Philemon

Once upon a time in a simple town called Caneyville, a little boy visited his aunt and uncle for a day. He was a city boy. He was a boy who had dogs. He was from a family who had dogs not birds or pigs or monkeys or ferrets. The boy's family was a dog family. Well, his family was a dog family with the exception of this aunt.

Aunt Ellie lived on a farm with chickens, dogs, cows, wild rabbits and cats. Cats. She and Uncle Ted loved their outdoor cats. All cats protected their barns and feed from mice and rats. Calico cats and furry cats and orange-colored cats and black cats were free to roam the farm and especially the old, red barn where the cows, horses and sheep stayed.

Aunt Ellie would say, "Those cats are my cats. They are farm cats. They have a job on this farm just like the horses, and the dogs, and the cows and just like me and Uncle Ted. You respect the cats."

Now the little boy was just a lad of three. His cold, black hair was disheveled and standing all over from cowlicks. And even though he was from the city, he was not a rich boy. He wore hand-me-down shorts and dirty t-shirts. His face was always covered in dirt or food. His clothes were always just as dirty as his face.

His grandpa would laugh deep in his belly and declare "He is all boy, that one there."

And he was right.

Now, on this October day, Grandpa woke the boy from deep sleep and put him in the truck for a ride to the country. The country meaning Caneyville in old person speak. They drove the little highways distance and finally reached Aunt Ellie in time for breakfast. The boy was enamored with the eggs picked from the coop, the biscuits battered and rolled on the kitchen counter, and the bacon or sausage made right there on the farm.

After Uncle Ted said grace, the family devoured the food as Aunt Ellie intended. And then it was time to get to work. Grandpa and Uncle Ted walked toward the old, red barn with a three-year-old shadow. The two men hitched massive horses to a plow and headed out to the field.

"Boy, you stay right here until we get back."

"Yessir."

As the little, black-haired boy watched them leave, he stood like a statue dreaming of when he would be doing farm work just like his grandpa. Meanwhile, he felt a soft brush against his leg. Was it a dog? No. Was it a piece of straw blown by wind? No. It was a little, grey kitten.

"Meow."

The boy looked down at the kitten. He saw its little grey eyes and its grey fur. He saw its whiskered face looking at him with a kitty cat-like smile. He saw something brand new. The boy from a dog family saw a kitten who was looking for an adventure. And for the first time, he knew that he too could be a dog person or a cat person or an either person. The boy saw a new friend.

"I see you've met Philemon." Aunt Ellie called from across the old, red barn.

"Huh?" said the boy.

"The kitty is named Philemon. It's a book in the Bible." she replied.

"Fuh-Lee--." He tried to pronounce the name getting stuck on the last syllable.

"Philemon." Ellie called back.

"Fuh--Lee--Man" replied the boy.

"Yep. Philemon."

The sun was bright above the trees and fields in Caneyville. The horizon was calling the dog family boy and his kitten friend. He looked to the sky and pointed East.

The boy glanced down at the kitten who was now pawing at his leg. Then he looked at his aunt and back to his new friend. A curious smile appeared amongst the food and dirt upon his face. He scooped the kitten up into his arms.

"Fuh--Lee...Aw forget it. It's too long. I am going to call you Phil. And, Phil, we are going to the Sun! To adventure!" He declared.

And to adventure they went. Aunt Ellie looked up from milking a cow to see the dog family boy and his grey kitten friend disappearing into the trees, heading to the Sun, heading for their first of many adventures.