Maggie
Cam fed the kittens for three days and their eyes began to open. They were more interested in sleeping than they were in food. Cam was feeling better and he decided to test his leg. He dressed in running shorts, shirt, hat, and sun glasses, put a 38 in a fanny pack and stepped outside. He walked down the trail into the canyon and still felt a tightness in his leg. It was a sunny day, but cool. He continued down the canyon, the trail ending on Willard st. He continued down on the steep hill and saw Keisar Stadium and its running track.
Cam walked on the track and his leg was grateful for the level ground. He walked around the track once, stopped and stretched, massaging the still hard lumps in his leg. Then he slowly jogged around the track. After the third loop, he took off his fanny pack and put it on a bench. He picked up the pace, running, jogging, then walking, then repeating the cycle. After the fourth mile, he decided he still had to get back up the hill and started to run back up the hill. He decided to follow the road and ran up through the road joining Parnassus to Claredon at the top of the twin peaks.
He walked along the road and looked down into the canyon. He walked further up the road and came up to an older woman staring into the canyon.
“Looking for someone,” Cameron said.
The woman turned and saw Cameron for the first time.
“I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m totally oblivious.”
“I’m that way myself sometimes.”
“Do you ever go into the canyon?” she asked.
Cameron looked at her and decided how to answer.
“Yes,” he said.
The woman rubbed her eyes.
“Are you alright?” Cam asked. Her shoes, knees, and hands were covered with dirt.
“I know It’s stupid with all that has happened these past few days, but I feed ferals.”
Cam shrugged.
“Cats,” she said, “I’m Maggie by the way.”
Cam smiled and shook her hand.
“The night of that terrible attack, when the police station was destroyed and all those people were killed, I’m crying my eyes out for a cat that wouldn’t let me get close to her, wouldn’t let me trap her, but she was killed that night, got into a fight with a dog and was hit by a car. But she had her babies and I can’t find them. It’s too late now, they couldn’t survive this long, but I just keep hoping.”
“Wow.” Cam said, “It’s not easy living in a natural universe.”
“What do you mean?” Maggie said.
“I think I have your kittens,” Cam said, “there’s six of them.”
“Are you serious?” Maggie said, “That’s a miracle.”
“No,” Cam said, “it’s a coincidence.”
“How did you find them?”
“I didn’t,” Cam said, “a raccoon did. I think he was friends with the mom cat. He was pretty banged up, probably in the same fight.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You are welcome to come take them. I was thinking about using them for bait, but they are a little small.”
Maggie gently swatted Cam’s arm.
“You were not,” Maggie said.
“Actually, I was,” Cam said, “but my conscience got the better of me.”
“Men are terrible,” she said, “what are you trying to catch.”
“Dragons,” Cam said, “the tiny ones, of course. I live at the top here.”
“You are a student?”
“Always learning, I guess.”
They reached the top of the hill walked along the flat.
“Anyway,” Cam said, “That’s my house.”
Maggie stopped and her mouth dropped open.
“You live there?”
“Someone has to.”
Maggie looked at Cam and said nothing.
Cam opened the door with a key and turned to Maggie.
“You thought I was going to crawl through the window to get in, didn’t you?”
“When you said you lived up top, I assumed you lived in the student apartments.”
“Is that what those are?” Cam said, “I thought those were the servant quarters.”
“You don’t get out much do you?”
“Never.”
Cam stepped inside.
“Kittens!” Maggie shouted and ran past Cam to the kittens. They were now in a container, toweled, and clean.
“Can I?”
“Examine them,” Cam said, “go for it.”
Maggie picked up a kitten in each hand.
“You’re bottle feeding them?”
“How did you know to do this? They look great. My god.”
“I looked it up on the internet. There’s a lot more on it now than… It’s better.”
“You must be some internet gazzionaire to live in a place like this. Is that why you have the gun on the table?”
“No,” Cam said, “I was getting ready to clean it.”
Maggie looked away from the gun and looked Cam in the eyes.
“My god,” she said, “you have the most beautiful violet eyes.”
Cam sharply inhaled. He had removed his sunglasses tossed them aside without thinking.
“I’m sorry,” Maggie said, “You must get that all the time. Are they real? I mean are they contacts?”
Cam exhaled and smiled, “Only my hairdresser knows for sure.”
“Men,” Maggie said, laughing, “so what do you do, besides feeding defenseless kittens to dragons?”
“Well,” Cam said, “These days I own a restaurant and I’m a private detective. That’s why I get to carry a gun, even when I’m jogging.“
“So that’s the kind of dragon, you hunt? Well, when you catch Anthony Hopkins send him to me. I think he’s dreamy. You are big and a bit bruised around the edges now that I look at you.”
Cam nodded.
“I have a decision to make,” he said solemnly.
“Whether or not to feed me to the dragons,” Maggie said, “I’m bigger than the kittens, but not as cute.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Cam said, “can you take the kittens, you’re practically their aunt.”
“Either take the kittens, or into the dragon pit,” Maggie said, “You drive a hard bargain.”
“Yeah,” Cam said, “That’s about the size of it.”
“There are a couple of moms in foster who will take these on.”
Cam helped Maggie load the kittens and their supplies into the taxi.
The mailman drove up and handed him his mail, which included his contact lenses and his business cards.
“Are those what, I think they are, Violet eyes?” Maggie asked, “I know your eyes are real, but I don’t understand why you cover them up like that.”
“The light hurts,” Cam said.
“Anyway, I was asking about those, that’s a business card box.”
Cam nodded and opened the boxes.
“You want the detective or the restaurant?”
“Both,” Maggie said.
Cam handed one each to her.
