by R.J. Shie

Created on: October 05, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Boardwalk

It was six a.m. I had just pulled into the parking lot at work. It was a burger joint on the beach. You know those ones that you walk up to in your bathing suit and bare feet. My boss thought that we should start serving breakfast. I didn't know who would be at the beach that early craving bacon and eggs, but he was the boss. So here I was the first one to arrive. I got out of my car, and walked over to the end of the parking lot so that I could look at the beach. It was too early, there was not enough light yet. I could hear the waves crashing on the shore. I love the beach at night. There is something reassuring about the rhythm of the waves. It feels like the sea is saying "don't worry, I have always been here and I will always be here."

The lamp lights on the boardwalk were lit, casting a yellow glow in spots down the length of the walkway. This place was such a carnival during the day. People coming and going, talking and laughing, rides and shops, the smell of food and the noise of the video arcade all added to the merriment. As I cast my gaze toward the emptiness that will be organized chaos in a few hours, I expected to see stark and cold the emptiness of abandonment. Expecting a scene surreal, like an unfinished painting, waiting for the people to arrive.

But what a surprise! I had to rub my eyes and look again. What I saw was probably the most amazing thing that I have ever seen in my life. There were at least 100 cats, cats of all sizes and all styles. There were black cats, brown and black cats, tiger cats, some with short hair and some with long hair etc. They looked just like people. They were in groups of two or three, walking along the board walk. It seemed like they were talking in small groups. "Hi how are you?" "Nice weather we're having, don't you think?" I could almost hear them say. They either didn't notice me or they didn't care. I had never seen so many cats at one time in my life. I had not seen this many cats cumulatively in my life! They were not fighting or mating, they were not digging in the trash either. They were socializing. It looked like I had fallen into a parallel universe ruled by cats.

I thought how strange that the board walk belongs to them at night, a sort of club where cats can go to mingle with others of their kind. I guess it keeps the rodent population in check! The sun was beginning to rise, and before I knew it, they were gone. Gone back to their secret world to sleep and wait for night to fall and again take over the boardwalk.

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