Stories of the Moose
Bouncing Across the Commons
Bouncing out from the bushes towards my dorm.
For those who met the Moose in her golden years, it's almost impossible to imagine just how athletic she was in her prime.
While living on campus, Moose was an outdoor cat. She liked to come in during the night, but for the most part she loved the Great Outdoors.
When away at work or at class, the Moose would slink away into the trees or the shrubbery that bordered the manicured lawns and commons areas. But when I came home, all I needed to do was jingle the keys and call out "Moose!" to get a ping back from the bushes: "meow?" She was very fond of the meow-question style of talking.
Another jingle and out comes the Moose like a bat out of Hell. Bounding across the commons at top speed, Moose seemed to float over the grass with the occasional touchdown. It was like watching an ivory-colored, spotless cheetah speeding towards me. Just as she would reach my dorm's doorway would she slow to a gentle skip and cruise in the door, not even breaking a sweat.
The locals never ceased to be entertained with watching this tiny cheetah zipping across the lawn to greet her human.