Puss' Fortune

Redd's Grandmother passed without much official notice, leaving a tidy sum for Redd's education and the remainder to care for her furry friend Puss. Now, Redd is off to see how Puss is doing and she will learn that wealth and technology may be capable of vast marvels but there are some simpler things even the cleverest tech cannot accomplish that only a seventh grader can.

In this fabulist story, Daniel R. Robichaud takes a perversely twisted look at that old chestnut about the old lady leaving her wealth to her cat and asks, "Sure, but how will the poor critter spend it?" Whether the story is read as a satiric jab at assisted living conditions, the crazy degree of technological dependence our society is turning toward (and the laughable lackings this can lead to), or simply a call for fuzzy love, "Puss' Fortune" packs a lot of depth in its scant 1800 words. This is the sort of faerie tale we need and quite possibly deserve.

A version of this story first appeared in Twisted Cat Tales in 2005. This version has been slightly altered, and is the author's preferred text.