A Short

The Cat With The Cane

    In the street they called him, You know, Man -- the cat with the cane; but his name was actually James.  Always knew who it was because the tap, tap, tap of his cane announced him.  He didn't need the cane, he just liked it so it became  part of his persona.

    On a windy and clear day in April, the folk saw the cane, but no Cat...  "Hey, where's the cat who always carries that cane?" questioned someone on the stoop when he spied the cane leaning against the brownstone.  "I have never seen that cat without it, so something must be up."

    Pretty soon, a dozen or so people had congregated around the cane and were wondering what they should do.  Some wanted to just wait and see, figuring that James had probably lain the cane against the building and had just forgotten it.  Others wanted to start a search for him, and the remainder wanted to call the police.

    All of a sudden, the cane began a little dance and started tapping away.  Before the crowd could properly react to this phenomenon, James stepped sideways from within the cane.  You see, rather than a cool cat with a cane, the fact of the matter is that it was a cool cane with a cat; you dig?