by Adelaide Shaw –
China Blue was a white porcelain cat with very blue eyes. Sometimes when the sunlight shone on her or when the firelight glowed her porcelain sides became flecked with pink and gold. In the moonlight her blue eyes almost looked alive. She was a truly wonderful cat.
Timothy gave the porcelain cat to Caroline when she was a young bride. She was very happy and dusted the porcelain cat every day. Once a week she washed China Blue.
China Blue leaned against the door and watched the people, the horses, and carriages. As time passed she watched the cars and trucks and bicycles. She liked to watch the children the best.
The children would come up to her and pet her and poke her, but they did not harm her. She always felt safe. But, one day she didn’t feel safe at all.
Caroline’s little boy and girl, Benny and Maggie, were playing train. Benny had a new red wagon. He and Maggie pulled it up and down the sidewalk.
“This is an animal train,” Benny said.
“Here are my Teddy and Giraffe,” said Maggie, putting them in the wagon.
Bobby and Alice, the neighbor children, put a monkey doll and a real puppy in the wagon. After a while Benny went up to the door and picked up China Blue and took her outside.
Oh, thought China Blue. Where is Benny taking me? I don’t think I want to go.
Benny put the porcelain cat in the wagon between Teddy and Giraffe.
“All aboard for the animal train,” Benny said. He pulled the wagon along the sidewalk and over the grass and gravel driveway.
Rickety-rack, rickety-rack, bounce, bounce, bounce went the red wagon. Poor Giraffe fell over with the first bounce. Teddy began to sway back and forth. Monkey looked to be all right, but the puppy yipped and yapped. He leaned his head over the side and tried to jump out.
China Blue was scared. Oh, dear. Oh, dear. I don’t know for how long I can keep from falling and breaking, she thought.
“Benny! Maggie!” called Caroline. She quickly ran down the porch steps and lifted the porcelain cat out of the wagon with her steady hands.
“That was very naughty,” she said to the children.”You must never play with China Blue. She’s much too fragile. She could have been smashed beyond repair.”
“We’re sorry, Mama,” Benny and Maggie said. “We promise never to do it again.”
That was lucky for me that Caroline came outside, thought China Blue. She was very happy to be back in front of the door without a crack or even a scratch. The children kept their promise and never bothered the porcelain cat again. China Blue felt safe.
Benny and Maggie grew up and married and brought their children to visit. Once again sticky little hands stroked China Blue’s sides and tiny fingers poked her eyes and ears. And a day came when China Blue did not feel safe again.
Andy and Mary, Caroline’s grandchildren, were visiting. Andy picked up China Blue and took her outside. Mary followed behind Andy.
“Put China Blue down,” Mary told her brother. “Grandma said not to play with her.”
“I just want to see if Rollo barks at her,” Andy said. “Dogs don’t like cats, you know.”
Andy ran to the neighbor’s yard, carrying China Blue. Mary went with him.
I don’t like this, thought China Blue. I don’t like this at all.
“Here Rollo, here Rollo,” Andy called.
“Woof.” A big, brown shaggy dog came bounding over to Andy.
“Look, Rollo. This is a cat.” Andy put China Blue down on the sidewalk. “Aren’t you going to bark at it?” he asked Rollo.” You’re supposed to bark.”
Oh, dear. Oh, dear, thought China Blue. What is that big dog going to do?
Rollo sniffed China Blue. He poked her with his black nose, and she wobbled a little.
“Come on, Rollo. Bark! Bark!” Both Andy and Mary told Rollo to “Bark! Bark!”
Rollo poked China Blue again and gave her a big lick with a very large pink tongue.
Oh! Oh! How sloppy. OOOO…Stop that licking and poking me, China Blue thought. You’re making me wobble. I’m going to fall and breeeeaaaak…
Quickly, Mary picked up the porcelain cat before she fell.
When Caroline saw the children with China Blue she ran outside.
“Andy! Mary! You must not play with China Blue. She is not a toy. That was very naughty.”
“We’re sorry, Grandma,” the children said. “We won’t do it again. We promise.”
Well, thought China Blue. I’ve been lucky again. I’m safe.
Andy and Mary kept their promise, and China Blue remained safe, leaning against the door for many more years. One day she realized that the house was empty. Caroline was not there. Neither was Timothy. Her porcelain sides no longer shone. She was dull and covered with dust.
As China Blue wondered what happened, Timothy returned with some men.
“Save this. Throw this away. Keep this,” Timothy said as he went through the house pointing at things. “When Caroline was alive we needed all these things, but I don’t need so many things now that I’m living with my granddaughter, Mary,” he told the workmen.
Timothy seemed to have forgotten China Blue. By nightfall the men had moved everything out of the house. Only the porcelain cat remained propped against the living room door, gathering more dust.
China Blue was very sad and lonely all by herself. What was to become of her? After a few days of waiting, there were loud footsteps on the porch. The front door flew open.
“There she is, Grandpa,” said Mary who was all grown up now.
“I’m so glad she’s still here,” said Timothy.”I thought the movers had lost her.”
“Poor China Blue,” said Mary picking her up. “We didn’t know you were missing until today.”
“I’m afraid with Caroline gone China Blue has been sadly neglected,” Timothy said. He touched the porcelain cat’s dusty head. “Your grandmother would want you to have her.”
“I’ll clean her up,” Mary said. She took China Blue into the kitchen and washed and dried her, rubbing her with a paper towel until she was shiny again.
“There, Grandpa. Except for these fine lines all over her body, she’s as good as new.”
“Those lines come with age,” said Timothy, “like the lines on my face.”
“They’re beautiful lines, yours and China Blue’s, too,” said Mary. “Thank you for giving her to me. Andy and I never meant to harm China Blue those many years ago.”
“Your grandmother knew that, Mary,” Timothy said.
Timothy and Mary took China Blue to her new home. Mary put her on a table near a window in her bedroom. Mary could see her first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.
“See, Grandpa,” Mary said, “when the sun shines on China Blue she has gold and pink flecks. And at night in the moonlight her eyes look almost alive. Isn’t she truly a wonderful cat?”
“Yes, she is,” Timothy said.
Once again China Blue felt like a truly wonderful cat. She knew that Mary, like Caroline, would keep her safe and take care of her for a long, long time.
the end.
Question Time
- Why was China Blue special?
- How did China Blue almost break?
- What happened when the movers came?
- Where was China Blue’s new home?
