On a beautiful warm spring day, in a quiet little forest, nestled in the bank of a creek, a young korat named Kathy awoke from a restful nap. "It is going to be another wonderful day," said Kathy while yawning. She knew that the day would be ideal for fun and adventure.
"I think I'll go exploring," said Kathy. "Somewhere exciting and fun."
Kathy was a very polite korat, and she was always kind to everybody she met. She always said thank you and please. And, Kathy always shared with her friends. Now, normally, Kathy was very careful and cautious about where she went exploring. She would just explore the creek and surrounding area. But, Kathy had one big problem, she was a very curious korat. And, sometimes she wound forget the advice of his mother about playing in strange places, venturing too far away from the safety of her home.
So one day shortly after daybreak, Kathy went exploring. She slowly crossed the bike trails that the children had made while riding. And, she crawled under the old rusty metal fence. Kathy crawled all the way to the edge of the forest, to a place all safe korats never dared to venture: The Great Waterfalls.
As Kathy stood at the edge of the high Great Waterfalls, she looked back to see how far she had traveled. She couldn't see her home. Kathy became a little nervous as she looked down over the Great Waterfalls, and the rushing water. And, she began to think about and consider what her mother had always told her. "Never swim late at night. Be careful while crossing the roads. Be watchful of Harry the Doberman Pinscher. And, never, never, venture to the Great Waterfalls."
Well, Kathy obeyed her mother concerning everything except going to the Great Waterfalls. She had to see what all of the other korats were afraid to do. Kathy crawled into the Great Waterfall. She thought about how the cool water felt refreshing after such a long and hot walk. She quickly went down the waterfall, and into a huge lake. Kathy wasn't afraid because she could swim eventhough being a cat. The water was very blue and clear, but smelled awful. Just then Kathy noticed a strange animal floating and lurking near. It was green, with sharp pointed teeth and a very long tail. Kathy had never seen such an animal in his creek. The strange animal didn't seem to notice Kathy, so he left it alone and continue his swim. After about 10 minutes of swimming, Kathy heard the laughter of children playing. She was familiar with children's laughter from them riding their bikes near her home. That was when Kathy realized that she was not in a Great Lake at all, but swimming pool in her neighbor's backyard. The strange green animal that Kathy saw was an inflatable alligator that the children played and floated on while swimming. And, the awful smell that Kathy noticed was coming from the chlorine that was used to clean the pool. The young boy gently picked up Kathy out of the pool, and gave her a very close look. He then placed Kathy back on the ground. Kathy gently walked dripping wet, exactly as she had came. She could not wait to tell her parents about her adventure to the Great Waterfalls, and how friendly and nice the children were to her. Kathy knew that she would also be in trouble for disobeying her mother, and was determined never to do it again.
Do you think Kathy learn his lesson?
Geary Smith is married to Tonnette and has two daughters, Jessica and Somer. He has an M.Ed. from SFAU. In his free time, when he's not writing or reading, he loves to play golf or jog.
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