The Mural

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(Edited)

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The Mural

It was the cat mural that did it.

I’d never seen anything so beautiful, so vibrant. The artwork was in progress when I came upon it, when I came upon her. There she was, conjuring magic on the sidewalk, very early on a sunlit morning, with nothing more than a few spray cans of paint at her side. It was mesmerizing. I stopped to take it all in, but she didn’t notice me, or anything else that was happening around her. No, she was absolutely engrossed and she juggled her spray cans in a spectacularly fluid dance, her arms, her hands seemed to have a life of their own as she twisted and spayed bands of bright color onto the fence. In a few sweeping movements she had transformed the city park’s dull gray perimeter into a stunningly beautiful scene.

But, it was the subject of the painting that was so arresting. She was painting cats, cats with soulful shining eyes, cats! So many different and exquisite cats and, oh my, I simply adore cats. The thing is, that they weren’t just ordinary cats either, they were so special; no purebred Siamese for my new found female Picasso, no, these were cats of mixed features, tails that curled over their backs and spiky ears that stood alert as if they were listening to the footfall on the sidewalk they adorned. It was fantastical, weird, but so perfect.

...and then I really looked at her; I took in her tiny frame, her delicate hands, her wild hair. She was out of breath it seemed at that moment, because she paused, surveying her work as if suddenly aware of it for the first time. She twisted her head around, and I got the full view. Oh my, not only was her artwork gorgeous, she had a fragile look about her, as if she were kind, as well as beautiful and extraordinarily talented.

What more could a boy of my circumstance possibly want.

But, you know, not all people, even if they look the part, are what they seem to be even if they’re talented and as clever as she most obviously was.

For me it was really a case of love at first sight, but before I offered myself to her, unconditionally, I had to test her.

I sidled up, as close as I could, while still leaving a possible and gracious exit route should things have gone wrong.

...and then she saw me. I held my breath, an obvious quiver of fear shook my body. I can tell you I've been chased off more times than I can count. Lord, I was hoping…

But, she bent down to my level, I could even see the paint under her fingernails.

“Oh, you poor little thing.” She cried. “Come here you beauty, come on kitty, kitty don’t be shy. I’ve got ham in my lunch box, come on I don’t bite…”

Well, she took me home, and the rest, you know, is just history...

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️💕

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31 comments
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How I love this story!!
You got me hooked from start to finish
I didn't even think it was a feline until the end
A happy love story to last this one life and hope it is the same for all the other 8 D

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Oh my oh my oh my...this was just ....I loved it❣️❣️❣️@itsostylish, you have a sheer brilliance for setting your readers off in one direction and then hitting them with an incredible punchline that hits where it matters...in this case it just tugs at the heartstrings and takes the writer in me's (and in this case also the cat lover's) breath away. I am sitting here shaking my head...like she's done it again💗 Exquisite. Bravo! !ALIVE !PIZZA !LUV

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Thank you so much for writing this beautiful and sensitive story for @theinkwell's weekly call, @itsostylish. It's fantastic the way you describe the artist's performance! Remember to comment on at least two stories in the community. That presence gives you a chance to be chosen among the featured writers.

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Ah, that kitty found her way into modeling for a sensitive artist. It's a happy and beautiful story. A nice gift for the day of love. Thank you @itsostylish

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I loved your story, the way you describe what the main character is observing and then that ending that surprised me, it was beautiful. I love cats too.
Greetings@itsostylish

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I recently watched The Electrical Life of Louis Wain on Prime, and this story reminded me of it. All those cats!

You bring out the character of the cat rather nicely. Even though the cat describes the girl in breathtaking detail, he's the star of the show with his amorous tone. I can almost hear him purr languidly. Excellent!

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Very, Very Good!
A Wonderful Cat Story,
and I Love Cats!
🙋👍🏼♥️🐅🐈🐅♥️👍🏼🙋

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This story captured my heart, @itsostylish. I was already smitten by the writing when I arrived at the beautiful last lines. Wow. Wonderfully done!

By the way, did you see my belated comment on our conversation from the Write Club prompt post?

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So pleased that you enjoyed it. Haha❤️💕🤗

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(Edited)

The first lines immediately evoked a scene in my mind's eye. An artist translating dance with her spray cans as an extension of her arms. In my imagination, her steps are an act between spontaneity and planning, the body her instrument with which she makes colours and forms visible. The surprising element at the end: the observer itself is a cat!
Wonderfully told :)

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It's so beautiful, thanks for sharing it.

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Hey, thanks for using our tag #vyb ( #proofofbrain and #pob are also our tags)

Happy Valentines Day too 💘, Hope yours and the kitty is better than mine 😭

We upvoted you using our tribe tokens POB and VYB! In case you don't know... (truth be told I just read it somewhere 🤣) By staking our tokens then delegating them to @pob-curator and @vyb-curator respectively, you can have 95% of the curation gained back to you in daily automated payments.


VYB Curation Project (VCP)

"Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself." - Samuel Butler
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Oh wow, you got me... I didn't think it was a cat at all! 😁 Loved it, completely drew me in and beautiful writing as always. Well done 🙂

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Let’s face it, you are one of the very best writers here on Hive. I was looking for your story?
But, anyway, thank you, I so appreciate the reads😀 💓

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Oh wow, you are WAY to kind with those words, I'm still only learning the ropes tbh, but thank you so much, it's definitely nice to hear I'm on the right path.

As for this week's story, well, am... So I really got into it; it was at 2600ish words late last night, and I still hadn't hit my ending! 😂 So yeah, I knew then I wasn't going to get it in this week unfortunately. I'm really enjoying writing this one though and I don't want to rush it, so hopefully will get it out in the next week or two.

My challenge for this upcoming prompt is to try get it under 1000, which I know I'll struggle with! 😁

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I wasn't anticipating the end to contain such a twist of events. I bet none could estimate.

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