Miaow There! Read online

  After Sheila returned from the last show of the cruise, she heaved her cases outside the stateroom door, all appearing to be much heavier than when she’d arrived! Well, I could have saved her some of the weight by chucking those pesky little teddy bears overboard, couldn’t I? But that, I fear, would have been more than my life’s worth! Our house is already overrun with stupid teddy bears - I guess I would have to put up with another seven pairs of eyes looking at me!

  We had a final visit to the coffee lounge where Sheila enjoyed her last frothy coffee and Amoretto drink, whilst I enjoyed strokes and pats from the other people there and posed for lots of pictures! Well, I do like being the centre of attraction, so why not milk it! Though I was showing everybody my best happy pussy face, in fact, all the people, including Sheila, looked rather gloomy and they were all saying they didn’t want the cruise to end! Back at the stateroom for our last sleep, it did make me feel sad that we were leaving, but I was also just happy to have had the experience... and I would enjoy boasting about it all to the neighbouring cats at home!

  Going home

  Morning came and Sheila woke me up at a much earlier hour than I was accustomed to, and she rushed around giving me rather a scrappy breakfast and hustling me outside to do my morning washing and toilet procedures. Alright, alright - keep your hair on I thought grumpily to myself, what’s all the rush. But after emptying and cleaning the litter igloo, she had disappeared and so I spent the next twenty minutes or so grumbling to myself and looking through the glass doors at the hardly welcoming sight of Southampton docks in the rain with not even a cushion to sit on as all my stuff had been packed. When she returned, she clipped on the lead (well, at least I won’t have to wear that again I thought) and we made our final journey to the elevator where there were lots and lots of people already waiting. We’ll be stuck here for ages, I thought gloomily, and so we were... but thankfully we did get into an elevator eventually. I looked around as always trying to spot the lady who announced the deck numbers, but no I never found her. It will remain one of life’s unsolved mysteries to me.

  Arriving at the lower deck we joined another long line of people, not nearly so cheery now as when they got on the ship I noticed. Maybe they all wanted to stay on too. A thought crossed my mind that if I escaped from the lead I was sure I could run off and hide somewhere and then maybe we could stay on board and do the whole thing all over again! While Sheila was talking to someone I tugged at the lead and, yes, I nearly made it as I felt her grip loosen but “Oh no you don’t Misty” she said and so that was my plan well and truly scuppered.

  Getting off the ship didn’t take nearly so long as getting on, we merely walked off with Sheila inserting her card into the same little machine that had squeaked when we arrived reminding me that there was probably a family of mice living in there! There was quite a long trek down the sloping zig-zagging passageway before we arrived in a huge - and scarily noisy to me - space filled with thousands of cases like Sheila’s. How on earth was she going to spot hers amongst all that lot I wondered, quickly pressing myself into her leg as a man trundling a big trolley passed rather too near for comfort. That was close, I nearly did get flattened then! Sheila looked down and got the message. She picked me up and and called to another man nearby with a similar trolley. We followed him to the mass of cases but near to I could see that they were actually stacked in neat rows and it didn’t take long before Sheila found all of ours. I was glad of that. I had no wish to never see my bed, collars and comfy cushion again! The man stacked them on his trolley (I’d have rather liked a ride on his trolley too!) and then walking out of the building, there was Tony waiting for us with the motor machine, as shiny as ever. The man gave the cases to Tony, who groaned at the weight of them. “Every time you come home with nearly double what you bring!” he said to Sheila, who just grinned at him. “Well, you ought to know me by now Tony!” she said. Then, somehow after fitting it all into the motor machine, there was just about room for us so we got ourselves in, I curled up on Sheila’s lap and off we went... Cornwall here we come again!

  So, what a treat I’d had... and I’ve something to tell all you folks too! If you’ve never been on a cruise before, well get off your backsides and GO on one! You will enjoy!

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