Jake and the Kitten

   “Jake! Hey Jake!  Where are you?” called Midge as she entered the front gate and strolled up the front porch steps.
   “Hi Midge,” said Jake as he came around the corner of the house.  “I’m back here. Come on back.”
   “What are you doing?” asked Midge walking down the steps and going to the back yard.
   “I’m watching this little kitten that is staying with us for the week,” said Jake.
   “Oh, isn’t he cute.  Who’s kitten is it?” asked Midge.

   “I think I heard her say that it belongs to her cousin. They are going away for a week and needed someone to take care of him,” said Jake.  “Isn’t he cute?”
   “I didn’t think you like kittens under foot?” asked Midge.
   “Not all the time, but for a week, I think I can live with it okay,” said Jake.  “What are you up to this morning?”
   “I thought we were going to the park to play with Booker-T and Snappy?” asked Midge.
   “Sure we can go,” said Jake.  “I think the kitten will be going into the house soon.  Want to wait a few minutes with me?”
   “Okay,” answered Midge.
   The two climbed onto the back porch and laid down in the shade and watched the kitten as it chased a butterfly across the back yard.  They laughed as he ran into the tree by Jake’s doghouse.  He was so busy watching the butterfly that he didn’t see the tree in front of him.  He shook his head and got back to his feet.
  “Hey little guy,” called Jake.  “Are you all right?”
  “Yes,” said the kitten.  “But that sure hurt.”
  “You need to watch where you are going when you are running,” said Jake.
  Midge laughed quietly to herself at the little kitten.
   “Look over there Jake,” said Midge.  “Looks like black clouds moving in.”
   “I think it is supposed to rain sometime today,” said Jake.  “I didn’t think it was supposed to be until later in the day though.  Or at least that is what the guy on TV said last night when my mistress was watching it.”
   “I don’t think it is going to wait until this afternoon,” said Midge.  “Maybe we shouldn’t go to the park today.”
   Suddenly there was a loud crack of thunder that rumbled the windows in the house and the streaks of lightening flashed across the sky as the black clouds rolled in closer.  The little kitten ran so fast toward the house, slid on the grass as he tried to get to the porch steps.  He tripped over his feet trying to run up the steps. At the top, he ran under Jake’s legs and stood beneath him and shook.
   “Jake!  What was that?” said the little kitten.
   “It was just the thunder,” said Jake trying to comfort the little kitten as it hung onto Jake’s leg. “It won’t hurt you.”
   “I’m scared Jake,” said the kitten.
   “It’s okay little one,” said Midge.  “Hi, I’m Midge. What is your name?”
   “I’m Pepper,” said the kitten.
   “Well, Pepper that was just thunder coming from the rain storm moving in, but it won’t hurt you.  It is only a big scary noise.  You will get used to it.”
   “It doesn’t scare you?” asked Pepper
   “When it is really loud, it startles me sometimes, but I have gotten used to it,” said Midge.
   “Me too Pepper. And one day, you will get used to it when it comes,” said Jake. “Come on you two, let’s go around and lay on the front porch before the rain starts and we can watch the storm come in.  Maybe when the rain starts you will get to see the beautiful rainbows that glisten across the sky with its pretty colors.”
   “Okay,” said Pepper
  The three hurried to the front of the house before the rain started to fall. Pepper stayed close to Jake where he felt safe from the loud booms of the thunder as it announced the arriving storm.