Aerial Sphinx

"So... do you want a naughty dog story or a good dog story?" I asked. Josie and Lilly shouted, "A Sphinx story!" So this is a Sphinx story. ...a naughty cat story.

Finally, our cabin was being painted (long overdue). Sphinx (Florida orange tabby), typically used the dutch door to enter and exit the cabin. Alas, the dutch door was covered with plastic in preparation for paint spraying and so he was trapped in the cabin. He growled and complained to get out. Then growled and complained to come back in. Finally, in frustration, he positioned himself on the back porch, which is at least 20 feet off the ground, and in front of the giant redwood (Fragrant Sequoia) eight feet away, hesitated and then leapt. The rest you can see for yourself!

How is it that a family with three dogs came to have a cat?  Sphinx adopted us when we were living in Tallahassee back in about 2006. I was arriving home from work and pulling into the driveway when I noticed a charming orange tabby sitting by the garage door. I thought to myself, what a handsome cat. He had a lean Siamese cat build, was bright orange with spots (evidently these are  interrupted stripes). I opened the garage door and the cat rushed into the garage and started eating the dog food. This is when Sunny, Sky, and Keegan were all living with us. "Hungry kitty!" I thought to myself and retrieved a can of tuna from the pantry. I opened the tuna and placed it before him. He ravenously ate the food and looked at me. I rubbed his ears and went inside. Of course, this shows how little I know of cats. He never left and nobody ever claimed him. "What are you going to call him?" Jay asked. "I think we should call him Sphinx because he is mysterious." I replied. And that is how Sphinx adopted us.

Mutti's Ghost Story Continued

So Tilly went to live with the very rich woman and her daughter.

 The woman's house was opulent with a large parlor full of red velvet furniture and tables filled with photos in silver frames and delicate ceramics. The little girl who had been so ill was recovering and kept Tilly busy all day. Tilly told her funny stories about her sisters at home, how they worked in the notions store, and shared a bedroom and a bed. The two played splendid imaginary games where they pretended they were princesses and sorceresses who saved beautiful unicorns and handsome princes. They read books to each other aloud (remember, this was before electricity) and watched the busy traffic with horses and carriages traveling back and forth.

But Tilly soon missed her sisters and her mother. Moreover, the rich woman had an owl that perched on a large tree trunk in the parlor. Every time Tilly walked past the owl it would follow her with its luminous round eyes. Tilly did not like the owl. One day, Tilly informed the rich woman that she wanted to go home. The rich woman was furious and told Tilly that she was the only companion her daughter loved. "You may not go home!" Tilly grew more and more unhappy. Another month passed and Tilly was still despondent. She asked to go home again, and again, the rich woman would not take her home.

 Finally, Tilly was so desperate, she ran away from the dark opulent mansion all the way home. Her mother and sisters were so happy to see her.

 The next day, the rich woman came to the notions store and demanded that Tilly return to her home with her. Tilly's mother said, "No. She does not want to live with you any more and I will not make her return." The woman turned and said angrily, "You will pay for this!" And stalked out of the store. 

Now one of Tilly's sisters was delicate. It seems there was always a frail child in every family back then. And shortly after Tilly returned home, her beloved sister began to fail. Because the sisters shared a bedroom and a bed, they would have pillow fights and generally horse around before falling asleep. However, the delicate sister would cry out in pain every time somebody touched her pillow.

Tilly's mother was concerned and ripped open the down pillow to discover a rope wreath. Feathers had woven themselves into the rope creating an almost perfect wreath of owl feathers. Only one feather was missing!

Tilly's mother called the priest who quickly came to their home. When the priest arrived, he took the wreath and quickly went into a trance. "This rope is cursed. When the feather wreath is complete, your child will die." When he awakened from the trance, Tilly's mother was in tears and asked him what to do. He said, "close and lock every window in your house. Draw the curtains and the shades. Close and bolt the door. Then, sit in a circle with all of your children and throw the wreath into the fire. Do not open the door for anybody!"

 Tilly's mother called to her children and told them what the priest had said. They quickly went to work closing and locking all the windows and drawing all the shades and drapes. Tilly's mother carried her precious daughter down from the bedroom, down the stairs, and into the big kitchen where a fire was roaring. They bolted the door and sat in a circle holding hands. "Now pray" said Tilly's mother. And as they all prayed, she threw the wreath on the fire. As they watch it burn, they heard a frantic pounding at the door. Tilly slowly started to stand up. "Stop," said her mother, "Do not break the circle." Tilly turned slowly and, taking her sisters' hands once more, she finished the circle. They continued to pray as the wreath was consumed. Finally, the frantic knocking on the door stopped and the fire died down. The beloved delicate sister looked around her and smiled. "I feel much better!" Tilly's mother smiled too, exhausted and very relieved.

Several days passed and Tilly was once again working in the notions store. One morning the rich woman, heavily veiled, walked into the store. Tilly started to greet her when the woman stopped her with a quick wave of her hand. Slowly she lifted her veil and revealed her horribly burned face. She pointed at Tilly and said, "You did this to me!"