Two Captains

When his wife, as always when leaving the house, tenderly kissed her husband goodbye, for the first time he felt an unfamiliar sense of unease previously unexplored, he felt like he wouldn’t see his wife again. For a moment he wanted to stop her, not let her go, but as always in a moment of any weakness, his military bearing and discipline came to his aid: he touched his temple saluting and ‘clicked’ his slippers. The Captain, as if on command, leaped onto his left shoulder, arched his back and wagged his tail.

“Behave yourself, Captains, “ – she replied, laughing heartily and smiling broadly. “ Captain, you’re on duty,” – she said to the black cat with a tiny anchor dangling from its collar, -  “no bear, no cigarettes, and… no women on board!”

In response, Captain loudly meowed in his peculiar manner – ‘ midway-ow’ and waved his tail.
“My darlings, how amazing you look! I adore it! I hate to leave you but work won’t wait… see you tomorrow morning. “


The elderly captain settled into his favorite armchair turned on the television. Instantly the black cat leaped onto the left armrest of the chair. It was their throne belonging only to them, and only the owner had the right to sit in this chair. The cat settled exclusively on left armrest of the chair even if it was empty. Nothing irritated the cat more than anyone trying to sit in the owner’s chair. Usually very peaceful and affectionate the cat turned into a black beast: he arched his back, hissed threateningly with bristling fur on his back, ready for a final battle. But when the captain entered the house, the cat,  with his  trademark ‘midway-ow’ , jumped onto his hands.

The elderly captain took a cat treat from his robe pocket, treated the cat, and closing his eyes leaned back on the chair. Music was playing from the television, a tune that was painfully familiar, heard somewhere before and for some reason seemed not accidental. With closed eyes he strained to remember where he had heard it? He started, yes! It was in the port of Marseille, when his warship docked ashore. The passionate melody of a tango flowed from the fingers of a young woman, tenderly embracing the accordion. Masterfully wielding the instrument, sitting on bare ground, she she ‘drew’ magical chords as if from a vessel of desire.

The captain hurried back aboard the ship and couldn’t finish hearing the last notes, fading into eternity. Suddenly it seems to him that someone was following him. Glancing back he saw a coal-black kitten, which lay on its back and spread its paws as soon as the captain turned around. The captain lifted his cap, slightly bend over and said, ‘ Bonjour’.
The kitten continued to lie down but followed him as soon as the captain continued on his way. This happened several times: as soon as the captain turned around the black bundle lay on its back and spread its paws.

The persistence of the kitten won him over. The captain took him in his arms, gently stroked him and noticed a small piece of paper wrapped around the black cord, which blended with the kitten’s fur. The notice read – ‘ Take me with you. I bring luck. ‘

The captain lifted the kitten, looked into his yellow-green eyes and asked, - “ And what’s your name? Luck?” The cat was silent. “Lucky?” Silence. Maybe Sailor, Boatswain or Loodsman since you’re asking to come with me on the ship?”
The kitten turned away disappointedly. “ Didn’t guess, little one? Maybe you’re like me, a captain?”

And then incredible happened: the kitten strengthened up, stretched out his slender neck, widely opened his yellow-green eyes, started into the captain’s eyes and meowed several times in a strange manner- ‘miew-ow, miew-ow, midway-ow.’

The captain with the kitten trying not to fall off his left shoulder and clinging to his epaulettes, passed through the astonished personal lined up on both sides. Only old Cook, a seasoned sailor who was highly respected, peered out of the galley with a cleaving hands and calmly said, “ Very… impressive!”

The captain ironically said, “ Meet…the second Captain on board.”  A whisper swept across the entire deck, how to address the Captain if the cat would respond to the same high military rank?

This problem was resolved very quickly, the kitten responded to the name ‘Captain’ only when the Captain himself addressed him, as the crew called the cat in a whisper. The cat’s passion and the object of increased attention and love was only the main one. The kitten was indifferent to the rest.

And only in case of the illness of one of the team members the kitten persistently showed initiative:  licked wounds and scratched, in case of earache or headache claimed onto the head of the victim, including the ‘motor’ and stubbornly pawed until the ship’s doctor arrived. Once, the kitten lowered the blood pressure of the captain himself when the medicine didn’t help. On board they started joking that the kitten was undermining the ship’s doctor position.

Very soon the cat (now a little grown up) became the ship’s mascot. For the few months that the ship sailed the seas, the cat warned of a storm every time a few hours in advance. Jumping onto the helm and incessantly meowing with his trademark ‘ miew-ow’ in a menacingly low tone, he seemed to warn of danger. Once the captain joked, “Soon we’ll have to replace the emergency alarm with the Captain’s meowing. “

That was the captain’s last voyage, he was retiring.
“Grandpa! How many awards you have!” exclaimed his 5-years old grandson with genuine enthusiasm, looking at the old captain’s many awards. Then he looked at the cat and asked, “Did they only award Fluffy Captain with a neck anchor?”

“He’s my friend, my talisman, my compass grandson. What a blessing that I didn’t leave him in the port of Marseille… He’s my greatest trophy “, said the old sailor gently pressing his cheek against the cat.
“ And he’s our fluffy home doctor “, smiled the wife. “ He relieves pain better than any emergency service.”
“Grandpa when you die give Captain to me, please. I promise “, the boy said saluting by putting his palm to his temple, “ I will take care of him. “
“He’s about three years old. He’s outlive man. Study well and I’ll pass Captain on to you by inheritance, grandson “, signed the old captain.

The captain’s eyes closed on their own as he immersed in memories enjoyed the delightful music.
He was awakened by the bird’s chirping. He got up, filled Captain’s bowl and… went to bed. He felt an overwhelming hitherto unknown weakness.
Unexpectedly, Captain who usually settled on a mattress on the floor jumped onto the pil.
“Captain, what’s happening to me?” whispered the captain. “Apparently the battery of life is running out …”

PAIN! Severe pain in his arm! His chest was squeezed so hard that the captain began to suffocate…”YOU ARE DYING!” his Heart screamed. All he wanted so much was to see his beloved wife in his last moment. A thought flashed through his mind – “ This is my last
breath “… when suddenly he felt if boiling water was poured over his chest: it seemed that this  ‘boiling water’ opened his chest, scalded his heart, and started it again… The Heart stirred, woke up and began to beat so loudly that it was heard in his head. Added to this was the insistent, prolonged buzz of the ship’s alarm, with the low growl of the distorted ‘meeeow’.
Making considerable effort, the captain half-opened his eyes and met Captain eye to eye. The cat stood on his chest with unblinking eyes of dilated pupils, staring into his friend’s eyes, burning his face with fiery breath and growling, he furiously kneaded his owner’s chest with his soft paws. His eyelids closed, and the captain lost consciousness.


His clouded mind fragmentarily conveyed to consciousness randomly arranged words- ‘extensive heart attack’…’so many hours without assistance’…’ it’s incredible that he survived’…

The captain made considerable efforts to slightly open his eyes… a strange white color seemed to envelop him… a specific smell… where am I?
Slowly the outline of his wife began to emerge, wringing her hands and sobbing, talking to someone… The captain tried to call her, move his fingers, but realized that only his eyes moved. Seeing a man in a while coat, he understood- it was a hospital.

“Darling!You woke up!” his wife rushed to his bed. “ You came to your senses! Doctor, what a miracle!”
“It’s a great stroke of luck that he came out of the coma” the doctor hurried to approach him and shone something in his eyes. “ Excellent!”he turned to his wife and whispered, “Incredible! After such a severe heart attack, heart surgery and a week long coma no one survives…”

The captain heard the doctor’s words. The doctor turned away, quickly giving instructions to the medical staff. The captain’s wife pressed her lips tenderly to his hand. “Thank You, Lord! I didn’t die without seeing her”, thought the old captain.

“I felt like something happened and came back bright and early “, his wife said a couple of days later. “ You lay in a state of unconsciousness and Captain was spread out on your chest… I thought he was dead. Claws in blood, himself lifeless, hung on my hands like a rag. The pajama were torn, all in blood stains, but you had no scratches…the cat lost several claws, my poor…”

“ He saved me…my friend…my savior “ the captain barely spoke. For the first time in so many years of life together his wife saw tears in her husband’s eyes: the steadfast sailor shed tears of boundless gratitude. “ Go and tell, no one will believe it. How is my Captain?”
“Poorly, doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink…for the first time he lay down on your place, doesn’t move. Every time he looks hopefully the opening door. Get well soon. He won’t budge until he sees you. “

The entrance door slowly opened…in the captain’s chair, laying his head on his front paws…lay an absolutely gray cat. His ones deep black coat had disappeared somewhere. The captain sank to his feet before the cat. The cat, straining to raise his head, widely opened his no longer yellow-green but colorless eyes and seemed to smile. Making incredible efforts on trembling paws, Captain rose in his owner’s chair. Widely opening his mouth, Captain triumphantly roared his only, inherent , prolonged “meeee-ow”, jumped into the captain’s embrace, and fell dead asleep…