"Thanks again, Max," she said with a parting smile as she opened the door
of the bookstore into the icy, frigid winds. Max waved goodbye to his
favorite customer as she exited the store and braved the fierce New York
City street winds. Her hat blew off her head, tossing her long burgundy
hair into a hurricane around her face. She almost stumbled over face first
into a snow bank as she tried to steady herself in the wind. Once the wind
tunnel effect died down and the hair ceased to swirl around her face, she
trudged quickly through the slushy sidewalk to pick up her hat.
"Frig," she muttered angrily as she brushed the snow off and placed the hat back on her head. Now all she had to do was hold herself together until she made it back to her loft. She tucked the bag under her arm and slung her purse over the shoulder, marching head first into the fierce February winds on her way back home.
Minerva chortled excitedly as Ixias Majicka stumbled into her apartment, windblown, frosty and frazzled. She slammed the door behind her as the tiny kitten ran up to her legs and pounced playfully on her shoes. The poor little dear had been left all to herself for most of the afternoon, and the sight of her master meant only two things to her - food and fun. Ixias dropped her bags carelessly onto the sofa and bent down to scoop the little ball of fuzz into her arms. Minerva was more than willing.
"How have you been my little baby? I missed you," she said in a lovey- dovey voice as she planted a big kiss on Minerva's petite forehead. The kitten purred happily and strove to free herself from her master's hands - it was time to eat, and lovin' could come later.
She bounded from her hands and raced into the kitchen, where she promptly plopped her tush down, started directly at her owner and chortled.
"Purrowl!" She bitched anxiously. Ixias rolled her eyes.
"All you care about is eating you little fatass," she grunted at the kitten. "You haven't seen me in hours, and all you can donate is 10 seconds of your time before it's my duty to stuff your face? You pig." Ixias defeatedly walked into the kitchen and found a can of kitten food, emptying the smelly contents into her kitten's plastic bowl and placing it on the floor to the ebullient delight of Minerva.
As Minerva chowed down, Ixias opened the refrigerator and found the leftovers of Monday's trip to The Green Garden - fettuccini alfredo. She popped the plate into the microwave and grabbed the plastic bag from the living room. She poured herself a glass of V8 Splash and sat down to enjoy her book over a meal of leftovers. The microwave dinged and she fetched the plate. Minerva sat fixedly on the floor, trying to peer over the edge of the table, all the while licking her lips.
"I don't think so," Ixias growled, setting her food down. "You gorged yourself already, now beat it." The kitten took no notice of Ixias' warning, so she fixed the perfect innocent look on her face, widened her eyes, and purred softly. Ixias was wise to her ways and ignored the kitten. She eventually wandered off to find a place for a post-meal bathe, which usually ended up being Ixias' favorite recliner.
Ixias ate while reading a book she had picked up at her beloved bookstore, The Rabbit Hole, on Avenue of the Americas. The shop owner, Max Bruckheim, had been friends with Ixias since the day she first ventured inside, 3 years ago that Christmas. She had been looking for some new and interesting fiction to light up her life, as well as some gifts to give to her co-workers, where Max readily suggested Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Ever since Max helped her find her new favorite author, she had been returning almost weekly to pick up new books.
The book she held tight in her hands was written by someone with the odd penname of Rave Jersey. He had written several published articles on the philosophy of what is real and what is only considered to be real by the human mind, but this was his first actual book. The books title was One Pill, Two Pill, Red Pill, Blue Pill, and had caught Ixias' eye only when Max whispered to her the words that fluttered in her stomach and pulsed in her blood - "Are you ready for what you want to know?"
"Frig," she muttered angrily as she brushed the snow off and placed the hat back on her head. Now all she had to do was hold herself together until she made it back to her loft. She tucked the bag under her arm and slung her purse over the shoulder, marching head first into the fierce February winds on her way back home.
Minerva chortled excitedly as Ixias Majicka stumbled into her apartment, windblown, frosty and frazzled. She slammed the door behind her as the tiny kitten ran up to her legs and pounced playfully on her shoes. The poor little dear had been left all to herself for most of the afternoon, and the sight of her master meant only two things to her - food and fun. Ixias dropped her bags carelessly onto the sofa and bent down to scoop the little ball of fuzz into her arms. Minerva was more than willing.
"How have you been my little baby? I missed you," she said in a lovey- dovey voice as she planted a big kiss on Minerva's petite forehead. The kitten purred happily and strove to free herself from her master's hands - it was time to eat, and lovin' could come later.
She bounded from her hands and raced into the kitchen, where she promptly plopped her tush down, started directly at her owner and chortled.
"Purrowl!" She bitched anxiously. Ixias rolled her eyes.
"All you care about is eating you little fatass," she grunted at the kitten. "You haven't seen me in hours, and all you can donate is 10 seconds of your time before it's my duty to stuff your face? You pig." Ixias defeatedly walked into the kitchen and found a can of kitten food, emptying the smelly contents into her kitten's plastic bowl and placing it on the floor to the ebullient delight of Minerva.
As Minerva chowed down, Ixias opened the refrigerator and found the leftovers of Monday's trip to The Green Garden - fettuccini alfredo. She popped the plate into the microwave and grabbed the plastic bag from the living room. She poured herself a glass of V8 Splash and sat down to enjoy her book over a meal of leftovers. The microwave dinged and she fetched the plate. Minerva sat fixedly on the floor, trying to peer over the edge of the table, all the while licking her lips.
"I don't think so," Ixias growled, setting her food down. "You gorged yourself already, now beat it." The kitten took no notice of Ixias' warning, so she fixed the perfect innocent look on her face, widened her eyes, and purred softly. Ixias was wise to her ways and ignored the kitten. She eventually wandered off to find a place for a post-meal bathe, which usually ended up being Ixias' favorite recliner.
Ixias ate while reading a book she had picked up at her beloved bookstore, The Rabbit Hole, on Avenue of the Americas. The shop owner, Max Bruckheim, had been friends with Ixias since the day she first ventured inside, 3 years ago that Christmas. She had been looking for some new and interesting fiction to light up her life, as well as some gifts to give to her co-workers, where Max readily suggested Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. Ever since Max helped her find her new favorite author, she had been returning almost weekly to pick up new books.
The book she held tight in her hands was written by someone with the odd penname of Rave Jersey. He had written several published articles on the philosophy of what is real and what is only considered to be real by the human mind, but this was his first actual book. The books title was One Pill, Two Pill, Red Pill, Blue Pill, and had caught Ixias' eye only when Max whispered to her the words that fluttered in her stomach and pulsed in her blood - "Are you ready for what you want to know?"