Leo the Scaredy Cat

            by Leanne Brotsky

 

            Once there lived a little cat named Leo.  Leo lived with his mother and father in a small apartment with a view of the water in Venice, Italy.  Everyday, Leo would wake up, hop out of his basket, and go to the kitchen where he would have fresh milk for breakfast.  Then he would say goodbye to his parents and meet his neighbors, Dini and Vinci. 

The three kittens were best friends and loved to go on fun adventures together.  Sometimes they would play tag up and down the cobblestone streets in front of their house.  And sometimes they would say hello to the shop-owners who would rub their bellies and give them cheese and scraps of meat.  Other times they would play hide and seek with Bravo, the old sheep dog who lived down the street.

 

 

One morning, after Leo, Dini, and Vinci had played a long game of tag, Dini had an idea.

“Yesterday I heard my mom and dad talking about a nice man who gives cats free fish.  He lives on the other side of Venice, so we’ll have to take a vaporetto to see him.”

“Oh, I can’t wait!” cried Vinci.  “I’ve always wanted to go on one of those water busses.  They always look like so much fun.  And I’ve been getting tired of cheese and meat scraps.  It will be exciting to eat fish!”

“Aren’t you excited, Leo?” Dini asked.

“Well, I like fish a lot.  But I don’t like the vaporetto.  It’s scary being so close to the water.”

“You’ll be fine!” Dini and Vinci said in unison.

The three cats decided to leave right then so that they would be back in time for dinner.  They walked down the cobblestone street toward the dock.  Just as they arrived, a vaporetto pulled up and all the people on the platform began to board the waterbus.

 

 

“Yippee,” yelled Dini as he hopped aboard.

“Hooray,” said Vinci, joining Dini on the boat.  “Come on Leo!”
            But Leo just stood on the dock, watching his friends.  He was too scared of the water.  He held up his paw and waved to Dini and Vinci as the vaporetto left the dock and traveled down the canal.  Leo walked home alone.  He stopped down the street to see if Bravo could play, but the sheep dog wasn’t there.  Leo padded up the stairs to his apartment, curled up in his basket, and went to bed early.

The next morning after breakfast, Dini and Vinci told Leo all about their exciting adventure.

“The fish was so delicious and the man was very nice to us,” Vinci said.

“And the vaporetto ride was so much fun!  I can’t wait to do it again,” Dini exclaimed.  The two friends told Leo that, on their way home, they had seen another fish stand with even more types of fish.  They had been too full to try it, but they were excited to go back today.

 

 

“You’re coming this time, right?” Dini asked Leo.

“I don’t think so.  The water is too scary.  I guess I have to stay home alone again,” Leo said sadly.  “But I’ll walk you to the dock to say goodbye.”

As the kitten friends walked toward the dock, they ran into Bravo.

“Where are you going?” the old sheep dog asked.

“They’re going to catch the vaporetto to see a fish vendor,” Leo said.

“And where are you going?” Bravo wanted to know.

“I’m staying home.  The water is too scary for me.”

“I understand,” said Bravo.  “I used to be scared of the water, too.  But then I learned it’s not really scary.  It can actually be fun!  Why don’t I go to the dock and show you?”

“Okay, I guess,” Leo said carefully.

The four animals made their way through the cobblestone streets to the water.  As Leo looked on, Bravo took a leap into the canal.  He paddled around in a circle and then swam to the edge of the dock.  With one paw, he splashed Leo with a little water.

“Why’d you do that?” Leo asked, shaking the water off.

“To show you that water’s not so scary!” Bravo explained.  “See?”

 

 

“Yeah, I think I do,” Leo nodded.  He made his way to the edge of the dock and peered over the edge.  The water below was bright blue and little waves hit the wood of the dock.  Leo took a deep breath and looked at his friends.

“Are you ready, guys?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s go!” said Dini and Vinci.  The three cats hopped on the vaporetto and waved goodbye to Bravo.  Leo stood on the ledge of the boat’s window and watched as the dock got farther and farther away.  He liked how the breeze felt through his fur and didn’t even mind the little droplets of water that sprayed him lightly in the face.

 

 

That night at dinner, Leo was sitting with his parents in the kitchen.

“What did you do today?” Leo’s mother asked.

“I went to see the fish vendor on Burano Island with Dini and Vinci.  Then we went and visited the lace makers in their workshop.  They were very nice and gave us some string to play with.  We had so much fun!” Leo exclaimed.

“But you have to take the vaporetto to get there.  Weren’t you scared of the water?” Leo’s father questioned.

            “Of course not!” Leo said.  “The water isn’t scary…Bravo showed me that!  And I had lots of fun on the vaporetto.  We saw sailboats and water taxis.  I even looked down and saw a school of fish in the water!  I can’t wait to go exploring again tomorrow!”