The Shop Cat

I am the shop cat. I sit on the counter all day. I watch.

This morning a woman comes in. She puts a purse on the counter. It is not her purse. “I found this on the street,” she says.

The shopkeeper opens it. Inside there is a phone, a list, and a small photo. “Is this correct?” he asks. “A lost purse?”

“Yes,” the woman says. “Those things are not mine.”

The shopkeeper writes a note. He is slow. I test the purse with my paw. It is soft.

A second woman comes in. She is fast. “My purse! I lost it!”

“This one?” the shopkeeper asks.

“Yes! That is my phone, and that is my list!”

The two women are happy. The shopkeeper is happy.

And me? I sit on the counter. I watch. That is my job.