I love a good writing prompt. Every 2 weeks I give myself the challenge to grab a writing prompt online that sparks an idea and try to write a piece of fiction from the prompt in and around 500 words.

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WRITING PROMPT:
Write about a human and a cat that come to some kind of mutual understanding.

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An Agreement
Written by Jess Knaus

Lala’s newly selected morning spot on the balcony overlooked the train rush, commuters fueling up on caffeine and clicking through tunnels to work. This corner was the first part of the apartment to gain the warm morning light, finally dissolving the frosty carpet that fell over the city in winter. Felicity worked across the city herself and would be jumping on a train shortly, Lala barely noticing her departure as she soaked in the sun with a yawn and stretch.

That day was filled with the important things – lounging around, pooping, lounging more, eating and drinking occasionally, followed by more lounging. The 5:00pm commute home flurried below her paws with a deep hum. Felicity returned in the dark, strapped up in her coat with scarf bundled around her neck and mouth to keep warm. She looked up and saw the black furry cat doing what she’d done all day – lounging. Felicity rolled her eyes.

Opening the front door Felicity called out, ‘Lala! Lala! It’s getting cold out, time to come inside.’

Lala didn’t get up – she just rotated her head toward Felicity as if to say, ‘really?’.

Felicity noticed her lack of action.

‘Lala – inside. Now.’

Lala glared back.

Felicity huffed before striding across the living room, shhhing the sliding door open and bending down until she was eye level with the entitled feline.

‘Lala – it’s freezing. Get your toosh inside or I’ll lock you out all night.’

Without moving her gaze, Lala slowly pumped life into her limbs, slumping her way inside the apartment. Felicity stood by, leaning on the door impatiently waiting for the cat to finally clear the doorframe so she could stop freezing cold air from pouring inside.

Once inside Lala silently padded across the timber floating floor to Felicity’s couch, rug draped across the chaise – the new location Lala would own.

Felicity pulled her coat off, changed into her comfortable apartment socks, leggings and big oversized jumper. She returned to the living room, walked over to Lala and kneeled in front of her – human face to feline disgust.

‘Lala – you know when I took you in we agreed you’d be on that side of the couch’, she said, pointing to the opposite side on which Lala was most certainly not sitting.

Lala did not flinch. Felicity waited a moment, her pointed arm still holding firm.

‘That side.’

Lala, again, did not move. Felicity garnered some volume.

‘THAT side.’ Her pointed arm had not moved.

Lala jumped slightly at the emphasis laid upon her. Fine.

Again she sulked to her paws and laboured her way over to her new sitting position.

Felicity finally reclaimed her place on the couch, covering herself with the blanket, sourcing the remote and turning the TV on. Lala curled up and sat, eyeing Felicity with resentment.

‘Thank you Lala,’ smiled Felicity.

Lala yawned, looking back for a moment with her one active eye, before curling up for the night in her corner of the couch.

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