Beaumont, a wee black housecat who liked wearing bowties, paced around the parlor in Miss Sally’s house. It was only a couple of days before Christmas Eve, and normally, Mr. Thomas, Miss Sally’s kindly neighbor, would have brought over a Christmas tree for Miss Sally, Beaumont’s human companion. Together, with Beaumont’s help of course, they would have decorated her house, stringing up strands of ivy and evergreen, putting candles in all of the windows, and hanging colorful baubles on the tree with Miss Sally’s heirloom porcelain angel on top.
But this year, it was different. It was dark. There was no tree, no baubles, no porcelain angel. No candles flickering in the windows, no ivy or evergreen. Instead, the house was full of crates, which Miss Sally had been filling up with her belongings for the past several weeks.
The house was nearly barren now, with nearly everything packed away. Miss Sally, and therefore Beaumont too, were moving. The move was sad for Beaumont, though the reason as to why they were leaving was a very happy one indeed. Beaumont had lived here his entire life, apart from the first few months of living in Mr. Thomas’s barn, that is. Miss Sally’s home was his home. But Miss Sally and Mr. Thomas had gotten married, and they were going to live together, now. Mr. Thomas, being a farmer, could not leave his farm to come live here, so Miss Sally had to make the hard decision to depart the home that she had lived in for decades to be with him.
Beaumont sat in the window, watching the snow falling silently outside. The fire in the hearth crackled and popped, dancing about and bringing the only sort of light and warmth to the house. It was so strange to see the place so empty.
“Ole friend-o,” said Sigmund, a house spider who was Beaumont’s best friend. “You look rather sad, methinks.”
“I am. I’ve lived in this house for as long as I can remember,” Beaumont said with a sigh. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“We’ve been together since you were just a wee kitten, so we’ve been,” Sigmund replied, dangling down to be at eye level with the cat. “We’ll still all be together.”
“I know. It helps to be with someone you love,” Beaumont said. “I know we’re only moving down the lane, but this place is home and it is still hard to leave it. I wonder who is going to live here when Miss Sally has left.”
“I’ms a certain she knows what she’s a doin’ and the place’ll go to someone who’ll take good care o’ it,” Sigmund said reassuringly.
“Mr. Thomas said he’ll come this evening and bring me and Miss Sally to his house, along with the last of her things,” Beaumont replied.
“And we’ll be together, no matter where we be a goin’,” said Sigmund.
Beaumont walked through the dark, empty halls of the house Miss Sally and Beaumont called home, taking in everything. He reached the kitchen, remembering the attempted heist of fish. He looked out the window to the greenhouse and remembered where Miss Sally, against doctor’s orders because of a leg injury, held a wintery tea party for her youngest great niece, Daisy’s, 3rd birthday. He went upstairs, peering into the now empty nursery playroom. He spent many a day playing dress-up and other games with Daisy and her two older sisters, Lilian and Rose.
He came back downstairs into the entryway, where, just a month ago, they had repaired Miss Sally’s great grandfather’s old clock and surprised her for her birthday. All the times he and his friends explored and enjoyed each other’s time. All the times he would chat with his friend Tilly the bat, who got headaches when she was upright. He would sit in the window of the upstairs sitting room and spend time with her while she hung from a branch of the great oak that stood outside.
Evening came and so did Mr. Thomas. But that isn’t all who arrived. Shortly after, Miss Sally’s youngest brother, Mr. Dermott, came with a bright smile. He put down the crate he carried and embraced his sister. It was Mr. Dermott, the great-grandfather of Lilian, Rose, and Daisy, and his wife, Mrs. Eileen, who was moving into the old house!
Beaumont danced around, happily flicking his tail and twitching his ears when he realized this. He was overjoyed that the house was being kept in the family. And that also meant that Lilian, Rose, and Daisy would come to visit even more now.
With Mr. Dermott’s help, he, Miss Sally, and Mr. Thomas loaded Miss Sally’s last items onto the sley. Mr. Thomas scooped up the wee cat, with Sigmund hiding in his bright red bowtie, and climbed up onto the driver’s seat. Miss Sally rode beside him, and Mr. Dermott sat in the back to make sure the crates didn’t slip off should they hit a bump or turn too sharply.
Soon, they arrived at Mr. Thomas’s farm, and were greeted by a glorious sight! The house and barn were both decorated with garlands of holly and ivy, with warm, electric lights adorning the front of the house. Mr. Thomas had decorated his whole house to surprise both Miss Sally and Beaumont. Miss Sally put a hand over her mouth as she gasped, seeing the lights and decorations. Tears began to flood her eyes from joy and delight as she saw a lighted Christmas tree shining brightly from the downstairs parlor’s window.
They went inside and the decorations were even more grand there. Evergreen garlands adorned the railings of the stairs, small bells hung from the doorknobs, and the house simply sparkled with warmth from candles in every window, like Miss Sally always did.
As Beaumont’s humans, along with Mr. Dermott began unpacking some of Miss Sally’s things, he went outside once more. There, waiting for him were all of his friends, Bernice the Doberman, Andy Armadillo in his socks, Elliot Squirrel and his bright yellow bandana, Delia the Duck, and even Peter the Whitetail Eagle and Tilly the Bat up in the oak outside of Mr. Thomas’s house.
“Hey guys!” Beaumont exclaimed happily, once again flicking his tail, seeing them all together. He was completely unbothered by the cold that nipped at him, warmed by the sight of all his friends. Sigmund popped out from his bowtie and waved one of his arms to the group. He laughed a bit, looking up at his kitty friend.
“I’ve dones me some work, so I have,” Sigmund said. “I had me the thought you’d be feelin’ better if all of our friends were comin’ around.”
“We’ll always be your friends, Beaumont, no matter where you go,” Elliot said. “And besides, you’re only one house down from where you were before, not like it’s terribly much farther from the great woods.”
“Yeah, you can come visit my nest at the pond any time you want, just as easily as before,” Delia quacked. “I know my move was hard but having Elliot and his family made my new nest feel like home.”
“And you’re even closer to me, now,” Bernice chimed.
“Only a tad bit further from me, but I’m glad to make the walk to see you, pal!” Andy said with a smile. He lifted a paw, clad in a pale lavender sock, up. “Especially when I have these swell socks you gave me on.”
“This is just a new part of the same adventure,” Peter added, flapping his wings. “You’re awesome, my kitty friend.”
“A brand new chapter,” Bernice added.
“And look! I can still hang out with you. This house has a tree with some great branches for me to hang from and see you!” chimed Tilly with a smile.
“Happy Christmas, Beaumont,” they said altogether, embracing Beaumont.
Time for a new chapter, a new adventure indeed.
