She anxiously played with the coins in her pockets, the sound of them jumping around following her as she made her way towards the dim-lit shop she had waited so long to enter. In the past, she had been inside once and felt her heart drop when she left, not even a owl on her arm. The urge to pet every single one of the cats, hug them and talk to them was so hard to resist that she had promised herself not to enter again unless she had the money needed to leave with a fluffly little creature. Well, this day had finally come. The sound of her feet on the cobbled floor was almost inaudible as she made her way through the impenetrable crowd, her head held low as she watched the tip of her shoes disappear before coming back into view, glancing from time to time above the numerous coloured hats to make sure she was going in the right direction.

One, two, three... After the third shop, she stopped, knowing she had arrived. Her bland expression soon changed as a smile lit up her face, her heart beating slightly faster as she put a trembling hand on the cold, metal handle. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she felt the cold morning air fill her lungs before exiting through her mouth, her breath shaking ever so slightly. Without wasting anymore time, she pushed the door and was immediately wrapped up in a cozy and welcoming warmth as she smiled at the shop owner. Only two people were wondering around the small, dim-shop at such an early hour, and Charlotte recognised both of the students to whom she smiled warmly before facing the multitude of animals that waited patiently before her eyes.

She looked at each of them, one by one, imagining herself walking out with this tabby cat, or this snowy owl, perhaps this bright pink pygmypuff... To be quite honest, she didn't care about the way her animal would look like, let it be a three-legged cat or an oddly-patterned owl. No, all she wanted was an affectionate animal that would greet her and mae her days easier, an animal to lay with for hours as she read, an animal to talk to if times were hard. Her parents couldn't be with her today, and Charlotte felt rather happy about it. She could already hear her mother.

'You 'ave to take ze owl. You weel be able to send us letters more easeely. Look, zis one seems razer 'ealthy and cute, don't you sink?'

But no, and owl wasn't what she was looking for. She slowly made her way towards the cats, most of them fast asleep as she silently approached their big cages, spotting numerous toys and playing areas. Then, she spotted a silver cat, reflecting the early morning light, sleeping peacefully , the light snores causing her to chuckle slightly. She approached his cage as he woke up, meowing gently as he stretched and yawned. Before she could even put her hand towards him, the cat was pressing himself against the cage, purring loudly, his nose sniffing her curiously. The purs could be heard across the shop and Charlotte couldn't seem to be able to stop smiling. Looking to the side of the cage she read,

Silver Mackerel Tabby

And looking back at him, she knew he was the perfect cat.

'Hello, Snuffles. My name is Charlotte'

What animal do you wish to purchase?
Silver Mackerel Tabby

What do you want to name it?
Snuffles

Is this a boy or a girl?
Boy

What is your pet's date of birth?
14th of July

WORD COUNT : 576