Community Pool Theater (3)

Kat laid sprawled out across the cement out in the sun as Maria’s siblings splashed about in the pool. Her fur was soaked, clumping together as it dried off underneath the sunlight. She stared up at the sky, which was clear of any clouds, making it the perfect day to swim.

Perfect for everyone but her.

Carlos sat next to her, making sure she was okay.

“It’s okay, Carlos. I’m fine. Go enjoy the water,” Kat said in a defeated voice.

“But weren’t you going to teach me how to swim?” he asked innocently.

Kat shook her head. “I don’t think I can do it today, Carlos. Maybe never.”

“Carlos,” Maria called out from the pool. “Leave Kat alone for the time being, sweetie.”

Carlos walked toward the pool, turned back to look at Kat, then hopped into the pool with his floaties and inner tube.

Kat laid for a few more minutes, before getting back up again, her fur sticking out where she was lying on it. When she tried patting it down, her fur popped right back out. “Aaagh!” she yelled in annoyance, messing up her hair. She jumped to her feet and went to grab her things.

“You okay?” Maria asked, getting out of the pool.

“I’m gonna go home.”

“Oh. In that case, do you want to eat some of the lunch we made before you leave?”

“Not hungry,” she said, throwing on her hoodie and covering her head with her towel.

She walked out the gate, passing by a couple kids from town and their parents, who looked confused by Kat leaving so early.

Maria felt bad for Kat and wanted to be there for her, but she couldn’t leave her siblings behind and turned her attention back to Carlos. “How about we get you swimming so you can surprise Kat next time she comes to the pool!” she cheered, trying to improve the mood.

Kat slowly dragged her feet down the gravel road, kicking the occasional rock or two.

Her depression was twofold: the fact she couldn’t swim and the fact she didn’t realize sooner that she’d be terrified of water now that she was a cat. When she thought about it, she hadn’t had a bath or shower since transforming into a cat. Not out of aversion, mind you. She enjoyed taking relaxing baths, where she could relax in a mountain of bubbles and soothe her soul. It was because it never crossed her mind. As a cat, the idea of hopping into the shower to clean herself was so foreign. You might as well have asked her to shed her skin. The thought wouldn’t ever crop up.

Despite that, she was still super excited to go swimming in the pool. Why was it that her feline mind allowed her to get so far as to jump into a pool, but not bother to take a shower after all the times she’s been running around outside in the heat, sweating up a storm?

She stopped walking, raising her arm to her nose, and took a big whiff.

“...I smell like chlorine and a cat,” she said aloud.

***

By the time Kat arrived home, the sun had dried most of her fur, leaving it as a giant puffy mess.

Inside her mom’s shop, her mom was in the middle of helping a customer. But when she saw the mess that was Kat, she couldn’t help but snicker. It quickly ceased when she realized how soon Kat had returned from the pool and the unamused expression on her daughter’s face.

“Hey, honey. You’re back early,” her mom said.

“Nnnngh,” Kat grumbled.

“How was the pool?”

“Nnnngh.”

“...You having cat problems, again?” her mom asked, having come up with the shorthand for instances where Kat had a new issue to deal with because of her cat form.

“Nnnnyeah.”

“Do you need help?”

“I’m fine,” Kat said, walking past her mom to head upstairs.

She watched silently as Kat turned the corner, then went back to work. She figured that Kat needed the space and left her alone. If it was something serious, Kat would’ve said something. Or at least that’s what she hoped, after the long spiel she gave a week ago after the cat god incident.

Upstairs, Kat walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The blast of cold air hitting her damp fur caused her to shiver as she quickly grabbed the milk jug and closed it. She then went to the cabinet and pulled out her favorite children's breakfast cereal; a fruity, rice-based cereal that would get soggy within seconds of pouring milk onto it. Just as Kat liked it.

She brought the milk and cereal to the kitchen table, then grabbed a large bowl that she and her mom usually used for popcorn on movie nights, and dumped the entirety of the box of cereal into it. After putting in an equal amount of milk, creating a shameful amount of sugary cereal that would give a diabetic a shock just by being in the same room, she started chomping down.

Just then, Ludwig waltzed into the kitchen while singing himself a little tune, thinking he could bug whoever was in there for a post-breakfast snack.

“Hey, Kat! How’s it hangyeagh!” he said, looking at the awful shape Kat’s fur was. “What happened to you? Did someone throw you into the pool or something?”

Kat looked down at him, chewed, then turned her attention back to her potential sugar coma-inducing bowl of cereal.

“I see,” Ludwig said, hopping onto the table. “Sorry that some punks threw you into the pool like that. There’s all kinds of people in the world, though I guess you already know that. An old buddy of mine got tossed into the creek once. It was just awful. Bunch of ruthless kids ganged up on him, and then—”

“Nobody threw me into the pool,” Kat corrected him.

“They didn’t?”

“I jumped in.”

Ludwig started laughing. “You what?! You jumped into the pool! You! Ha ha ha! What on Earth possessed you to do that? No no, don’t tell me! It was a bet, right? Had to be. Why else would ya just jump into a pool like that?”

She glared at him.

Ludwig took the hint. “Ah. Still trying to get adjusted to the whole being a cat thing, huh? Here, how about you whip me a bowl of cat food and the two of us can chat, eh? You can tell me your problems, and I’ll give you my sagely cat advice. I mean, I am an expert on the subject, after all.”

Kat got up from the table to pour Ludwig a bowl of cat food. As she did, Ludwig walked up to her bowl of sugary cereal, took a whiff, and recoiled his head. “Not sure how you can stand to eat this stuff. It looks like cardboard mush soaked in tie-dyed soap water.”

“It’s my favorite,” she responded.

“Well, as long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters. I suppose,” Ludwig said, sticking his tongue into the bowl. He shivered in disgust. “Tastes like pure sugar,” he said while giving it another taste.

“Don’t stick your tongue in my cereal!” she said, placing the bowl of dried, fish-flavored cat food across the table from her.

“It’s no big deal. We’re family, after all,” he said. “Aha! Now this stuff. This is the good stuff. What you got? Nuh-uh. This is where it’s at.” He started chowing down.

Kat watched as he went to town with his cat food. “Were you planning on actually listening to my problems, or did you say that just so you could get more food?”

Ludwig looked up, his face stuffed with cat food. “Huh? No no, I’m listening. I’m multitasking,” he said, shoving his face back into the food.

Kat dunked her spoon into her bowl and ate another bite of cereal. “I went to the pool with Maria and her siblings like I do every year. Normally I love swimming, but when I jumped into the pool this year, I freaked out just before I hit the water.”

“Uh-huh,” Ludwig said, spitting out crumbs of food as he talked. “Water will do that.”

“They had to pull me out using Maria’s little sister’s water noodle, which I wound up shredding to pieces trying to claw myself out.”

“Sounds rough.”

Kat let out a sigh as she stirred the rainbow mush in the large popcorn bowl. “Going to the community pool was one of my favorite summer rituals. It sucks that I won’t be able to enjoy it anymore as long as I’m a cat.”

Ludwig stuffed more food into his mouth. “Why not try to power through it?”

“Huh?” Kat asked.

“Cats and water are natural enemies, sure. But I don’t think that means you can’t force yourself to adapt. It’s all about having the right mindset,” he said, raising a paw to his head. “Let me tell you an embarrassing story of mine from when I was a kitten. So there I am, cute little baby me, and I am horrified by the litter box. Absolutely terrified.”

“How come?”

Ludwig shrugged. “I thought it would turn into quicksand and suck me in while I was taking a poop or something. I dunno. Kittens are dumb. So anyway, my mom comes up to me and tells me that all I have to do is face my fears head-on. Sure, it might be tough, and it might take a while. But she stuck by me, giving me the emotional support to climb into that box and take a dump without fear. Not long after, I was able to go to the bathroom all by myself!”

Kat snickered. “You had your mom watch you while you pooped?”

“Hey, now! Like I said, I was just a kitten! I’m sure you’ve done something similar when you were a tot!”

Kat refused to relay any of those stories to him.

While the comparison between situations wasn’t at all the same, Kat pondered Ludwig’s advice to power through it. Her mind and body were part cat now, but that doesn’t negate the fact it’s still part human as well. Her human side understands water is perfectly fine. If she could train the cat portion to learn to love water, she’ll be able to swim again.

“That’s it!” Kat yelled, jumping out of her table.

Ludwig flinched from Kat’s sudden outburst. “What’s it?”

“All I have to do is train myself, then I’ll be able to enjoy the water again!” She went over to Ludwig and kissed him on top of his head. “Thanks for the talk.”

Ludwig smiled. “Glad I could help, kiddo.” He was about to resume eating when he was suddenly lifted into the air. “Huh?!”

“Come on!” Kat said, carrying Ludwig with her toward the bathroom.

“W-wait! I wasn’t done eating yet!” he shouted, stretching his paws to try and reach his food bowl that was getting further away from him.

He soon found himself with his back against the bathroom door, standing on his hind legs. Kat stood above him, taking off her hoodie and throwing it onto the counter. Whenever he found himself being brought into the bathroom against his will, it was always because either Kat or her mom was about to force a flea bath on him.

“W-w-what’re you planning on doing, Kat?” he asked, fearing the worst.

“What you recommended that I’d do,” she said, sliding the shower curtain open.

Ludwig nervously nodded. “Okay. Makes sense. So why am I here?”

“I need emotional support, just like your mom gave you when you were a kitten too scared to poop in the litter box.”

“Okay. Yeah. Mhm! I can see the line of logic leading you to this moment, but as long as you don’t—”

Kat picked up Ludwig from the ground. She then stepped into the shower.

“Why are you taking me into the shower?!” Ludwig shouted, trying to break free from Kat’s grip.

“I already said I need emotional support!” she replied, adjusting the showerhead, then sitting down in the tub.

“But why are you bringing me into this?! You’re the one who wants to overcome your natural instincts! Not me! I’m fine with forever fearing water! It’s worked out for me this long! Why change now!”

“I can’t do it alone, Ludwig! Be supportive of me! Like your mom!” Kat said.

“My mom didn’t come into the litter box and poop alongside me!” he argued. “What you’re doing is torture!”

“Be my emotional support!” Kat repeated, her hand shaking as it gripped the knob for the hot water.

Ludwig became more desperate to escape, thrashing in her arms to break free. “You have my support, Kat! I’ll give you all nine lives of emotional support! Just don’t force me to take part in it!”

“We must be brave, Ludwig!” Kat yelled, her voice quivering.

“You must be brave!” Ludwig yelled back.

“BE MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!”

“LET ME GO!”

“EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!”

“PLEASE HAVE MERCY!!!”

“EMOTIONAL SUPPORT!!!”

“FOR THE LOVE OF—”

***

Downstairs, Kat’s mom was having small talk with the same customer from earlier, talking about local politics. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, followed by constant thrashing from upstairs as two cats yelped and cried out.

“What on Earth?” Kat’s mom said, looking up at the ceiling.

She quickly ran upstairs, worried that something had happened to Kat. The thrashing and loud cats screaming came from the bathroom, along with the sound of the shower running.

“What’s going on?!” she said while opening the door to the bathroom.

Upon entering the bathroom, she found her daughter rolling about on the floor, wrapped in the shower curtain, crying in agony. Kat’s soaked tail was splashing wet water all over the walls, hitting her in the process. Ludwig, who was also soaked to the bone, skitted between her legs and made a beeline out of the bathroom.

Kat yanked off the shower curtain off of her. “Oh. Hi mom,” she smiled.

Kat was promptly kicked out back, where her mom said “if you plan to keep doing that, then do it out here with the hose. Not the shower.” She then closed the door on her.

“Didn’t have to toss me out like a cat,” Kat quipped. “Haha. Get it? Because I’m part cat, and… I’ll just stop,” she said, lowering her head in shame for explaining her awful joke to the empty garden.

What she didn’t plan on stopping was her pursuit of getting used to being wet. Taking her mom’s advice, she grabbed the garden hose and held it before her. When she turned on the faucet, a blast of freezing cold water shot right into her face and up her nose.

“Nnnyagh!” she yelped, falling backward. She then got herself tangled with the green hose as she wrestled it, hissing with anger and fear as she went into full cat mode. When she finally managed to free herself she leaped backward onto all fours. She then began swatting the leaking hose as if it were a perilous snake. Her fangs bare as she let out a constant hiss, warning the threat.

The back door to the shop swung open, slamming into the wall. Kat’s mom stood in the doorway, glaring angrily at Kat.

Kat snapped out of her attack mode and looked up at her mom. “Um…”

Without saying a word, her mom turned off the faucet, wrapped the hose up, and walked back inside. She slammed the door shut.

Kat sat down on the ground, plopping her chin in the palm of her hand. “Crap,” she cursed.

***

Having been banned from continuing her training anywhere near home, Kat changed out of her swimsuit and into dry clothes and a baseball cap that was customized for her ears. She then walked outside of town along the gravel road, stewing about her predicament. How the heck am I going to train myself to enjoy water if I can’t do it at home? she wondered. I can’t do it at the pool since then I’ll be a bother to anyone who comes by to swim.

As she continued to walk, her ear twitched, hearing a rustle within the cornfield. She stopped in her tracks and turned to the source of the sound.

Noticing it was being watched, the rustling stopped.

Kat stared for a minute, waiting to see if whatever was in the field would move again, then started walking again.

“Yaaaaa!” yelled Marco, diving out of the cornfield like a commando, still wearing his swimming trunks. He aimed his overpowered water gun at Kat and fired. A blast of water fired out like a canon, aiming for the back of Kat’s head.

Noticing the assault, she did a backflip into the air and over Marco.

“Wha?!” he yelled in confusion, still firing his water gun.

Kat landed on all fours, then swiped Marco off his feet with a kick.

“Ah!” he cried, falling backward.

Before he could slam onto the gravel road, Kat caught him. “Thank you,” she said, yanking the water gun out of his hand.

Just then, Gabriel and Gabriella leaped out of the cornfield, water guns ablazing.

Kat shoved Marco aside and rolled across the road, dodging the assault. She then fired off two shots.

“Ack!” the twins cried as water hit them in the face.

Kat let out a smug chuckle as she got to her feet, then proceeded to fire a shot at Marco. “You can’t hit this swift cat,” she said, blowing on the tip of the water gun like some action movie star.

“Darnit! I thought we had you this year!” Marco cried, pounding the road. “Especially since you freak out from touching water now!”

“Fu fu fu! My transformation only increased my dodging ability tenfold!” Kat snickered.

With the battle decided, Kat lent a hand to Marco and helped him to his feet, then gave his water gun back to him.

“What’re you guys doing all the way out here? I thought Maria and everyone were still at the pool?” she asked.

“They are,” Marco said, shooting water at his dirt-covered butt to clean it off. “It got too crowded, so the twins and I decided to split.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel and Gabriella replied.

“I see,” Kat said. “Are they still there?”

“Maybe,” Gabriella said. “But we left a while ago after eating lunch.”

“They’re probably heading back by now,” Gabriel said, “since we have afternoon chores to—”

Marco shot Gabriel in the face. He fell backward onto the road, where he proceeded to play dead.

But it was too late. Kat had heard enough. She gave a wry smile as she placed a hand to her chin. “Oooooh? Skipping chores, are we?”

“We’re not skipping!” Marco argued. “We’re just… taking our time getting home. That’s all.”

“We’re lost,” Gabriella said.

“I’m dead,” replied Gabriel.

Kat continued to smile mischievously at the trio.

“Okay! Fine! What do you want to not tattle?” Marco asked.

Kat chuckled. “A tad quick to bribing, aren’t we? Well, I’ll be gracious and let you off the hook. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thanks, Kat,” the three said.

Kat started walking off, waving a hand without bothering to look back.

The trio started heading toward town, where they planned to try and bum off free ice cream from the grocery store owner.

“Waaiiit!!!” Kat came running at them full speed, sliding to a stop in front of them. “I changed my mind! I do want something from you guys!”

All three cried foul.

“You can’t change your mind after letting us off the hook and demand something! That goes against the rules!”

Kat shook her head. “It’s not like that. I need your guys’ help with something.”

The trio looked at each other, then shrugged. “Okay.”

Kat went about explaining how she wanted to train herself to get accustomed to water again and had been banned by her mom from using the shower and hose at her place.

“So what you’re saying is you want us to deliberately get you wet?” Marco asked.

“Yeah,” Kat nodded.

“Repeatedly?” Gabriel asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“Against your will?” Gabriella asked.

“Precisely.”

The trio got into a huddle and deliberated amongst themselves for a few moments.

Marco turned to Kat with a smile, resting his water gun on his shoulder. “Alright, Kat. We’ll help ya get over your fear of water. Swing by our place tomorrow after lunch, and be dressed accordingly.”

Kat nodded.

“Catch ya later,” he said, waving his water gun in the air as the trio resumed their mission to get ice cream.