\u201cBreaking announcement from the White House!\u201d The emergency broadcaster\u2019s voice crackled over the radio. \u201cThe First Daughter has lost her kitten. Everyone is to stop what they are doing and look for Princess Sparklemittens. She is a grey, short-hair tabby cat. She was last seen wearing a pink collar with a purple bell.\u201d The broadcaster repeated the message several times before the line went dead.<\/p>\n
Karen, a middle-aged woman in a one-piece skirted bathing suit clapped her hands, signaling all of the children that it was time to come out of the water. \u201cJenny, you take the little ones back to the house. Keep them entertained while the rest of us search for Princess Sparklemittens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Auntie,\u201d Jenny said. She gathered a baby on each hip and then had the toddlers form a single file line as Karen began to organize search crews.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
The President paced the oval office. \u201cI should be out there, searching for Princess Sparklemittens. What are we going to tell Sophia when she wakes up from her nap if she hasn\u2019t been found?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Vice President clasped the President on the shoulder. \u201cWe\u2019ll find the damn cat, Sir. You have more important things to be worrying about right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you know what happened the last two times Princess Sparklemittens was lost. We nearly didn\u2019t find her in time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why this time, we\u2019ve engaged the entire county in Operation Tantrum. Somebody will turn up the cat. We\u2019ve never let you down before, have we?\u201d<\/p>\n
The President massaged the bridge of his nose. \u201cNo, you\u2019re right.\u201d He pressed the intercom button on his desk phone. \u201cWhen Princess Sparklemittens is found, I expect to be notified immediately\u2014no matter which foreign dignitary I am currently meeting with.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
The sun began to dip in the sky. Karen paused to wipe dripping sweat away from her forehead. She sat by the radio in a rocking chair, hoping to hear a broadcast that would announce the First Daughter\u2019s missing kitten had been located. She glanced up at the crunch of gravel. Little Tommy\u2014her cousin Mary\u2019s eldest child\u2014came running up the long drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAuntie! How much longer do we have to keep looking?\u201d He flopped down onto the wooden porch steps by her feet. \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOut there somewhere is a kitten that is scared and alone. I bet Princess Sparklemittens is also hungry, so you be a good boy and keep searching for her. You can have your dinner when somebody finds her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would the kitten even be near us anyway?\u201d the boy demanded. He pulled his shoe off and shook loose a cascade of small stones. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t the announcer say where the kitten was lost? It would make this search a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHush,\u201d Karen chided. \u201cPut your shoes on and go look for that cat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tommy replaced his shoe before pulling off and upending the other one. Once both shoes were on and laced, he hopped to his feet. \u201cI\u2019ll go tell the others to keep looking, then.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
\u201cSir,\u201d the President\u2019s assistant said, poking her head into the board room. \u201cThere\u2019s a call for you on line six. It\u2019s an update on Operation Tantrum.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me,\u201d the President smiled apologetically to the French ambassador. \u201cI have to take this\u2014nap time is almost over, you see.\u201d He picked up the phone, dialing into line six. \u201cHello? Yes, I see. That\u2019s not good at all. I understand. Please inform the VP to proceed with emergency protocol seven dash two.\u201d He hung up the phone. \u201cI apologize for the interruption. Where were we?\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
Tommy had a tiny bundle wrapped in a shirt as he ran up the gravel road. His father followed at a more sedate pace behind him. \u201cAuntie Karen! We found Princess Sparklemittens!\u201d He tripped over his feet, falling to his knees, but managed to keep the bundle clutched to his chest with one hand while the other shot out to balance himself. He pushed himself upright, gravel sticking to bloodied knees. He brushed it off and kept running up the drive.<\/p>\n
Karen held her hand out for the bundle. \u201cLet\u2019s see the cat.\u201d She inspected the tabby, frowning. \u201cThe cat is quite filthy and there\u2019s no collar. Are you sure this is the right one?\u201d Tommy nodded emphatically. \u201cWell then, I\u2019ll call it in to the station. You go clean up and have Jenny make you something to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
A rusted pickup truck pulled up to the White House gates. When the security guard heard the pitiful mews coming from the box on the front seat, he waved Karen through. She parked the car and lifted the freshly washed tabby cat from the box, walking up to the front steps.<\/p>\n
The President jogged down the stairs as she approached. \u201cYou have Princess Sparklemittens?\u201d<\/p>\n
Karen held up the tabby. \u201cWe have a cat that fits your description\u2014though she seems to have lost her collar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have more collars\u2014that can easily be fixed. May I see her?\u201d He took the cat, inspecting her. \u201cClose enough. Thank you for your service to your country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, this is the missing cat? How did she make it so far?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever this cat was before, now she\u2019s Princess Sparklemittens\u2014fourth of her name.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cBreaking announcement from the White House!\u201d The emergency broadcaster\u2019s voice crackled over the radio. \u201cThe First Daughter has lost her kitten. Everyone is to stop what they are doing and look for Princess Sparklemittens. She is a grey, short-hair tabby cat. She was last seen wearing a pink collar with a purple bell.\u201d The broadcaster […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}