Short Stories

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Then
God said,
Let the earth
bring forth
the living creature
according
to its kind:
cattle
and creeping
thing
and beast
of the earth...
and,
it was so.
[Genesis 1:24]
**********************
(Jesus is sitting on
a low wall,
by the village temple,
and petting a small
gray cat. His disciples
have been arguing
amongst themselves,
about some such,
or other.)
___________________
"And....
what do YOU
think,
my LORD?"

[SMILE!]
[HOLD LITTLE
ANIMAL,
IN HIS ARMS.]
"About what,
My Peter?"

(Frown at little cat.)
"About.......
hm."
(Grimmace!)
"I don't like
cats very much,
my Lord."

[NOD.]
[LOVING GAZE.]
"I know,
Peter."

"They always
make me SNEEZE,
and.....ITCH!"
(Rub arm, irritably.)

[NODDING.]

"Haven't
You been
LISTENING
to us,
Lord?"

[PATIENT NOD.]
[SCRATCH LITTLE
CAT UNDER ITS CHIN.]
[NOD.]

"What we were
TALKING about,
Lord.....don't
You THINK..?"

[NOD PATIENTLY.]
[LISTEN TO HIS
CHILDREN TALK.]

(Loud purr.)

[NOD.]
[SMILE!]
"I also,
have
a mouse
here,
My children."

(Sudden pause.)
(Intensely interested
look.)
"What did
You say,
my Lord?"

"Here;
a mouse."

"A MOUSE?
Where is it;
in Your
POCKET?"

[SMILE!]
[NOD.]
[SMILE.]

"Is it...
DEAD,
my Lord?"

[GENTLE CHUCKLE!]
"Not at all!"

(Peter laughs,
abruptly.)
"What?
Let us SEE?
Hasn't the cat
KILLED it?"

[BURST OUT LAUGHING!]
"No....not,
this one!"

(Frown!)
(Squint down at the
little animal in the
Lord's arms.)
(Scratch an invisible
itch, again.)
"Then....there
must be something
wrong,
with that....
CAT!"

"Not at all,
Peter."
[HOLD OUT SOMETHING.]
"Here; take it.
LOOK."

(The other disciples
gather around,
as Peter holds
something in his hand.)
"What?
WHAT?
What IS that?"

(Disciples gather about.)
"It's....
what is THAT?"

"What IS this,
LORD?"

[LOOK AT ALL
HIS DISCIPLES,
LOVINGLY.]
"It's a MOUSE."

"WHAT?
WHAT?"

[CHUCKLE!]

"But.....it's..
it's,
so......
HARD!
and,
DEAD!
Like...
a ROCK!
Is this SKIN?
And...what is THIS?
....AN EYE?
On its head?
An EYE?"

[BURST OUT LAUGHING!]

"Is it DEAD?"

[SHAKE HEAD,
SMILING!]
[CHUCKLING.]

"What IS THIS?
What IS this,
LORD?"

[SMILING.]
[SET CAT DOWN*,
GENTLY.]
[SMILE.]
"It's a MOUSE,
My children."
[CHUCKLE!]
[NODDING.]
"A
mouse."
*********************
He was
in the
beginning
with God.
All things
were made
through Him,
and without
Him,
nothing
was made,
that
was
made.
[John 1:2-3]


____________________________
*The little stray,
later on that same day,
found itself on the
doorstep of a widow's
house. Earlier that
day, the kitty had an
ugly wound on its left
ear. Now, it was perfectly
healed.
And, somehow...the
widow found, that she never
ran out of scraps of food,
to give to the cat.

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