T wins John Lamperti - Norwich, VT
P age and I know two lovely little twins, named Julie and Cassie. I
think their names are short for Juliette and Cassandra, but they aren’t saying. Sometimes they look alike, but other times they’re very different. Far from identical! They are staying in our house, for a while or maybe forever. We’ve become very fond of them both. They are very different little people too. When we first knew them, Julie was quite shy, but not Cassie. She wanted to make friends right away, and now we’ve become quite close. She and I hang out together often, while Julie usually just says hello and goes her own way. But there’s one little exception: Julie is always ready to help Page make the bed in the morning, while Cassie sits and watches. Otherwise they don’t offer much help with chores. But we think they are both charming, and they make us laugh. One day our living room rug seemed a bit lumpy. Page lifted up one corner and we found two ballpoint pens underneath it. Later that day we saw one of those twins – was it Cassie? – turn up the rug to hide something once more, and not for the last time. They think it’s a storage place for their toys! Julie is the adventurer. She’s a great climber and loves to visit high places; it scares me to watch her. And she goes off on her own sometimes. Once she stayed away two days and two nights, and we were very worried. But then she turned up home again, safe and sound. We decided we’d never let her do that again! I see one of them right now, taking a quick nap under a table. I love them both, although by now Cassie is my special friend. I’ve never known anyone like her. She appears at night sometimes, and climbs into bed to sleep with us. Just for a little while. Did I forget to explain? Julie and Cassie are beautiful little cats. And today we discovered some hidden depths. I said that Julie has a little ritual. Every morning when Page makes the bed where we’ve slept she comes running to “help,” or else maybe she is Winter 2022
already there waiting. It’s a game she seems to love, getting the covers thrown over her and finding her way out. This house has a spare guest bedroom which lately doesn’t get much use. Today, however, some of Page’s family are visiting and she decided to change the sheets. After laundering the used ones, she carried them to that spare room and left them on the bed to fix up later. The day got underway. We finished the Times crossword as usual and while I did the breakfast dishes Page went to make up that guest room bed. There on the bed was Julie, waiting for her to arrive so their usual game could begin. And it did. I was amazed; she and Page never make the bed in that room, always in the room where we sleep. How did Julie
know it would be the guest room this one time? I think she saw the pile of new sheets and understood what was coming, so that’s where she waited. And it worked; she got her game in a new place for the first time. Julie is one smart little cat!
And here they are. Aren’t they wonderful? – John
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