A VERY TINY STORY AND A HOLIDAY MESSAGE

A VERY TINY STORY AND A HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM CATMAN COMIX AND THE KITTY MAFIA ART WORX: If you have just a minute, please take the time to read it.

     Being a superhero in San Francisco can be a lot of work and a lot of fun. There’s crime to prevent, evil doers to apprehend, and when things are quiet, there is always time to fly around the Transamerica Pyramid and Coit Tower, or do aerobatic exhibitions for the tourists. And then, when the day is done, you get to go home to a nice meal and a warm bed.

     Both Catman and Super Sumie have a very nice home indeed, located high up on Russian Hill next to the cable car line, with a view of Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay, dry food in a bowl all day and night, plus tuna or salmon, sometimes with bonito flakes, three times a day. There are lots of toys to play with and a soft warm bed to sleep in. However, in flying about the city, tiny Sumie had noticed that things were not always so pleasant for other people in the city. She became curious, as cats will do, and one day decided, without telling anyone, to pack a few of her belongings and then to head off on her own down to the Tenderloin District, where she might be able to find out about the “other side” of life.

     Once she arrived, having walked all the way from home, and dragging her suitcase behind her, she quickly found that things were indeed not good — not good at all. Down in the Tenderloin, things were anything but tender. The neighborhood was cold, dirty and smelled bad. And the people — why, many of them were mean, ugly, smelled bad, and some were dangerous — very dangerous! She spent the entire day walking around the streets looking first for a friendly face, but she couldn’t find one. Then, as the day wore on, she grew hungry; however, she hadn’t brought any money with her. As the sun set and it grew dark, it started to rain; and there she was —cold, wet. no friends, no food, and no place to go.

     Sumie walked and walked until at last, she found a dry place to rest beside an old wooden shack in a dark, weed-filled alley. She took a rolled up blanket she had strapped to the top of the suitcase she had pulled around behind her all day, covered herself with it, hoping to fend off the cold, and then took out the one true friend she did have with her — her teddy bear.

     There she sat for hour after hour, alone, cold, and afraid, until she fell asleep. Then Catman, who had never been very far off, and who had watched over her all day, picked her and her belongs up and took her home where he tucked her safely into her warm, soft bed.

     Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who don’t have a Catman to watch over them, or to take them home to bed. A lot of folks have no home, no money, and no food —not even a teddy bear. On Thanksgiving Day, we have a lot of things, things we often take for granted, to be thankful for. But what about the others? If you have the means, drop by your local food bank and make a donation, or if you have nothing else to do that day, you might consider volunteering some of your time at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, to make Thanksgiving just a little bit better for someone who doesn’t have much at all. There’s still time if you’d like to.

     Happy Thanksgiving from Aoi, Hayato, Catman and Super Sumie.