The Cat Kingdom is in an uproar, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Prince Fussabit is missing!  He went out with his nurse to play in the East Garden yesterday afternoon right after his nap and hasn’t been seen since.  His nurse came back to say that she had somehow fallen asleep (just a cat nap, you understand) in the sun and when she woke up, he was gone!

Everyone has mustered for the search.  The entire town stands at the ready to go wherever King Fursafoot sends them.  People are armed with milk and fish snacks in the hopes of providing nourishment the moment the Prince is found.  The King raises his paw and……they’re off!  Knights of the round bed are mounted on their trusty steeds and will scour the countryside for a clue.  In the meantime, the town’s people gather in a tight circle about the grounds and have begun searching side by side to avoid missing any critical evidence.  Queen Fluffsalot sits with her ladies crying pitifully over her lost son. 

There are shouts filling the air as minute items are held up for inspection!  Suddenly a horn blast fills the air.  Prince Fussabit’s stuffed boy-doll has been found.  It was lying next to the brook that runs from the center fountain.  Searchers gather there and begin fanning out to thoroughly search the area.  Another shout announces the discovery of Prince Fussabit’s crown!  It must have fallen during a mighty struggle since there are traces of fur and the ground is trampled.  The Queen nearly faints when she hears this news!

Another shout!  This one is loud and triumphant.  Prince Fussabit has been found!  He lies on a soft blanket in the shade of tall cat nip plants with a drunken smile on his face.  He must have wandered into the grove of cat nip while the nurse slept and fallen asleep after indulging.  Oh, what joy can be heard as the message goes far and wide that Prince Fussabit has been found and is, aside from a large hangover, fine! 

Oh, did I loose that? 
© Cheryl Simonds 2012

The townspeople gather to pay their respects to the newly found Prince who lies in a small wagon half asleep and barely acknowledging their words of affection and relief.  Queen Fluffsalot is heard softly telling her young son “if you ever give me a fright like that again, I will take away your daily saucer of milk for a week, you understand me boy?”  Her joy at the return of her lost son is extremely obvious, don’t you think?