Disclaimer: Garfield and all related characters are the intellectual property of Paws Inc. and Paramount Global/Nickelodeon at the time this story was written.
Chapter 4: Nermal
*SNIFF*
A tear falls onto the broken photograph, a paw letting go of it to wipe the rest of them from Odie's eyes. Staring at the photo, his eyes focused solely on Lyman, his part of the picture damaged the most from the cracks…
…and the fallen tear.
"Odie." Garfield said, his eyes also covered in tears, having just learned the tragic beginnings of his best friend.
Arlene, on the other hand, couldn't hold in her tears like Garfield did, for she drops to her knees, sobbing.
Nermal felt the same as her, for the sheer cruelty of the dog's earliest years was enough for him to also cry out the tears from his face.
Garfield places a comforting paw on Odie's shoulder, ensuring the dog that he's there for him.
"He was a good man, Odie." Garfield said softly.
*MMM HMM* The dog slowly nods his head in agreement, letting the remaining tears fall to the carpet before placing the photo back on the small table next to the living room couch, despite its current condition.
"We all love you, Odie." Arlene assures him, gently hugging him. "And we'll always have each other."
Odie, touched by her kind words, hugs her back.
"Yeah, we got your backs, Odie." Nermal said with confidence. "That you can count on."
"Just as long as you don't piss on the carpet, you're good enough for me." Garfield smiles.
*AWWWWW* More tears start to fall from the dog's eyes, but they weren't melancholic ones…
…instead…
…they were joyful tears!
Odie lets go of the hug, his face now with his trademark big smile once more…
…knowing that he has three truly great friends…
…great friends that'll look out for one another…
…no matter the cost.
*GRUMBLE*
A loud growl echoes across the entire house, for it indicates that one of them is now hungry. Three guesses as to who's stomach it is. If you guessed Arlene, then you should brush up on your knowledge of Garfield and his stories as a whole.
"Huh, time for my post-dessert, post-bedtime snack." Garfield said, rubbing his big, round stomach. "And at the moment, I'm craving pie."
"*SIGH* I'll go get it." Nermal proceeds to excuse himself to the kitchen, already guessing that the orange cat will force him to go get it for him.
"Oh no, ya don't!" Garfield angrily said, standing right in front of him. "You're not eating anything else around here after you ate all my cookies! Aside from the raisins…you can have those."
"Not if I get to it first!" The kitten runs past him, challenging the elder male cat to a race as the kitchen door swings wildly back and forth.
"Why, I oughta-" Garfield runs to the kitchen as Odie and Arlene can't help themselves but laugh at their humorous rivalry for pie.
"You go ahead and sit down, buddy." Arlene insists. "I'll get the broom."
Odie makes himself comfortable on the sofa, glancing at the screen as the announcer of the award's show is about to unveil the last winner of the night.
Garfield snatches Nermal's tail right as he climbs up the bottom cabinets and pulls him back down.
"You keep your filthy paws off my pumpkin pie!" Garfield shouts, reaching the top of the counter.
"Technically, it's Jon's pie!" The kitten points out, following him up the counter. "He's the one who bought it!"
"Yeah, he bought it for me!" Garfield said, grabbing the box that contains the pie. "That's how it usually goes!"
"Seriously, Garfield, do you ever think or even care about anything besides food!?" Nermal asks, snatching the pie right from under his nose.
"Yeah." Garfield replies, snatching the box back. "I care for Pooky."
"Let me guess, because he doesn't eat any of your food?"
"It's certainly one of my top ten reasons." The orange cat replies. "He knows how it goes around here."
"That's the problem with you, Garfield! You don't like being around anyone who'll chew you out 'cause you don't want to be held accountable for anything!" The kitten points out, grabbing hold of the box.
"Like I'd let anyone chew on my tail!?"
"You know exactly what I meant!" Nermal angrily shouts.
"Geez, when did you get all philosophical, all of a sudden!?" Garfield asks, pulling the box closer to him.
"Phili…soc…what now?" The kitten asks, confused.
"I stand corrected." The orange cat bluntly said to the reader. "Now, let go of my pie!"
"No! It's time you learned to share!" Nermal shouts, pulling on the box even harder.
"Let go, you little brat!" Garfield grinds his teeth, pulling on it as hard as he can.
"NEVER!"
Drawing out their claws, the two felines cling onto the box as tightly as possible, struggling to claim the delicious pie as their own…
*RIIIIIIIIP*
…all while their sharpies begin ripping it open.
"You are so stubborn, Garfield!" Nermal argues.
"Me!? You're the stubborn one, you little brat!" Garfield argues back. "Always going on and on about how cute you are, and making sure everyone in the whole freakin' world knows about it!"
"How else am I supposed to win their approval!?" The kitten angrily asks him. "Being cute is all I have!"
"Yeah, no doubt that's why your mother abandoned you!"
*GASP*
Nermal no longer struggles to take the pie, for the words Garfield just heartlessly blurted out continuously echo in a seemingly endless loop.
"Nermal?" Garfield asks, the traumatized look on the kitten's face causing him to, for the very first time, be genuinely concerned for him. "Are…Are you alright?"
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes this year's awards!" The announcer exclaims, the audience's cheers drowning out the TV speakers. "Thank you all so much for coming! And remember my feline friends, to keep coughing up the hairballs and kick puppies off the furniture!"
*GRRRRRRRRR* Odie growls at the screen, remembering all the times Garfield would knock him off the table just for his own sadistic pleasure.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A loud scream echoes across the entire neighborhood, a common occurrence as of late, startling the hell out of both the beagle and his female friend.
Nermal collapses to the ground and begins sobbing…
…his hands gripping his head…
…for that memory…
…that painful memory…
Abandoned You
…instantly coming back to him like a brick falling on his head…
…was something he hoped would never cross his mind ever again.
Abandoned You
The pain…
…the tears proving too much…
Abandoned You
…for someone so young…
…someone so innocent…
Abandoned You
…to properly handle…
…and properly cope with.
Abandoned You
Odie and Arlene run into the kitchen and find the gray kitten sobbing uncontrollably, and the orange cat looking at him sympathetically…
…something the two thought they'd never see from him.
"Okay, okay! You can have the pie, Nermal!" Garfield said, placing the torn-up box down right next to him.
"Garfield, what happened!?" Arlene asks.
"*SIGH* I said something that I shouldn't have." Garfield admits, the kitten's tears dripping from the counter to the ground underneath them.
"Well, what did you say to him!?" She then sternly asks, climbing up to the counter and comforting the sobbing feline.
"*SIGH* Well, I said that his cuteness is why his mother abandoned him."
"Garfield!"
"No." Nermal said, wiping the tears from his eyes.
*HUH?* Odie climbs up to the counter, confused.
"*SNIFF* It's not him. He didn't know."
"Didn't know what?" Garfield asks.
"*SIGH* That you were telling the truth." The kitten confesses.
September 3rd, 2016
The autumn's high winds push the vast white snow all across a particular farmland built miles away from the city of Muncie, Indiana, creating a snowstorm blanketing the entire area with its tiny, frozen crystals. A very rare occurrence in September, much to the surprise of the family inside the comfort of their farmhouse. Whilst drinking their hot cocas and sharing memories by the fireplace, underneath the shack next to said house, a female cat is just finishing giving birth to the latest kitten of her litter.
"Merooooooooooow!" The mother roars, just barely starting to catch her breath after getting her newest son out of her own stomach. Upon laying eyes on him for the first time, she realizes just how…different…he was from the rest of the litter…
…for he didn't have her or any of his siblings' defects…
…in fact…
…he was…
…perfect…
…perfectly cute.
Not wanting to give it any special attention and make his slightly older siblings resent him out of jealousy, the mother simply shoves his face close to her nipple and has him drink her milk along with the rest of them. Shivering, she hopes that the storm will end very soon…
…for her children could freeze to death if it doesn't, as this is the only safe shelter she could find to nurse her babies without the owners finding them…
…for she was a stray…
…intruding on their property, and humans can't be trusted.
Speaking of which, her ears pick up the sounds of a door creaking…
…and footsteps…
…for a human approaches the shack.
"*SIGH* Can't believe mom and dad are making me do this. Gotta be a man one of these days, they said." The human grumbles, entering the shed right above the cats, a steady brick being the only thing preventing them all from being crushed. "Where's the damn key!?"
*CLANG*
*BANG*
The kittens were startled by the sudden banging of metallic objects being tossed across the shack…
*MEOW*
…one of them in particular crying very loudly by the near ear-splitting noise.
"What was that?" The man heads out of the shack, gazing around to find the source of the noise…
…for only a few seconds before conceding, wanting to get out of the snow as quickly as possible.
"Ahh, whatever." He brushes it off, slamming the door upon reentering the rusted building.
*SMACK*
The mother smacks her youngest son with her paw for nearly blowing their cover and costing them their only home. All his other siblings shooting angry glares at him.
*SIGH* The kitten lowers his head in shame, saddened that he already disappointed his family even only after being born literally ten minutes ago.
*CREEEEAK*
The door opens again, the man stepping out of the shack with the item he was looking for…
…the key to the family's RTV snowblower.
The mother cat, still tired after feeding all her kittens, has barely enough energy to tuck them all deeper underneath the shack to lessen the risks of any of them being discovered by the human as he walks over to the vehicle and turns on the ignition, ready to remove all the snow from the area as instructed.
*VROOOOOM*
"MEEEEEEEOW!" The insanely loud noise of the vehicle is too much for the youngest kitten's ears to handle, for he runs out from under the shack, the calls from his mother blocked out from the sheer volume of the snow being pushed out of the field.
"What the-" The man spots the newborn kitten running across the farmland to get away from the noise, alerting him that they're feline trespassers in the area.
"Get out of here! SCRAM!" The human shouts, gesturing with his hand for the kitten to get out of the farm.
The mother cat, knowing that her family's hiding place has now been compromised, all thanks to her youngest son, quickly scoops up all seven of her other kittens and places them all in an empty, crumpled trash bag that had been blown underneath the shack by the wind not too long ago. Ripping a hole for them all to breathe, the bag is picked up by the mom as she crawls out from under the shack and runs out of the farm through the trees behind the buildings.
The kitten hides near the windmill until the snowblower was turned off after completing its task of removing the blanket of snow from the farm. Looking back and forth for any sign of the kitten, the man figures that he's already been driven off as he returns to the house. The kitten waited until the man went inside before heading back to the shack, the area now much easier for him to traverse without all the snow blocking his path.
However, upon crawling under the shack, he notices that his mother is no longer there…
…in fact…
…none of them were there.
*MEOW MEOW* He desperately cries out for his family…
…but he remains the only one making any noise…
Searching the entire farmland for any sign of them, the reality of the situation soon hits him much harder than when his mother smacked him…
…for they had left…
…and they had abandoned him.
Crawling out from under the building, he lets out one last desperate cry for help…
*MEEEEEEEOOOOOOOW*
…but it was for naught.
Walking back to the field, the kitten lays down on the ground and sobs…
…wanting nothing more but for his mother to come back.
*SCREEEEECH*
Just then, a car pulls up right in front of him, the woman driving it spotting the lonely kitten as soon as she reaches the driveway. Stepping out of the vehicle, the woman can't help but stare at him…
…for he was the cutest little thing she ever saw.
"Aww, you poor little thing." The woman picks up the feline, gently brushing off the snow covering his fur. "Where's your mother?"
She gazes around the area for any sign of the kitten's maternal parent, or any other cat for that matter…
…but quickly realizes that he's the only cat in the area, and since he looks like he was just born…
…he was just abandoned by her…
…an abnormal sighting for her to witness…
…but also a reminder of the sad, cold truth of reality.
However, while his past remains cold…
…there's still a chance for his future to be warmer…
…for she knew there's only one thing for her to do.
Taking the kitten inside the farmhouse, she rests herself on the armchair as she comforts him.
"Welcome to the family…my little Nermal." Anna calls him, a fitting name, for an adorable baby like him…
…for in her eyes…
…he's the cutest kitty cat in the whole, wide world.
The three elder pets were at a loss of words upon hearing the kitten's tragic story. Odie, Arlene, and even Garfield were heartbroken that the little one's own mother would just abandon him like that.
"Nermal." Garfield said. "I didn't know."
"It's alright, Garfield." The kitten reassures him, for the sooner the discussion ends, the sooner he can get the traumatic memory out of his head. "At least I have a much better home now at the farm…and much better parents."
"Yeah." Arlene said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Come to think of it, we've all had screwed up backgrounds."
"Indeed." The orange cat agrees.
*MMM HMMM* The dog also agrees.
"But…" She continues. "That's just what it is now, the past. It's what made all of us who we are, sure, but we shouldn't define ourselves solely around them. We all have great lives now, and as long as we all got each other's backs, including Jon's, then we'll always have a brighter future to look forward to."
"Well said, Arlene. Well said." Garfield applauds.
*AWWWWW* Odie pulls the three cats closer to him and wraps them all in a nice, tender hug, content that while their own families are no longer there for them…
…they'll always be there for each other.
"*YAWN* It's getting really late, guys." Garfield said, the microwave's clock glowing the numbers 12:00 AM on it. "So I'm going to bed."
"Me too." Arlene said, climbing down the counter. "Good night, boys."
"Good night, Arlene!" Nermal waves goodbye as the pink cat exits through the kitchen door. "Wait, Garfield, don't you want your pie?" He asks.
"You can have it." Garfield replies before leaving the kitchen, willing to let it slide just this one time, already having a long night as it is.
"Sweet!" The kitten exclaims, licking his mouth as he prepares to dig in.
*ARF* Odie barks, joining the kitten as they gorge on the baked dish.
Jon returns home after a long, tiring night hanging out with Liz. Tired as all hell, the cartoonist trudges across the hallway, ready to hit the sack…
*CRACK*
…and steps on a broken piece of glass on the floor. Looking down, he finds the broken photograph lying there on the carpet right next to several shards of broken glass.
"*SIGH* Great." Jon grumbles, not even wanting to know how it broke to begin with, for he just wants to go to bed as soon as possible. Picking up the broken frame, his face turns from a frown to a small beam upon seeing the old picture of himself, Odie, Garfield, and especially his late best friend, Lyman, all smiling in front of the camera.
"Rest well, old friend."
The End!