Show down.

Backing out of the driveway, head over my shoulder, I spotted  a black cat perched like a gargoyle on the fence. “Kitty!” I chirped to myself as I am wont to do every time I see a feline friend dart around the neighborhood (my desire to own one seems to grow exponentially every week).

But then something else caught the other corner of my eye.

A squirrel, its feet frozen to an adjacent limb, met the intense stare of the cat head-on. Neither creature moved a muscle. How long had they been transfixed in this battle of wills? Who would concede and who would be the victor?

Creeping closer with my camera, the cat broke its death glare on the squirrel and glowered in my direction, as if to say “Back the eff off, lady”.  Seizing the opportunity, the squirrel somersaulted around the limb of the tree and darted across a nearby telephone wire.

That  cat was pissed.