The Blue Cup

The cat lived over the shop in Ivana’s village. Every morning Ivana put warm milk in a blue cup by the door, and the cat drank all of it.

One evening the shop door was open, and the cat walked out. The fields were big and black. The cat walked for a mile. Then there was no shop, no light, no blue cup.

The cat sat down and listened. A dog barked far away. That was not the way home.

Then the wind moved, and the cat smelled bread. Ivana made bread every night. The cat ran.

In the morning Ivana opened the door. The cat was on the step, cold and hungry.

“Where were you?” Ivana said. “Come in. Your milk’s warm.”