Old Black Cat Magic  Kristin K. Fouquet © Copyright 1999 by Kristin K. Fouquet

Once upon a time, in the heart of downtown New Orleans, there was a beautiful and powerful black cat named Mr. So. He loved both his owners, fat boy and the girl, but he especially loved to sit in the girl’s lap and fall into a deep sleep. He would sleep in her lap all day long while fat boy was at work. His life was simple and he was very, very happy.

One day, the girl decided that the finances were a little tight and she wanted to help out. She got a part-time job that she worked a few days a week. Mr. So wasn’t happy, but on her days off, he would sleep in her lap all day long. Soon she was promoted and was working all the time; Mr. So only saw her at night. He missed the girl.

Being a black cat from New Orleans, he was brought up knowing how to use that old black cat magic, but he never had a reason to use it, until now. He knew that his white paws were full of mojo and he decided to use them to get his girl back.

Mr. So found the old book of spells, blew the dust off of it, put on his reading glasses, and started to paw through it. When he found what he thought was the right spell, he followed it just as the book instructed and crossed his white toes. That night as he fell asleep in the girl’s lap, he dreamed of her never returning to work.

The very next morning, the girl went straight off to work, but fat boy had a really nasty rash on his hand and had to go see the doctor. Mr. So realized that he must have done something wrong but he couldn’t put his paw on it. That afternoon he tried a new spell and crossed his toes. He must have done something wrong again because in the morning the girl went to work, but his favorite photo album, the one that documented his life, was missing.

The next day, Mr. So thought, “Three’s a charm,” and he performed his third and final spell. He went all out and left nothing to chance. He mixed potions, sacrificed a chicken (which he later ate), and chanted old black cat magical words. He crossed his white toes and this time, he felt like something was happening.

That night, the girl came home and told fat boy that her job had been eliminated. Her boss had told her that the position would never be filled again. Fat boy told the girl that he got a raise and that she would never have to work again. Mr. So blinked his green eyes and did a belly roll on the rug. He licked his white paws and said, “I still got it” to himself.

By morning, fat boy’s rash had disappeared and the missing photo album was found. Mr. So slept in the girl’s lap all day long. His life was simple again and he was very, very happy.

That’s how Mr. So got the girl back, but he says that the old black cat magic should only be used in cases of emergencies and then, only left to the pros.

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