The Further Adventures of Panther Lynch

The Further Adventures of Panther Lynch

Prologue - We first meet Panther Lynch as a young cat living on a porch in a small town. He has many friends: Bruney the dog, Silver the cat, and his beloved Cinnamon. And he keeps a journal. One day another cat shows up, Dude, who proclaims to be Cinnamon's brother. Panther decides to leave for awhile. He takes his journal with him, and is gone for six months. Then one day he returns to find many things have changed. His friends Bruney, Cinnamon, and even Dude have all crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Only Silver is left. Panther decides there is nothing left for him in this place, and that is where our story picks up....



So Panther left his journal with his friend Silver. He spent most of the evening on the porch, talking to her. They talked about old times in the neighborhood, and old friends, many who had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Late that evening Panther ate a delicious dinner of canned tuna and dried cat food. Finally the human turned off the lights, and Silver went in to sleep. Panther spent a pleasant night in Bruney’s old doghouse. Mew. He did miss his old friend. She had been such a sweet dog.

Early the next morning, Panther finished off the dry food that was still on the porch. Then he gave Silver a quick nosey kiss through the glass of the window and trotted down the sidewalk. Just before the house was out of sight, he turned and gave one last wave of his paw. He could see Silver still sitting in the window watching him, and she waved back. Then he turned and was gone.

Panther spent more days and nights on the road than he could remember or count. He walked through cities over-filled with humans, and met homeless animals wandering the streets. The cities were beautiful, but somehow sad. He became adept at hunting through trashcans for hurried meals. He walked through small villages surrounded by lovely farmland, and met animals that were happy and free. He liked these places. They were beautiful too, with their fields of growing grain, and their shade filled orchards, their sweet-smelling flower gardens. The farmer’s wives, and the village housewives always had an extra bit of food for a hungry and wandering cat. So Panther walked, and was filled with the goodness of the land, and with the beauty which surrounded him.

He walked through deep mountain passes where snow lay like glitter on the tall, frowning mountains. He walked through empty deserts that were filled with the activity of small animals under the bright full moon. He walked on long-forgotten shores, and on high cliffs where lonely fishermen’s cottages perched. And always, he was filled with wonder at the beauty of this world.
At last the road led him past the abodes of man and he walked on into unknown places.

As the days wore on into months, Panther was slowly filled with a beautiful light. And he became more content and happy as each day passed. Often as he walked, his old friend Bruney, and his beloved Cinnamon walked beside him. And when he lay wearily down in some lonely place, he would wake to find them huddled close, keeping him warm.

Panther walked until he came to the ancient forest. It stood like a wall before him, the trees towering high overhead, blocking out the sunlight. He looked into its deep gloom, and heard the sound of water falling in the distance. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to venture in, but there the road led, so he placed one paw before him, then the next, and paw-step by paw-step he walked on until he came to a high shimmering waterfall. There he stopped to rest for the night. He drank thirstily at the deep pool, and watched as rainbow fish darted to and fro.

The next morning he awoke refreshed and looked about him. The road seemed to lead right in to the heart of the waterfall. Well, he had come this far, and he would not stop now. So Panther walked through the waterfall and right out of this world, and as he did he felt a tingling sensation. "That is odd," he thought to himself. He turned around and walked back through the waterfall, and found himself by the rainbow pool. Then he walked through again, and again felt the odd tingling.

Suddenly he heard a voice. "Welcome, small traveler," it said. "Welcome to the land of Bownear."

"Th th thank you," Panther stuttered, as he looked around him.

It was a beautiful and strange land. The sky was a lovely pale green, and strange animals called flish fluttered around through cottonpuff clouds which reminded Panther of poodle dogs. Flutterbys swam in deep blue oceans like a thousand lost jewels. In the distance, Panther could see lovely little cottages painted in rainbow colors, and happy animals playing in the yards.

"Who are you?" Panther asked the lovely being which had spoken to him.

"I am the faerie of Bownear, and you are welcome to stay here for as long as you want to or need to," she replied.

"But what and where is Bownear, and how did I get here?" Panther asked.

"Bownear is one of many lands along the road. It lies just East of the Rainbow. And you arrived here by walking on your road, little one," the faerie replied.

"Oh." Panther was not quite sure that he understood. "Am I dead then?" Panther wanted to know.

"No, dear one. The Spirit never dies. But you no longer exist as you did in the other world."

"Oh." Again Panther was confused, but he was too polite to ask the same question again. "Is it normal then for animals to come here?" he asked instead.

"It is neither normal nor abnormal. It just is," the faerie said. Some roads lead here, and some lead to other lands. And some roads lead directly to the Rainbow Bridge. If you stay, you will be given a lovely cottage in which to live."

Well at least Panther had heard of the Rainbow Bridge. But this looked like a lovely land, and he thought it would be nice to stay for awhile. "One last question," he said. "What will I do here?"

"You will continue to learn," the faerie told him.

And so Panther decided to stay in the lovely land of Bownear. And there he lived quite happily for a very long time.