Play Play

Cats. 900 words, 4 minute read. With Claude Sonnet.

The sunbeam crept across the living room floor like honey. Maisie tracked its movement through the warmth blooming across her whiskers rather than her clouded eye. Three steps left, a half turn, then settling with deliberation into the golden pool of afternoon light.

There was a time, before the shadows came, when Maisie had taken sunbeams for granted. Now each was a treasure hunted with her remaining senses—temperature changes against fur, brightness still discernible through clouded eyes, dust motes tickling whiskers.

Her ears swiveled—ice maker dropping cubes, refrigerator's hum, morning coffee lingering in the air. The house spoke in languages she'd never bothered to learn until her world faded into shadows three years ago.

The vibration came first—tiny paws thundering across hardwood—before her ears caught the sound. Maisie's tail flicked once.

"Mrrrp?" A small head butted against her side. Moxie circled around, stepping onto Maisie's paw, his energy radiating like heat. "Prrrt!"

Maisie kept her eyes closed, breathing deliberately slow.

Lighter, measured footsteps approached, stopping at the sunbeam's edge.

"Mrr," came Bagheera's soft vocalization, her milk-sweet scent drifting toward Maisie.

Moxie pounced onto Maisie's back, kneading enthusiastically between her shoulder blades. "Mrow!"

Bagheera's whiskers tickled Maisie's ear as she leaned closer. "Prrt?"

*No peace today.* Maisie opened her eyes, turning toward Moxie's vibrations. The kitten blurred against the bright room.

Maisie stretched, extending her front legs until claws peeked out. She touched her nose briefly to each kitten's, acknowledging their presence.

Moxie returned with the mouse toy, dropping it at Maisie's paws. She nudged it aside and navigated toward the toy basket, whiskers brushing the coffee table edge.

Bagheera moved ahead, her tail brushing Maisie's side, guiding her around books on the floor. She pawed through the basket until the feather wand tumbled out.

"Mrrrp," Bagheera offered, nudging it toward Maisie.

Maisie grasped the wooden handle between her teeth, dragging it to the open space. The feathers skimmed the floor, capturing Moxie's attention.

The young tabby flattened himself against the hardwood, hindquarters wiggling. Maisie batted the wand, sending feathers skittering like a wounded bird.

Moxie pounced, overshooting and sliding into the coffee table leg.

Bagheera approached silently from the side, pausing to assess the toy's movement. Maisie flicked the wand again, changing direction.

Bagheera launched in a perfect arc, catching the feathers mid-flight.

"Mrrrp!" Maisie approved. She positioned herself behind a fallen cushion, tail moving in short, concentrated bursts—a signal both kittens recognized.

Moxie circled wide. Bagheera froze, then sank into shadow.

Maisie tracked their movements with her ears. She waited until both were positioned, then sent the feathers flying upward.

The kittens converged midair, tumbling back down with Moxie clutching the feathers triumphantly while Bagheera rolled gracefully to her feet.

After several rounds, Moxie collapsed dramatically, feathers still in his mouth, sides heaving with exertion.

"Mrow?" Bagheera chirped, batting a toy ball into Maisie's path.

Maisie froze, whiskers extended. The ball stopped against her paw. She batted it experimentally, tracking by sound rather than sight. It rolled unevenly from countless play sessions.

She batted again, angling to compensate. The ball traveled in a perfect arc around the cushion back to her paws.

Maisie's whiskers pulled forward in surprise. She'd never attempted such a precise shot before her vision dimmed.

Bagheera chirped again, tail swishing with excitement. The black kitten had been leaving toys in Maisie's path for weeks—not randomly, Maisie realized, but deliberately positioned to help her practice sensing through sound.

Maisie settled beside Moxie, extracting the feather toy and washing his face with long strokes. His fur was rumpled in all directions, collecting dust from their play.

"Mrrr," Bagheera approached, ducking her head.

Maisie reached out, drawing Bagheera closer. She found cobwebs clinging to the black kitten's ears and set to work grooming them away.

The kittens nestled against her side, radiating warmth. Moxie's paws twitched in sleep, chasing dream-prey. Bagheera's purr synchronized with Maisie's deeper rumble.

Maisie purred with a fullness she hadn't felt in months. Before, she'd kept to herself, content in solitary routines. The kittens had arrived just when her world was shrinking, forcing her to expand in ways she couldn't have anticipated.

A familiar engine sound cut through her doze. Three pairs of ears perked simultaneously.

Car door. Footsteps. Keys jingling.

The cats raced toward the entryway, tails raised in exclamation points of anticipation.

The door opened. Outside scents—car interiors, other people, takeout—wafted in with their humans.

"Well, look who's awake!" The taller human knelt down, grocery bags rustling.

Maisie led the welcoming procession, purring as familiar fingers found the spot beneath her chin. Moxie wound figure-eights between ankles while Bagheera offered polite head-bumps against an extended hand.

"Acting like they haven't been sleeping all day," the second human laughed.

Humans understood so little of what happened in their absence. But that was fine—some mysteries were meant for cats only.

---