Story 28: Reza Shadey and the Most Precious Thing
Snuggle down, little sleepyheads. Let's hear about the time Reza Shadey went searching for something super, mega, unbelievably precious... and somehow ended up losing his own very important things.
One sunny morning, Reza Shadey felt extra important. He puffed out his chest and strutted around the garden like a CEO inspecting his headquarters.
"Penelope", he instructed, pausing by the patio, "your whiskers are lacking symmetry! Give them a strategic groom!"
To Ginger Tom, who was happily dozing, he declared, "Good heavens, Tom, your tail is attracting unapproved fluff! Kindly address it at once!"
And to little Tiger, he announced, "Kittens should be seen and not heard, especially when executive felines are conducting high-level thinking!"
But secretly, deep down, Reza wanted something amazing to display. Something shiny and sparkly and utterly, completely precious, so everyone would be reminded of his superior market value.
"Yes!" he thought, twirling his tail. "I require a High-Value Asset! A premier focal point for the garden!"
He spotted Tiger chasing a butterfly.
"Tiger! Report to the boardroom at once!" he called.
When Tiger bounced over, a little dizzy from chasing, Reza said, "Right, you! I am authorising an immediate acquisition mission. Go and find the most precious thing in the entire garden! Off you pop!"
Tiger tilted his head, his ears wiggling. "The most precious thing? Like... a high-key yummy sausage? Or something with immaculate vibes?" he asked hopefully.
Reza rolled his eyes. "Goodness, no! Not food! Something much, much better and more valuable than a pedestrian sausage! Think premium!"
So off went Tiger, bounding through the bushes and sniffing under the flowers. He searched and searched. After a long, long time, he came bouncing back, dragging something big, yellow, and slightly muddy.
"Look, Reza! I found it! The most precious thing! No cap!" he panted, presenting a big, cheerful cob of sweetcorn.
Reza stared at the corn. "Corn?!" he huffed, utterly unimpressed. "That's not a premium asset! That's just... unprocessed bird fuel! Honestly, Tiger, this is a terrible return on investment!"
Tiger looked a little sad. "But... food is important", he mumbled. "It helps everyone grow big and strong. Isn't that... precious?"
Reza wasn't listening. He gave his tail a haughty flick, and — THWACK! — he swatted the sweetcorn with his paw.
PLOP! The big, golden cob tumbled right into Mrs Higgins's pond with a heavy splash.
But in his annoyance, Reza had swatted a bit too hard. His shiny, silver collar bell jingled wildly — JINGLE JINGLE! — then, oh dear, the clasp snapped. It slipped right off his collar and fell — PLINK! — into the pond with the corn!
The other cats stared, their eyes wide.
"Reza!"Penelope said sharply. Her voice was icy cold, and she didn't use his nickname. "That was completely uncalled for. He worked hard to find that."
Ginger Tom shook his head. "Waste of good grub, that."
Reza felt a hot flush of embarrassment beneath his fluff, but he pretended he didn't care. "Fine! Let the pond keep my bell too! Consider it a liquid donation!"
He turned his back on the pond and his friends, trying to look very important, but mostly just looking a bit sulky.
Penelope and Ginger Tom and Tiger walked away, leaving Reza all alone by the water.
Days passed. Reza sat by himself. He watched his friends playing their games, chasing butterflies, and telling funny stories. He missed them terribly. He missed Penelope's clever tales, Ginger Tom's bouncy games, and Tiger's cheerful "Boing!" when he pounced.
But a true CEO never admits defeat.
"I am merely on a strategic solo retreat", he told a passing ladybird.
One day, Mrs Higgins's lovely nephew came to visit and decided to clean out the pond. Splash! Splosh! He scooped out the water and the soggy leaves, and suddenly, something shiny tumbled out! CLINK!
It was Reza's lost bell!
Mrs Higgins picked it up, wiped it clean, and clipped it back onto Reza's collar. It jingled merrily — JINGLE JINGLE!
Reza puffed out his chest, feeling much better.
Just then, he saw Tiger down by the cleaned-out pond. Tiger was batting at something on the muddy bottom. He gave a little pull and carefully lifted out... the soggy, wet, but still golden, cob of sweetcorn!
"Look, Reza!"Tiger chirped, his eyes bright. "I recovered the asset! The precious corn!" He dropped the wet corn proudly at Reza's paws.
Reza looked at the soggy corn... then at Tiger's hopeful, whiskery face.
For a very small moment, something warm... and uncomfortable flickered inside him.
Just then, Penelope came over with a half-eaten biscuit to share, and Ginger Tom nudged a perfect crinkly leaf towards Reza for a game.
"We missed you, Rezzi", said Penelope softly, her warm tone returning.
"Ahem", said Reza, standing tall and adjusting his collar. "Excellent retrieval work, Tiger. I always intended for that corn to undergo an aquatic fermentation process. A long-term investment."
He gave a small, satisfied nod.
"And as for my bell, I merely stored it in the pond for safekeeping. A flawless operation."
Penelope rolled her eyes with a fond smile, and Ginger Tom chuckled.
"Whatever you say, boss", Tom purred.
Reza marched towards a warm sunbeam, his head held high. He hadn't apologised, of course—but as he settled down with Penelope, Tom, and Tiger, he quietly decided that, from a strategic standpoint, a loyal board of directors was an extremely high-performing asset.
Night night. Sleep tight.