Armchair Wars Part 2

Once upon a time, there was a boy who studied very hard. He sat in his favorite green recliner, surrounded by books, and spent hours upon hours reading and preparing to become a helicopter pilot.



He loved this recliner SO much. He would nap in it. He would listen to the radio in it. He would watch movies in it. He even took pictures from it, when he thought no one was looking (but they were).



He was so attached to the recliner. He read in it, not only his study material, but his regular books as well. He listened to music in it. He even ate his meals (from time to time) in it. The green recliner and the boy were the best of friends, and spent a lot of time together.



But there was someone else who loved the recliner...



Someone who didn't have a sense of humor. And who didn't like to share.



One Sunday, the boy was studying very hard for his helicopter flight the next day. He had brewed himself a pot of coffee, ate his breakfast (in the green recliner), and studied very hard all morning. Finally, he got up from the green recliner. He needed to stretch his limbs, to use the bathroom, to take a break.

But he was being watched. There was another being in the room, intent on claiming the recliner as her own. She waited and waited. And then waited some more. She was patient, and she was determined to get her recliner.

She watched him leave the room, ears perked in case of an early return. When she heard the boy in the bathroom, she sprung into action. Quick as a flash, she jumped onto the recliner, claiming it as her own.

She spread herself out as wide as she could, pretending to be asleep.



The boy returned, only to find a big cat in his chair. Shaking his head, he removed the fearsome creature from the green recliner, and reclaimed his spot. The cat was forced to lay on the ground.



She was mad, but undeterred. She had seen the boy drink a lot of coffee, and knew that it would only be a matter of time before he got up again.

And sure enough, as soon as he got up from the recliner, she waited for the familiar "click" of the bathroom door, and hopped on. She had been explicitly told, "don't even think about it!" by the boy. But she didn't care. And besides, she needed to clean herself.



And the chair helped her to stay upright. It's a tricky process, cleaning oneself. The green chair was paramount to her success. She could sink her sharp claws into the green fabric, and hold herself upright. The chair was instrumental in this job.

The boy soon returned, only to find the cat had taken his chair. The boy looked at the cat. And the cat looked at the boy.



In the past, they had tried to share the green recliner.



But that didn't turn out so well.



This time around, the boy really needed the chair. The chair helped him study. He pretended to fly the helicopter from the chair. "Chair Flying," he called it. The chair gave him strength. The energy from the chair helped him retain memory from the thousands upon thousands of flash cards that he had to memorize.

So, ever so carefully (because he knew the cat had sharp teeth and ready claws), the boy took back the chair.



The cat returned to the ground, and lay down. She got as comfortable as she could, while the boy looked on. They both knew he had won the battle, but the war for the green recliner still raged on.



It would simply be a matter of timing. The cat was patient; she knew the boy would not always be home, be in need of the chair.

So she waited and waited, and waited a little more. When the boy was done studying, he bid her, "good night." Exhausted, they boy fell into his bed and was soon asleep.

And the cat, feeling that victory was finally upon her, jumped up into the recliner, curled up into a little ball, and was soon slumbering blissfully away.



In her very own, ugly green recliner.

The End.