Disclaimer: I do not own the storyline for the book The Cay or the characters.

Summary: Through the eyes of StewCat, the cook's cat. See what he thought and what was happening with him while you were only going from Phillip's POV. Not too many spoilers for those who haven't finished the book yet.

Okay guys, this story I wrote for school, and i got an A on it. So it should be good. Please R&R!

Through the Eyes of the Cat

I wonder what kind of fish that is. It reminds me of the restaurant I had been in with Cook. That was before I had gone on the freighter that Cook had called the "S.S. Hato", the ship that had met its doom on April 6, 1942. How had I gotten on that unlucky boat-ride?

I remember now! I had been roaming around the restaurant while Cook was talking to the man that smelled like salt. I had been begging a woman for some of the salmon she had on the plate in front of her, when the man came back from talking with Cook. Now, I didn't like the salty man to begin with, but I disliked him even more when he distracted me, and the woman kicked me! I didn't even bother to hiss at her. Instead, I ran to Cook, who had put some "fish extras" in my bowl.

"Stew Cat? What should I do? I'm being offered plenty of money to go on a ship to cook, but what about you? I don't have enough money to take you," Cook had said to me while I was eating. I remember that I had looked at him seeing if he had any more food. I don't think he got the point because he just said, "don't worry, everything will be alright," and he walked away.

The next day we were out on the docks loading a freighter with strange markings on the side. Cook seemed a lot brighter today. He was laughing and joking with himself. There was a boy that was with a man and a woman. The boy was about the size of the lady. But, the man was taller than all of them. Even taller than Cook. I guess the man was not leaving with them because he just hugged the woman and the boy, and the boy and woman went onto the freighter. A couple of other families were going on the freighter too. But none of them do I remember, except the boy, the woman, and the tall man.

Just then I was lifted off the ground and put in a box. Yes, a box. I waited in there for awhile, and then I got bored. I began calling for Cook. No one came, so I fell asleep. I don't know when I actually closed my eyes, because it was so dark in the box. When I woke, it was to the box being opened. There was Cook. He had come for me at last. He lifted me out of the box, put me on the ground, and then started walking away. I followed him to where there were many other people. All of which were wearing white aprons. Cook looked around, and then grabbed many fish scraps from the table, and put them in my bowl. I ate every last bite, and then licked the bowl clean.

The next day I decided that I was going to check out the boat. I ran out from under the counters in the kitchen and into the dining area. Only two families saw me. One child pointed and laughed as I pulled the tablecloth off the table. And the family of which was eating off that table shrieked, as if they had seen a ghost. I guess I had done something wrong because I heard a woman yell for someone named Timothy, and then I was picked up by a strong man who brought me back to Cook.

Many workers were giving Cook a not-so-nice look for the rest of the day. Actually, Cook gave me a not-so-nice look for the rest of the day. He did not give me as much fish at lunch or at dinner, he did not fluff the pillow in my box and he decided to use the "silent treatment" on me. Meaning that he didn't talk to me in the happy tone he usually did. Really, the only time he talked to me was to call me away from the passengers.

The next day though, he gave me just as much fish as usual, he talked to me in a nice manner and he did indeed fluff the pillow that was in my box. Even though Cook was happy with me again, it didn't mean that everyone else was. The passengers looked at me with a weary eye, and the workers watched me as if I was going to do something horrible. Now, why would they think that?

I was not allowed in the kitchen at all. I was not allowed in the dining area or anywhere that I would get in the way. So, I decided to go into the cabin area. I was walking down the corridor, being careful not to be hit by any unexpected opening doors, when out of the blue; a door ran into my face. From behind the door came the woman and boy that I had seen a couple days ago. They did not seem to have noticed that they had hit me or the fact that I was there. They walked by, apparently talking about the incident in the dining area.

I walked along, after they had closed the door, and went up on the deck. There was a couple standing by the railing looking out at the water where the setting sun was reflected. I looked through the railing. What I saw was mysterious. There were no fish in the water. Nothing. When I mean nothing, I really mean nothing. The couple was talking quietly to each other. The only words I could pick out were, "how odd", "strange" and "what's wrong".

I went further along the deck to where some workers were talking. They seemed to have noticed that there were no fish as well. They said that there must be something wrong if they had fled. I went back to the railings and looked out. There was slight movement in the distance. I squinted my eyes and stretched my neck to get a better look. Yes, there was something out there. I let out a meow, and some workers finally noticed that I was on the deck. One of them came over to see what was wrong with me. After, he seemed to notice that I was staring out into the water. He followed my gaze to where the movement in the water was. He sounded worried as he ran to his fellow workers and whispered something in their ears. They all ran down the stairs to where the captain of the ship was.

I decided that there was no more use for me up on the deck, so I went down the stairs to where the workers were staying. I travelled down the hall to where Cook's room was. I searched along the bottom of the door, but to just disappoint myself. There didn't seem like there was a way to get in. I was about to head to the kitchen when all of a sudden the freighter shook, and there was a loud noise. Many people could be heard screaming from up on the deck. That's where I ran.

When I got there, many people were running around. I could not see the boy and the woman anywhere. I could not see Cook or any of the kitchen workers. There was movement on the stairs and the boy and woman came running down the deck, both wearing orange vests. They seemed scared. In fact, everyone seemed scared. I ran through the people looking for Cook when I was kicked overboard.

I don't know where I landed, but I do remember that I woke up on a raft. I was on a raft with the man named Timothy. The man that had picked me up and given me to Cook when I had pulled off the tablecloth in the dining area. Timothy looked at me and gave me one scrap of fish meat. Across the raft was the boy that had hit me with the door. The boy seemed unconscious, but fine other than that. I looked at Timothy one last time, and then I laid down and slept.

When I woke again, Timothy and the boy were fighting over water. Why would they get so mad over water? There was plenty around the raft. Timothy seemed to have had enough and put the water away. The boy looked slightly angry and he lied down. Thinking of sleep, I didn't even get a good rest. There had been no pillow under me while I slept. I went over to Timothy who petted my head and said something quietly to himself.

The next day passed slowly. Timothy and the boy were usually either talking, fighting or sleeping. We didn't eat very often. Timothy was conserving the food, and that made the boy agitated. I will admit that I was hungry, but I was happy just watching them bicker at each other. Timothy was always telling the boy not to look at the sun, and the boy would want food and water. After awhile the boy stopped becoming angry when deprived of food.

One time he woke up from a nap and was confused. It turned out that he could not see. Timothy was fixed on the fact that the boy would be better soon. They both kept saying that he was "blind". Well anyway, they were starting to get along with each other better. Whether it was because they finally figured that they were going to probably be stuck with each other for a long time, or for another reason, I'm not sure.

Now here I am, sitting on the raft watching fish sail over the water. Occasionally one will land on the raft and Timothy will grab it. After he caught two fish, he skinned them and ate them with the boy. When they were done, Timothy gave me some of the leftover fish. It was a nice tasting fish. Not as good as Cook makes, but I'm hungry.

Speaking of Cook, I wonder what happened to him. Is he on a raft? Is he on a rescue boat? Is he, should I say it, dead? And what of the woman that was on the freighter with the boy? I guess we will only know if we survive this nightmare of a journey and return home.

Well...? What'd you think? Please R&R!