Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

I've been in the woods with my friends playin'

Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?

I chased the Unicorn up to her lair.

Lola had been thinking a lot. The situation was a strange one. First, she thought her holidays at Grandma and Grandpa's house would be boring. After all, how many ten years old kids want to spend a month long school break with old folks?

Second, Grandma had been annoying them with fairy tale-like stories. Who wanted to hear their Grandma telling silly tales of their youth. Even more so if those stories seemed all made up. Who could really believe Unicorn existed?

Finally, Cookie was talking. There was a talking dog, and this, to Lola's mind, was the most difficult to reconcile.

The walk in the woods had been fun, that morning. At least, Pete had had fun with Cookie, running around and listening to the dog's many stories about his friends. They even had meet some of them, though they did not had the occasion to talk with them.

Lola was still thinking, sometimes, that this was just all a dream.

As soon as they had been back in the garden after the walk, all that Cookie had been able to say was "Woof, woof!"

There had been no sign of a talking dog any more, the girl thought. What was real and was not, she had difficulties to sort through it. The thing that bothered Lola the more, however, was the ease her brother was taking in the situation. Shall she behave the same and take everything in stride, she wondered? Perhaps it would help to go through the remaining couple of week of their break.

"Lola?" Pete called his sister, We better go fast, Grandma will scold us if we don't set the table in time for lunch."

The old lady never really reprimanded the children, but the boy was always afraid to disappoint.

They were just coming back from walking the dog in the woods. Or, as Pete put it more recently, only when they talked together, they were back from visiting with their good friend and having fun talking nonsense.

Cookie, tired from the morning exercise, had made a beeline to his bed beside the kitchen door. The dog not talking, barking only, was still a bit frustrating for Pete, but the boy took all with a smile.

"Just in time to set the table," Grandma told them as they entered the kitchen. "I hope you had a good morning playing outside in the woods."

The children hastened to place the utensils, plates and silverware on the table. The house smelled like French fries and roasted chicken, Pete remarked to Lola. All thoughts of talking animals and complicated matters like possible impossibilities left them as the promise of a delectable lunch made its way to their nose.

~~

"Grandpa," Lola asked, "have you ever had a dog?"

"I think I did," the old man answered thinking back of time passed. "I had one when I was a kid your age, I remember." He added.

"Did you know that Grandpa and I were childhood friends?" Grandma said with a smile. "I remember the dog you had," she added in Grandpa's direction, "he looked a bit like Cookie."

"Oh," the old man continued, "you are right! But there was another one also, I think. A black one... They were the best of friends. I wonder what happened to them. It almost seems like Cookie has always been with me..." 

Grandma and Grandpa continued talking about their childhood memories. Lola and Pete listened, amazed at the image the two older people were painting to them. They could barely imagine their grandparents as the bratty kids they said they were.

After the lunch, the twins went to their bedroom to rest. They had woken up early that morning, and Lola had not had slept much, thinking about Cookie and whether he really had spoken to them.

The morning walk had proven to them that the dog really talked. They even had proof of it. Lola had recorded a short video with Cookie and Pete saying silly rhymes. It had been funny to listen to them.

"Pete?" His sister asked, "do you think we could put the video on Internet?"

"I don't know, Lola," the boy thought about the question. "Mom doesn't want us to post things online without asking for authorisation first. She said she doesn't want us to be visible. Perhaps if we take a video of Cookie only?"

The twins continued weighing the pros and cons of posting a video of a talking dog. After a long discussion, they concluded that people would call it fake, and it would be no good for them.

~~

Pete and Lola spent the rest of the day in the garden. She was reading her book and he went back to drawing. This afternoon Cookie did not want to play. The dog did not even give a sign of wanting to go back into the woods.

Lola had issue concentrating on her reading, however. The quiet activity was a huge difference from the excitation of the recent discoveries. She was simply missing the buzz that came with the adventure. The dog had brought laughter and warmth into her boring holidays.

"Do you want to come in for tea?" Grandma called the twins.

The children did not wait for the invitation to be repeated. They left their position in the garden and entered the living room.

Lola sat on the couch as Pete looked at the coffee table laden with muffins, cupcakes and many other sweets.

Grandma asked them what they wanted to drink and went to get some glasses in the kitchen. The boy, seizing the opportunity, spirited away some a piece of apple pie.

"Grandma, how old were you when you saw the Unicorn the first time?" Lola asked.

The older woman, startled by the question, sat for a moment, without talking.

"I thought you did not believe in my stories," she told the girl with a smile.

"Let's pretend I believe you," Lola added. "How old were you?"

Grandma was more than happy to answer her questions. With her brother, they found many to ask.

"I was around your age." Grandma explained, "I was on holidays and alone that summer. My parents had decided to rent a house for the period. In fact, I stayed in the house just behind the hill," she remembered with nostalgia.

"This is the year I met your Grandpa for the first time. He used to live in this house, you know," she told them. "I had nothing to do with my days. There was no TV or smartphone at that time. So, I decided to explore the woods."

"This is where I met Grandpa, in fact. I was looking for berries and I heard a dog barking. I was so frightened, I tried to climb a tree. It is such a good memory..." Grandma continued. She recalled that time when a dog ran to her and jumped. He slobbered all over her and she felt more disgusted than frightened at the end. A boy was following the dog. He was laughing so much at her predicament that he fall on the ground.

Grandma was smiling remembering those memories. She did not react when a big cat climbed her knees and she started to pet her.

"Grandma?" Pete asked in a low voice, "who is this cat?"

The older woman realised then the situation and chuckled. "Oh, this is Kitty! She is a stray but likes to think the house is hers," she explained.

The cat, big for one of her species, looked at home on top of Grandma's lap.

"I think she lives in the woods," she added. "Perhaps you could play with her some time..."

"Perhaps she will want to play with Cookie," Peter proposed.

Kitty threw a dismissal look at the boy. She did not thought much about the idea of playing with a dog. Comfortably installed with Grandma petting her, she closed her eyes and started to purr.

"... the unicorn."

Lola was mesmerised by the cat and her soft noise of contentment. The girl had to concentrate to follow Grandma's story.

"You really got lost in the forest?" She asked.

"And you had to spend the night out there?" Pete added with envy. Grandma's adventure rang a special chord in the boy's heart. He would love to spend a night in the forest, even if he had to admit he probably would be so frightened he would end up frozen from fear with every single noise.

"Yes," Grandma confirmed, "I got lost at some point and had to find a place to rest for some time. There was a lovely opening between the trees, a small pond and soft moss for me to sleep comfortably. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard something that startled me," she continued.

"Now that I think of it, I don't really remembered what had me so spooked," Grandma thought about this memory. "The thing I remember, however, is this pretty horse with a gleaming horn on its head. I didn't believe it at first, but it was easier with time. After that night, I went to visit her many other time... It was really a fun holidays." She concluded.

"What is strange is that, the next year, I did not find her. I had no other occasion to come in this area for many years after that, and I almost forgot about my unicorn friend... Until your mom..." Grandma was lost in her memories, not telling her tale anymore.

~~

After teatime, Pete and Lola decided to spend time with Cookie. They had many questions they wanted to ask the dog. Questions about possible impossibilities, questions about unicorns.

The dog was waiting for them, sitting near the kitchen door. As if he knew their intention, he walked toward the children and moved his head in direction of the woods. Would they want to go for a short walk, he seemed to ask them.

Without a word, the trio took the direction of the small gate at the back of the garden and entered the forest.

"Did something happened?" Cookie asked.

"I was wondering," Lola started, "what do you know about magical beasts?"

"What is there to know about?" The dog asked. "There are beasts everywhere, be them magical or not."

"What about unicorn?" Lola added. "Do you know if a unicorn lives in those woods?"

"Maybe," Cookie answered. "But what would you want to do with a unicorn. It's a big beast, like a horse, and almost as dumb as one," he said with derision.

"What about..." Lola continued but was interrupted by a growl.

Cookie had stopped listening to her questions and assumed a defensive pose. He was the one growling at a presence in the shadows.

"Look what we have here," a new voice rose from the trees.

Emerging from the darkness, Kitty slowly approached the three friends. "Are you really listening to what this fleabag is saying? What does he know about the woods? He lives in a house," the cat mocked the dog with obvious distaste.

Hearing these words, Cookie dashed toward the cat, intent on shutting her up. Kitty did not stay long enough for him to get a bite and started running, followed by angry barking.

A few minutes later, the two run-away came back, breathless.

"Do you know each-other?" Pete asked the cat and the dog who wore a sheepish look. 

"I would not say we are friends," Kitty answered, "but I know this guy, indeed. He likes to think he can chase me all around the place. Usually I accommodate him but today I just had a big bowl of milk and don't feel like running."

"Do you know the woods and all its creatures?" Lola questioned the feline.

"I probably know most of them, indeed. Are you looking for someone in particular?" The cat asked with a grin.

"Do you know..." The girl started to ask Kitty about the unicorn.

"Look, little girl, I have no time today," she dismissed Lola, "how about we meet tomorrow morning? Just come and meet me at the well. You can ask me all the questions you want then..."

Without another word, Kitty turned her back to the girl and walked away.

"Where is this well?" Lola shouted?

"Look at a map," the cat answered, and disappeared.

"Cookie?" The girl's frustration was evident after Kitty's abrupt exit, "do you know the place?"

Before the dog could answer, Pete cleared his throat. "What about Grandpa's map?"