Ripple

The preface to Magnolia

The large Persian cat looked like a statue as it sat perfectly still atop the giant moss-covered boulder facing the sea.  Every

few minutes a cold breeze would catch the long grey fur at the base of the cat’s neck, ruffling it softly. His eyes scanned

across the water, moving slowly at first, then frantically darting back and forth as if searching for something.  Suddenly they

stopped moving and fixed on a small area of water just west of the end of the nearby boat dock.  A series of tiny bubbles were

appearing, too small to be noticed by a casual observer. The tide surged back and forth, rhythmically crashing against the

base of the boulder,  inching closer and closer to the cat, but he did not move.  His eyes were completely focused on the

bubbles, seeing something more, something of dire importance.  He sat there for an hour, stone like, until the bubbles

stopped. In that instant he turned and leapt from the boulder onto the grass behind him, running quickly towards the old

farmhouse.