Hurricane Sandy Tabloid Tabby: Humans are a Strange Breed:Finale

       In that single moment, dead silence engulfs us, swiftly superseded by relentless rustling, resonating through the house, reverberating in our souls.  As cats, we can see in the dark, but we were afraid of bad weather and this was no run-of-the-mill, ordinary storm.  Blue shakily plants himself between Pinkie and I as we three curl up together in the lavishly ample cushion at the cozy window seat to listen for our Masters, the Huns.  

       Various household products are being advertised from the radio, which give us some feeling of normalcy, but then in the middle of the commercial, we hear a song: “Groovy Kind of Love” from the scratchy, battery operated radio, melting all of our hearts, making us feel oh, so soothed and loved. Dear Reader, take a listen while you continue reading, so you can share the moment with us: “When I’m feeling blue, all I have to do is think of you, then I am not so blue…” 

                       

          Instinctively, our ears perk up as we hear a faint, yet undeniable sound on the air. Keys turning in the locks tug at our attention, turning us to the front door.   The door springs open and standing there are the Huns!  They both rush in and hustle around the house.  Lady Hun rushes over to us and gives us all such a big mushing, we can barely breathe.  “Oh, my darlings,” she whispers softly kissing us, “Thank God you’re safe!”

          The Huns proceed to check everything.  They run up and down the stairwell, light extra candles and eat canned food by candlelight, each drinks wine from plastic glasses and they make a toast.  They even take time to waltz to the music being played on the radio with each other and share a kiss.  “Happy Anniversary, Hun” they say to one another.  

        Before we know it, they are baling water from the basement, which has risen to the top of the basement steps. At some point, they tire, stop, and rest on the pull out sofa by the Bay Window.  

                                                    We join them.  

        The next morning the Huns continue baling water until almost all of it is removed from the basement. Later the remaining water goes out with the tide.

         In the meantime, we have been praying for Clyde and company, our prayers are answered by the Cat Gods and kitten angels.  We hear noise from the automatic flap door, which was disabled in the storm, and are relieved to see Clyde come through it.....

“Well, look what the cat dragged in!” exclaims Blue.

“What happened?” Pinkie asks, rushing to Clyde with a towel, which is quickly draped over him, as Pinkie attempts to rub his wet fur dry.

“Well, I’ve never tasted so much saltwater,” Clyde laughs heartily.  “I don’t know how much you all saw before the power went out, but me and my new friends were beyond lucky!”

“I didn’t realize how many hybrids existed” said Blue.

“Yeah, you never know… ” Clyde answered, “It’s amazing what secrets are uncovered in one crisis that a life of continuous routine may never reveal.”

“Well, at least you cats had each other” assured Pinkie.

“I think teamwork is what saved us” Clyde concurred, sipping on the warm fish broth I provided.

“Well clean yourself up and get warm by the window, the sun is shining.  I ‘ll get you some more broth” I told him.

“Thank you,” said Clyde sincerely, I think I’ll have a nap, if it’s all the same to you”.

Well, Dear reader, we ALL took a cat nap.

     As the days following the hurricane or super-storm came and went, we continued to heal along with our fierce outdoor feline friends who live by the Boardwalk and the Bay.  Many survived but we grieved those from Staten Island, Breezy Point, Jersey Shore, and other surrounding areas that perished, and those from Lindenhurst's Venice area that were devastated.

     Luckily, our Masters, the Huns, were very resilient in the aftermath. Their vehicles were semi-submerged,  but they managed to save their truck which had full tank of gas prior to the storm, and they stocked up on all of the possible necessities, including cat food and litter, so that was good for us!

To update you, Today is Thanksgiving here on our Island.  Things are surprisingly returning to normal again.

I guess, no matter what horrendous events happen in life, Dear Reader, life goes on does it not?

We are thankful for you  Dear Reader. We welcome you to visit us again soon and invite you to keep reading!

Hurricane Sandy Tabloid Tabby: Humans are a Strange Breed Part 3

 It’s 5PM on Monday, October 29^th.

Yawning and stretching, Pinkie wakes up from cat napping and suddenly goes down the basement. Out of curiosity, I follow.  He looks scared as he watches the water level rise and sees trees bending in the wind. "What is it?" I ask.  "I'm not sure, but it feels as if something dreadful is coming.  My left eye is twitching, and it's not fleas". He goes back to where Blue is fiddling with the remote.

“Clyde has gone on an adventure again with that woman from the bus stop.  They're going to a party,” Blue tells him with a wink.  Pinkie's eyebrows raise.  Blue clicks the remote and the Bay Window is transformed into a flat screen television from which we can view Clyde’s activities.

We see Clyde in drag with Laya-Dee and Sterling.  They are sipping champagne and listening to music, as the wind is whistling wildly through the car's air vents.  The rain is coming down fast and hard and an announcement on the radio warns drivers we are having the worst storm of the century and to stay off the road.

“Wow, the weather is getting rough, maybe it’s not such a good idea to be going to a party,” says Clyde anxiously.

“Chill, my man,” says Sterling reassuringly. “Remember how everyone was worried about Hurricane Irene? It wasn’t that bad and neither is this, so relax and have another glass of champagne.”

Clyde is taken back by the patches of fur that have appeared on Laya-Dee’s cheek and arm, and her nails seem to be protracting.  Clyde is so intrigued, he does not seem to be able to take his eyes off her.

“Hey, it seems as if Laya-Dee is a hybrid like Clyde, “observes. Pinkie.

“So she is!” echoes Blue excitedly.

Dear Reader, it has been cloudy and grey and there has been a raging wind all day and getting progressively worse.  It seems as if all the living creatures in the area know something is coming. The birds know and even the insects have risen higher from the surrounding grounds.  I don’t like when the weather misbehaves.

As time wears on, the storm aggressively progresses, so Blue, Pinkie and I begin to prepare for the worse.  We hear a concerned knocking which turns into urgent banging at the front door.  Someone yells that we need to evacuate.  We turn on a battery operated radio to listen to what’s happening on the outside with the storm.  And we place all of the candles we can find where our Masters,  Lady and Lord Hun will find them when they come home, which I am hoping is any minute now as the storm begins to beat against the window pane.

We live on an Island which is surrounded by the sea.  To make matters worse, our friend the moon is pulling the water at high tide.

We turn our attention to the scene on the window screen,which has taken a turn for the worse with water quickly rising on highways. The street lights are out and some drivers have gone into full panic mode, behaving reckless, putting others at risk. 

The car has stopped from the flooding and Sterling struggles in vain to start it.  His hands have become...furry and Laya-Dee transforms completely into a cat to Clyde’s amazement.  When Sterling turns around to see her, the shock throws him also into full transformation where he becomes his cat self. This in turn pulls Clyde into their realm of feline-dom.  They all huddle together is furry camaraderie as the realization of their fate hits them.

“Well, I’ll be a dog’s uncle!” exclaims Pinkie upon viewing their predicament.

“Clyde finally connects with other hybrids and it had to take a hurricane!” says Blue.

I see them quickly work as a team to roll down the car window, then steadily climb on atop the roof one by one, for safety, as the water continues to rise.   But to no avail as the strength of the wind makes it difficult for them to hang on, so they grab onto each other for support. “We need to climb up that tree!” shouts Sterling, pointing to any of a hundred trees lining the highway. They scramble to make a go of it, all three desperately hanging onto the same branch as the wind bends it like a toothpick until it snaps and all fall...

Laya-Dee cries out in vain.

Suddenly, the screen goes black and we are disconnected from knowing what is happening with Clyde.  

                                                  TO BE CONTINUED.......