Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: FEATHER (08/20/20)
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TITLE: A Feather in the Cat | Previous Challenge Entry
By Barbara Culler
08/25/20 -
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“Callie…Callie!”
Taping the child on the shoulder, to get her attention, Mrs. Brown repeated her question: “What color feathers would you like to use for your birdcage?”
Callie looked over the choices of purple, green, yellow, and red feathers packed in small plastic sandwich bags. Picking the bag closest to her, she declared: “I’ll take purple ‘cuz it’s my most favorite color.”
Setting the feathers aside, Callie finished inserting the chenille stems into the edge of the other half of the styrofoam ball, keeping the rounded side as the cage’s top. Using a partially completed sample, Mrs. Brown demonstrated how to lightly push down on it to make the pipe cleaners bow out to form the cage.
Ready to insert the feathers into her project, Callie opened the package, carefully removing each feather, individually poking it into the bottom foam piece. Once that area was lush with purple fluff, she placed the remaining puffs into the top styrofoam.
Finding a purple pipe cleaner, she inserted it into the top like Mrs. Brown said, and made a hook. With the remaining four pre-cut chenille stems, Callie twisted them into small circles, attaching then to resemble a chain to hang her birdcage.
Just before the Brownie meeting was over, Mrs. Brown gave each of the girls a small ornamental bird on a stick to poke into the center of the cage. Callie was excited to show off her beautiful creation.
At home, she proudly lifted the feathery craft so her mother could see it. While Mom admired the birdcage, a fluff dislodged, floating to the floor. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, their cat pounced midair, capturing the stray feather.
“Smokey, no! That’s not a kitty toy.” The cat escaped with the feather half out of his mouth.
Callie took her birdcage to her room. Tomorrow, her mom would hang it from the ceiling, so until then, she placed her masterpiece at the edge of her dresser before going to bed.
Thunk.
The sudden noise awakened the small girl. Sitting bolt upright, she looked around the darkened room, but no one was there. The door was still ajar as it was when her mom said goodnight, so hearing nothing more, she rolled over and resumed sleeping.
The next morning, Callie got up and looked over to admire her cage, but was dismayed to discover it was missing. Looking down on the carpet, Callie spotted scattered bits of purple.
“Mooooooom!”
Tears flowing, Callie looked around the room for her treasure. There it lay, halfway beneath her dresser. A few feathers remained, but they’d become like stiff sticks. Dropping to the floor, Callie picked up the ruined birdcage and sobbed.
Entering Callie’s bedroom, Mom saw what happened, and sat next to her on the floor.
“We’ll make a new one, sweetie.”
Wiping her tears and nose on her pajamas, Callie asked: “ Can it still be purple?”
”Of course. And we can add other colors of feathers if you’d like.”
Sighing deeply, Callie agreed. “Okaaayyyy. I’ll make it even better than the first one. With a determined look, she declared: “And Smokey will never be allowed to get near it.”
Later that day, the mother and daughter went to the local craft store, purchasing the needed items to reconstruct Callie’s birdcage. Returning home, they worked behind closed doors in Callie’s room, so that they could keep the cat out. This time, Callie added red feathers and she thought it beautiful. She was delighted when her mom also made one — a feathery blue cage with sparkly chenille stems.
And Smokey? He had a brand new kitty toy of yellow and orange feathers on a string.
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Blessings~
I wonder if Smokey suffered from Feather-ball after consuming so much? :)
Blessings~