The night before, Lucille had fallen asleep to raging thunder. For many, this might keep them awake, but for Lucille, the sound felt calming. Her father used to say that thunder was a sign of God's anger, a saying from his home. None of them really believed it, though, but it had nestled in the corners of Lucille's mind, always returning when the clouds turned gray and the sky overcast. The powerful sensation of thunder, almost making you feel like the earth was shaking, would calm Lucille, giving her a pleasant sleep throughout the night.
So that morning, Lucille awoke with a spring in her step, well-rested, making her way down to the kitchen for breakfast. For once, the whole family was at home, seated at the kitchen island. All except Ollie, but Lucille didn't pay heed to that. Knowing her brother, he'd gone to check on the horses first thing in the morning, and was probably looking for any poor strays that had stumbled upon their property during the storm.
Lucille hoisted herself on the stool next to Gen, stomach rumbling as she eagerly awaited her breakfast. The girl was quite short, and the stool certainly wasn't the right height for an 11 year old, so she would always find herself trying to climb up, praying it wouldn't tip over as she did so.
Before she could even utter a good morning, Ollie burst into the room. He looked excited, and disheveled. Lucille knew she'd been right; he'd gone out first thing in the morning.
"You'll never guess what I just found," he started, before spotting Lucille. "Oh, Lu, good. You're awake. Come on, let me show you something."
Before Lucille could protest, she found herself being pulled out of the stool and out the door, her brother quite determined to show her whatever he had found. "But I'm hungry," Lucille protested, but all the same she followed him, having to trot to keep up with his long strides.
"Don't worry; it's worth it." Her brother seemed quite confident in his surprise, and so Lucille quieted. Ollie knew her well, and she doubted he'd be dragging her along for something foolish when she hadn't even gotten the chance to change out of her pajamas.
They reached the barn, and Lucille grew curious. Ollie wouldn't be excited if a horse had spooked at the thunder and hurt itself, and they didn't have any foals due. Her confusion heightened when he led her up to the hayloft, and it was there that she finally saw what her brother had brought her for.
Nestled among the hay bales was a mother cat, surrounded by kittens, who looked to be only a couple weeks old. The cat stared at them warily, but it didn't move at their presence. Next to her was a bowl of water, and Lucille knew Ollie had put it there.
"I found her this morning. She must have brought her kits in last night, hiding from the rain. She was a bit scared, but I think she's settled now." Ollie spoke in a soft tone so the cat wouldn't be alarmed. It seemed to work; the cat slowly turned her head away and nestled it on some loose hay. She didn't close her eyes, but that might be expecting too much from a mother trying to protect her kittens.
The kittens clung to their mother's side, not willing to approach the intruders. The atmosphere seemed to be calm until, suddenly, it wasn't.
A black kitten sprung from the haybales, pouncing playfully at the mother, who didn't seem amused. She jerked up, smacking the cat in the face with a hiss. The black kitten darted back, but lay down closer now, in sight of the others. The mother cat didn't seem concerned, and returned to her former position.
"And then there's her. Don't know what to make of her," Ollie said, gesturing at the black kitten. The kitten was older, looking to be almost 2 months old, and seemed reluctant to leave the little group. "I think she's lonely, trying to make friends. Mama cat here certainly won't let that happen, but she's harmless. She's been trying to play since I found them, and mama cat seems more annoyed than anything."
Lucille nodded, looking at the kitten, who seemed wholly uninterested in her and instead was fixated on the other cats. She snapped her fingers gently, and called the little cat. At the noise, the cat startled, staring at her with piercing eyes. Then, seeing her outstretched hand, it cautiously came up to her, sniffing her fingers. With a meow, it rubbed against her hand, quite confident in its approach. Lucille pet the little cat, who was overjoyed to be receiving attention.
"I love her. She's adorable," Lucille said, looking down at the affectionate creature, who seemed to show no plans of leaving them.
"You can come see her later. You were hungry, weren't you?" Ollie replied, straightening. There was a twinkle in his eye, amusement at Lucille's hesitation to leave the cat.
"Fine," Lucille sighed, as she, too, straightened. Apparently, the cat didn't get the memo, though, as she followed the pair out of the loft, through the barn, and to the house, meowing at them all the way. She was quite a tripping hazard, running ahead and then weaving through their legs, wanting to attract their attention once again.
"Well, would you look at that," Ollie said, as the cat showed no intention of leaving them, staring up at them with piercing blue eyes, letting out a soft meow when they looked down.
"I mean, we can't leave her now, can we? She loves us already," Lucille whined. She was softhearted, and she couldn't bear leaving the little thing.
"That's not up to you, or me, is it? You can't bring her in, at least. We'll have to talk to the parents," Ollie said dramatically. Lucille got the feeling sometimes that her siblings hadn't quite realized how old she'd gotten, and still kept up a childish act for her. Annoyed, but ultimately relenting, they entered the house, leaving the cat to wait outside.
And wait it did. As Lucille and Ollie told the others what happened over breakfast, the family grew excited to see the little kittens, and meet the charming one the two had fallen in love with. And so, when the food was finished and the dishes were done, the family opened the door, ready to head to the barn to meet the new additions. And out from a daisy bush popped out the little black cat, overjoyed to see them again. Lucille immediately dropped to her knees excitedly, and the cat darted over and climbed into her lap, nuzzling her hands, happy at not being abandoned.
"We have to keep her now. I mean, look at her." Lucille tilted the kitten's chin to face the family, its eyes closed contentedly and its purrs loud, and that was it. They all melted, and the little black cat was showered with love.
It had already chosen its person, though. Lucille now had a little black shadow following her around the house. She called it "Daisy May" in honor of the daisy bush it had popped out from on that fateful moment, and the month they had found each other. Her parents thought it might do her good to have this little companion with her when she started school; it would help her with homesickness, they said. And so the rest of the family took a step back, observing as Lucille took on her role as sole caretaker of Daisy May. And Daisy May certainly kept her in check. Be 5 minutes late to a feeding and Daisy walked around the house sadly meowing at everyone she saw, as if she hadn't eaten for a week.
Lucille was ecstatic. She couldn't take a horse to Hogwarts, of course, and so she hoped dearly that she could take little Daisy May.
PET APPLICATION