Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

Fred and Ginger

Fred and Ginger are brother and sister cats who got lost. They wandered away from their home and couldn't find their way back. Ginger is an orange tabby with beautiful amber eyes; Fred is a black and white striped cat with a mild gentle manner, loud meow and lovely green eyes. The day that Fred and Ginger got lost, wicked grey clouds were looming in the sky and threatening thunder loomed above them. Soon they instinctively knew that the heavy clouds would send drenching rain upon them, so they had to get back soon. They wandered in and out of residential alleyways and lush green lawns. They meandered around trees and prickly shrubs. Ginger at one point could not resist climbing onto one of these beckoning trees and made it onto the roof of a nearby house to get a better look at the uncertain sky. But she was afraid to get down the way she came up and became panicked. Fred, sensing her fear, began meowing loudly. Ginger also chimed in, and started to feel light raindrops on her furry face. Time was running out.


Despite all the drama with Ginger, Fred was tempted to chase a squirrel who was scurrying in front of him. It was just the kind of spring day Fred usually loved; warm and fragrant with lush green grass, bugs aplenty, birds and scampering small wildlife to get interested in. But that all changed with the impending storm and losing their way around the neighborhood. True, they had wandered only a bit farther than ever before, but it was enough to be unfamiliar. He knew that they would be able to sniff and landmark their way home if only Ginger could come down and the storm could hold off. He decided to disregard the squirrel and continued to meow with Ginger, hoping their owner would somehow recognize their voices.

Meanwhile, Fred and Ginger's frantic owner, Sue, was speaking to a neighbor about her lost cats. She wanted to find them before the storm started to break. She was feeling really worried about her cats as they had never been gone this long before. Her neighbor, Jim, said he would help her find the cats. They walked several blocks around the neighborhood when they started to hear the loud, familiar meows. They followed the sounds until they got nearer and nearer. They finally came upon Ginger up on the roof, trembling with fear. Jim was taller than Sue so he bravely rescued Ginger and brought her down. Fred gratefully rubbed against his leg. And they all headed home, getting inside just before the clouds burst open.