Whiskers

Smudge slammed the register shut with a puff of dust and looked extraordinarily pleased with himself.

“All present and correct!” he declared—then quickly backtracked. “Sorry, wait, wait… there’s one more.”

Of course there was.

The latecomer, as always, was Whiskers, the temple cat, who insisted on being fashionably late. She was technically always there, but waited out back, pretending not to be.

Smudge leaned toward the door and gave a comically loud whisper—“Psssst! Whiiiskers!” That was her signal.

Whiskers glided in from the next room, stepping delicately onto a rolled red carpet. The carpet led to a velvet cushion, placed with mathematical precision—using the golden ratio exactly—because anything less would have been beneath her.

It took her an absolute age to reach it—pausing to admire herself in every shiny surface along the way. Upon arrival, she circled the cushion once or twice before curling up gracefully, flicking her tail, and giving a delicate yawn.

“Right then,” said Smudge. It was obviously unacceptable for Whiskers to be lumped under All Animals, so he created a special entry in the register. “Whiskers?”

“Rrready,” she purred.

Whiskers’ Magnificent Entrance

Whiskers could never be expected to stroll in like everyone else—that simply wouldn’t do. Her arrival has to be grand. Can you make it so?

• Start with a fresh, blank page, ready for Whiskers’ grand arrival.
• Draw a long “red carpet” line that spirals from the edge of your page to the very centre.
• At the end, add Whiskers’ cushion—a little circle, a jewel shape, or anything else splendid.
• Decorate the carpet with repeating patterns—triangles, spirals, stars, or paw prints.
• Hold it up—you’ve made a path that flows toward the centre, guiding the eye straight to the star of the show.

Whiskers flicked her tail in approval. “Magnificent,” she purred. “An entrance worthy of me… almost.”