the morning challenge

He awoke to the same abuse every morning, the nagging cries of the birds above him and his siblings making too much noise. The sun was only just beginning to peep through the cracks, still far to early in his opinion. He rolled over and ignored the morning wake up calls.

His dreams had been vivid, a delicious portion of meatballs and tomato sauce, garnished with roast potato cubes and cheese. His bulging stomach began to rumble, and he sighed at the thought of his morning chaos. Who knows where he would find his first meal...where he would end up.

He reluctantly rolled out of his bed, carefully avoiding the family. He wanted to do this part on his own. He scurried along the lattice and up to the top of the fence... there really was no other view like it. Overlooking the house tops of his local London neighbourhood was truly magic. From way up here, he could assess all important aspects; dog whereabouts, sneaky cats and not to mention those pesky foxes. He was in control.

He stopped and lifted his tail way up high, shaking it when it was extended fully to make sure he was wide awake, stretching always felt so good. He danced along the top of the fence and down towards the kitchen, such a convenient location on the end of his block. Many a time, he had managed to get enough food for the whole family, however it always presented its dangers. Two legged animals that were much bigger and always upright, most frighteningly was the loud machine that would come away and clear his food before he was finished with it. It would tip it all upside down into one big pile, barely leaving anything on the floor or left behind for him. Still, it was a great place to start... and secret.

He arrived at the old building with anticipation, immediately spotting some tasty morsel in the large blue container. He took a brief moment to assess the situation, no potential dangers... then again that sly black cat was always just around the corner. With little patience, he scampered across the path, dodging the lilly petals that were floating down around him. They made him tingle all over, like he had maddening fleas in his fur.

He carefully scaled the container and rested on the top. He smelt inside...divine indulgence for the senses. There was a combination of bread, banana, cabbage and the best part... some meat on a bone. Again, he took a moment to contemplate his next move, he needed to be swift to get the largest portion. When he felt unnervingly confident, he made his move. Within seconds there was a large clapping noise just above his ear, like someone had smacked him with an old tin lid. He saw it move before he knew what it was, and then fear permeated his body. An enlarged animal must have been approaching. He looked down at his breakfast, a feast for his day. It was food or freedom. He hastily climbed back up the container and down the side of the building, back up the lattice and safely back to his quarters. He stopped to catch his breath and let out a huge sigh. His shrunken belly grumbled in annoyance at the energy wasted.

He climbed back into bed. Being defeated this early in the morning was never a good start to the day. Best go back to those dreams and start all over again later on.