Harbor Cat
The cat on barge 12 does not belong to the barge. The barge does not belong to the cat. Harbor Reach continues to operate around this legal mystery.
A fictional narrative within Callizto Dark Symphony.
The cat was orange in places that had not faded to harbor.
Nessa left fish ends on the crate because her father had done it and because the cat had a look that suggested the quay would be less professional without it.
A dock inspector asked who held the animal licence.
“The cat,” Nessa said.
“That’s not a legal person.”
The cat blinked, which Nessa felt was a filing.
“It doesn’t board tourist boats,” she added. “That’s more than I can say for some licensed persons.”
The inspector wrote feral, contained, no complaint and moved on, which was how Harbor Reach made law.
In the evening the cat sat through a small rain.
Nessa’s father watched from the window.
“Still there.”
“Still there.”
“Good.”
They did not name it.
Names were for things that might leave.