to reach me. As I rejoiced at his impotence, I no longer saw him. A purr close to me worried me. I prayed that this noise would be only the fruit of my imagination. Alas, the sight of a hairy white paw dashed all my hopes. How he managed to climb so high, the mystery remained unsolved. I was looking back at the room in my head. To my right was a bed. But his height did not allow Caesar to climb on the bedside table. To my left was a lamp. It seemed like a giant to me because of my small size. Taking up a lot of space, its presence reduced the space. Caesar had pushed him with his enormous butt. She stood in balance at the edge of the bedside table. Caesar sneered and then walked up to me. Not knowing what he had behind his head, I walked away and turned on myself. I then saw a large chair not far away. I understood that it was thanks to her that Caesar had reached me. I cursed her inwardly. Caesar sniffed me, I felt the tip of his tongue on me. 

- Beurk! Beat Caesar's paws!

How on earth did I tell him to stop since I didn't speak the language of cats. I was trying a melody that was supposed to say:

- Stop Caesar, get out of there right now!

But to no avail. He lifted one of his paws and I saw his claws. They were sharp. I got scared, I started to vibrate and to emit notes of anguish. To my great despair, his paw touched me. I made a high-pitched sound to express my pain. Indeed, a scratch removed part of the varnish that covered me. By touching me, he ends up activating my crank. I lacked inspiration to keep him away from me. I was now covered in scratches here and there. I had to admit that I was disfigured. I was thinking when an idea touched on my mind. I was looking for a soothing song in my musical repertoire. I was snooping leaving out the uninteresting scores. I was struggling to find the perfect score. Tired of looking, I took a break. Meanwhile, the animal was still carrying me by pushing me with one of its paws. I was tired of being dizzy, but I wasn't discouraged. I suddenly had the enlightenment I lacked. I remembered a lullaby that I used to play. She put all those who listened to her to sleep. I was performing at the moment, a soft, calm melody emanated throughout the room. Caesar, surprised by this change of sound, stopped teasing me, ears on the lookout. His reaction prompted me to play harder and harder in order to continue my enchantment. Gradually, his eyelids began to blink more slowly than usual. Indefatigable, I persisted in my game. The cat put himself in position to sleep, which caused the lamp to fall. She fell with a bang. Caesar awoke with a start, which forced me to play with more fervor. I managed to achieve my goal a few moments later to my great relief. It was with wonder that I saw the power of my lullaby. It resonated in the room like an echo. I was singing my lullaby, eternal, worthy music box that I was until someone had the goodness to stop me.