Here’s the situation — a library cat named Rainbow escaped. Where she went, is anybody’s guess. Why would she leave the library? Was she captive or missed? A single situation causes us to ask questions and wonder what happens next.

Thus writers accepted the task of crafting a story from the situation, which is a style of drafting. Find out where Rainbow led this week.

The following stories are based on February 20, 2020, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a library cat named Rainbow who escapes.

PART I (10-minute read)

Reluctant Rainbow Rebounds by JulesPaige

Rainbow rabbeted, ran right, ran rough
Ricocheting rallying roars; “Return! Return!”
Rants rippled, reformed, repeated.
Rainbow remained rapidly running.
Rainbow replicated rough ruses.
Rounding readied roadblocks,
Reaching rabble-rousing republicans
Rainbow resisted raw rhetoric.
Rainbow ran ragged roads
Reaching red roofs, rested.
Rescuers responded, rummaging ropes.
Rainbow refused rescue, resumed racing.
Rainbow ran Rupert’s raised red radish rows.
Rainbow roamed Rita’s rambling rose range.
Radiant Ramona remained, reorganized
Research regarding rambling Rainbow’s reunification.
Resisting ruinous retaliation rumbles.
Romanticizing; Ralph recited regulations.
Ruminating Raymond responded reluctantly.
Rank racers rode rusted ramblers remaining rueful.
Rainbow recalled Ramona relaxing…
Recalculated resplendent reassurances; returned.

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Rainbow’s End by D. Avery

Following close on snowy heels of library patrons, the cat escaped winter’s cold and never looked back.
Nobody claimed the stray; the cat with the bold stripes and bolder personality was allowed to keep its claim on the stuffed chair in Fiction.

When children read picture books aloud to him, the cat they called Rainbow purred blissfully.
Rainbow gained a reputation among adult browsers, pawing titles they might otherwise have passed by.
Finally returned from vacation, the cat’s owners followed the stories to the library.
Along with an endowment for books and for his care, they left Rainbow there.

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Escape to Narnia by T. Marie Bertineau

He had no choice. When his left front paw dislodged the First Edition of C.S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia, how could he have expected the entire wall of books to heave, creak, and lurch aside? His life had been lived within this labyrinth of oak and leather. The lonely little girl with whom he’d kept company had not once whispered mention of this phenomenon, this escape. He knew nothing of beyond—craved it nonetheless. And so, as he stood before the vast, black cavern, draft in his whiskers, damp in his pads, he tiptoed forth.

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Rainbow Makes Her Move by Charli Mills

Rainbow faked a yawn, stretched a declawed mitt toward a shelf of new releases in fiction, and calculated the distance to the door. She had made several tests runs the day before and knew how long the door opened before shutting. Preening her calico fur, Rainbow waited to blow this boring book joint. When a group of homeschoolers entered the library, she made her move on the open door. Swerving in and out of gangly legs like a feline slalom racer, she won the race and made it outside. Shivering beneath plumes of lake-effect snow, Rainbow calculated her reentry.

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Rainbow’s End by D. Avery

Following close on snowy heels of library patrons, the cat escaped winter’s cold and never looked back.
Nobody claimed the stray; the cat with the bold stripes and bolder personality was allowed to keep its claim on the stuffed chair in Fiction.

When children read picture books aloud to him, the cat they called Rainbow purred blissfully.
Rainbow gained a reputation among adult browsers, pawing titles they might otherwise have passed by.
Finally returned from vacation, the cat’s owners followed the stories to the library.
Along with an endowment for books and for his care, they left Rainbow there.

🥕🥕🥕

Rainbow by Reena Saxena

Rainbow is nowhere to be seen. The place looks bleak. Grey clouds menacingly float on the sky, threatening a downpour.

I carry my raincoat as a precaution, also because it has pockets – large enough to hold Rainbow. I hear a purr of pure joy from the sidewalk. There is a kid holding Rainbow in his arms. A child’s imagination is boundless, and he sees this as ultimate happiness.

The downpour has started. I’m compelled to take away the rainbow from the child’s dreams, into the confines of a library with a musty smell. Rainbow’s mother, Kat is waiting there.

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Little Sally and the Library Cat by tedstrutz

Little Sally looked at the cat.

The cat looked at Little Sally.

‘What is a cat doing in a library,’ thought little Sally. Little Sally didn’t particularly care for cats; she thought they were sneaky.

The cat didn’t particularly care for little girls; she didn’t think they were trustworthy.

“What’s that cats name?“

“Rainbow,” said the lady behind the desk.

Little Sally thought she looked unhappy by the door. She thought of all cats as girls, all dogs, boys.

She opened the front door wide and Rainbow dashed out, ‘Good riddance, no sneaky library cats while I’m reading.’

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The Library Cat by Ruchira Khanna

Image result for image of a cat with glasses

Liz’s eyes went wide as a hawk.

The seat was empty!

After a couple of blinks, she was quick to walk to the librarian, Sasha, who was a wreck.

“What happened? Why did Rainbow escape from her chair?”

“I think Rainbow is bored; she refuses to sit and listen to the children’s stories. Now, they are devastated.”

After a brief pause, “You go find her, while I’ll get the right antidote.” said the confident Liz.

She was quick to pick up a handful of Tom and Jerry comics and hand them to the tearful children to read them aloud.

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Rainbow Leaves the Library / রামধনু লাইব্রেরি ছেড়ে যায় / Rāmadhanu lā’ibrēri chēṛē yāẏa by Anne Goodwin

Stirred from sleep by the siren, Rāmadhanu refused to open an eye. She’d retired from sex and mousing; it took more than a randy tom to tempt her from between the library stacks.

But the sound insisted. Nature obeyed. Rāmadhanu pawed the scorching pavements, dust tickling her nose.

Humans! She’d abandoned her nest for this? Yet instinct prevailed once again. As they meowed by drawing bows on tautened strings, Rāmadhanu joined in, her voice soaring heavenward.

Until muzzled by a memory, a tale of students martyred here for their mother tongue. Rāmadhanu tuned into the haunting melody. Music, bittersweet.

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The Black and White Cupcake by Michelle Wright

All day they listened to whining and wailing in the library. Young children were devastated that the library’s cat named Rainbow had ran away. An 11 year old girl sobbed, “He really was my rainbow. He made my black and white world colorful.”
Nobody knew why Rainbow would choose to leave. The truth was, he didn’t. When the library finally closed for the night, they came out of their homes in the walls.

“Was it really worth it?” Claudia, the mouse, asked.

Her brother, Dave, looked up at the cupcake on the desk then said, “Yes!”

And it was.

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Rainbow and the Librarian by Padmini Krishnan

Where was it now? Rainbow nudged an old copy of Oliver Twist. The powder was stashed on the first page of the second chapter. I offered it to Rainbow, the cat. He shook his head sternly. I shrugged and inhaled it. Heavenly! He winked at me and smiled with closed lips. I was on high while Rainbow scratched the books under Healthy Recipes. It was evening; I began to grow restless. I searched in the children’s picture books for my powder. “Rainbow, find it for me.” The window was open. Had he escaped? Was there a Rainbow at all?

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Finding Rainbow by Joanne Fisher

Cindy was in the library when she heard some pitiful meowing. There was a cat stuck under the shelves. Cindy lifted them so it was able to move. The cat was so skinny it must have been stuck for some time. She fished out the Pride flag that was in her handbag. With the cat wrapped up, she was able to lift it out. It seemed to be the week for finding forlorn creatures.

“I’m going to take you home. I’m sure Jess won’t mind.” The cat purred in her arms. “I think I’ll call you Rainbow.” Cindy decided.

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Rainbow’s Heaven by M J Mallon

While cats hide, rainbows emblazon the sky with short-lived brilliance!

Rainbow the cat crept into the library one rainy day and never left. A confirmed cat bachelor his colourful tail had never been turned before. Not once! Until… a beautiful white cat stuck her pretty nose into his favourite book. She turned the pages with her cute paws. His imagination went wild. Rainbow imagined her to be the softest, fluffiest, most angelic being he’d ever seen. He didn’t hesitate; he followed her out the door. Purring, he realised that heaven’s shelves overflowed with rainbow books!

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PART II (10-minute read)

Lor’ Luv a Duck! Library Ball ov Fat. Know What I Mean? by Bill Engleson

Blimey! “Rainbow, me arse. Books! Books! Park me a trash can any day.”

Here she comes. Ain’t she da proper lady. A friggin’ catnapper but who’s ter know. Bin so long. Can’t barely remember da day. Still pret’y young, I was. Free. Collarless. It ‘ad rained da night befawer an’ I ‘ad snuck in’er a coal shute.

When da sun come up next day, I was aaaht an’ abaaaht when dis fancy car rolled up. She scooped me up in ‘er fur-draped arms an’ sped away.

Ain’t ge’in’ any younger. Bird Lime ter get a crackin back ‘ome. OK?

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Rainbow by Hugh Roberts

Doug watched as the dog sat next to the stranger, turned into a cat named Rainbow. Holding a library book in its mouth, Rainbow jumped out of the picture and disappeared.

***

Two floors below, Sophie decided it was time to find out the answer. The ‘ping’ of the elevator doors opening stopped her from knocking on Mike’s door. She watched in disbelief as a cat exited the lift.

***

Aiming the revolver at the door of his hotel room, Mike made the sound of a gunshot before sneezing loudly. Only cats made him sneeze. Hotels didn’t have cats, did they?

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Rainbow’s Adventure by Susan Sleggs

In high spirits, the veterans loaded the van after finishing their inaugural concert at the library. No one noticed Rainbow, the resident library cat, scoot out the door, jump into the van and hide under equipment.

After stopping for a leisurely meal, when opening the van door, Rainbow leaped into a surprised Tessa’s arms. “You little sneak! We’ll have to take you home.”

Rainbow sat like a queen on Michael’s lap looking out the window on the return drive.
The staff was relieved to see her. “Odd, she’s never done that before. She must have liked your patriotic music.”

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Rainbow by Donna Matthews

I never met the cat they call Rainbow. I wonder who gave her the name? Is it because she’s a calico cat…with her multiple colors of brown, black, and white. Or maybe because of her one blue eye and one green eye.

Anywho, I digress. My daughter Marnie is inconsolable because Rainbow escaped from the library last night. The accomplice, a window left open after the beautiful spring day. Her tender heart has imagined all the worst outcomes for the missing Rainbow. But, thankfully, she wrong. Rainbow has hid in the basement…with her brand new litter of six kittens.

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The Library Cat by Norah Colvin

The library cat is fatter than fat.
She sits by the door on the welcome mat.
She greets the readers as they come in —
Nods her head with a welcome grin.

Sometimes she’s in. Sometimes she’s out.
She’s especially quiet when a reader’s about.
She sits so still you can see her purr
When the reader strokes her rainbow fur.

She’s heard every story there is to be told.
Even the classics never grow old.
But read her stories of adventures rare
She twitches her whiskers, “I’ve been there.
No need of a cape. Reading books is my escape.”

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Library Cat by Liz Husebye Hartmann

Ms. Lillian’s shoes padded down the archived stacks, overhead lights cooling to darkness in her wake. “Here Rainbow kitty! Time to go. There’s a bowl of kibble at home with your name on it!”

He flattened himself down behind the top stack in the Egyptian collection. He loved her: she supplied quality food, kept the litter box scooped, was head librarian overseeing the University’s rare collections wing. He just wasn’t in the mood.

She knew this. “Tomorrow, then!”

He opened the dusty tome, growling, searching for his real identity. Who the hell names a black cat “Rainbow”? Stupid humans!

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Harbor Cat by Saifun Hassam

Rainbow sauntered casually to the Harbor Library’s open back door. She breathed in the heady scent of fish, seaweed and salty sea mists. Streaking out the door, she ran along the stony trail to a hidden cove.

Ah, familiar grounds, her original home, harbor master Roger’s houseboat. She padded up the rickety gangway and lunched on smelt. A short nap, an exploration along the sedge, she was back at the Library.

No one was any the wiser. She bounded up the stairs, to her favorite windowsill. She fell asleep, gazing out to sea and dreaming of her next escapade.

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The Escape Plan by Susan Zutautas

Rainbow, held captive, couldn’t take this anymore; she had to get out of this library. She’d miss the children who came in that paid attention to her but not the head librarian, who thought she was just a mouser.

Back when people used libraries to borrow books it was more interesting. Nowadays it’s children that come to take art classes.

She had a plan. She’d jump into one of the children’s bags and escape. That afternoon she saw the perfect opportunity and jumped on it only to find out she’d picked the wrong bag … the librarian’s kid’s bag.

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Rainbow’s Escape by Colleen M. Chesebro

Jimmy gathered his belongings. “Now, remember Rainbow, stay hidden,” he whispered to the calico cat hunched inside his backpack. “Mrs. Walters will never miss you for one night.”

Rainbow purred as the boy pushed through the main doors of the library. He ran toward home.

“Grammy, you awake? I’ve got a surprise for you.” Jimmy slipped through the door and opened the backpack. An orange streak of fur darted down the hallway.

Grammy lay in her bed cuddling the cat. “Thank you, Jimmy. After today’s chemo, seeing Rainbow again is what I needed. Thank you for bringing him home.”

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Somewhere Out There by Annette Rochelle Aben

Rainbow grew up in the library, having been left on their doorstep in a box of donated books when he was a mere three weeks old. Everyone doted on him to ensure he would survive. He grew up lazing in laps, being read to.

His favorite lap belonged to an elderly blind woman whose granddaughter brought her every day precisely at two. For a delightful hour, everyone was happily lost in a book.

Rainbow was confused, the old woman hadn’t been in for a week. Believing he could, when no one was looking, he slipped out to find her.

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Rainbow in the Sky With Sparkles by Chelsea Owens

“We’re here, live, at the public library, with an …interesting story. Here’s head librarian, Mrs. Scootz, to tell us more.”

“I am MS. SCHOTZ, and am the Media Specialist Director.”

“Sorry, I -”

“As to the ‘interesting’ story you reference, well! that is clearly all ‘story.’”

“I don’t see how -”

“Oh, I ken help ye, Cutie!”

“It’s Kat, on-site reporter for KNN News. And you are …?”

“Hank, but you ken call me Hunk!”

“Rrright. Um… Hunk, can you tell us about Rainbow the library cat?”

“Shore shootin’! Las’ time I saw ‘er, Rainbow was blastin’ into space wit’ m’dog, Sparkles!”

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Do Ya Like Ma Hat? by D. Avery

“Kid, why’s thet ten gallon hat ya got fer yer half-pint head skiddin’ towards the door?”

“Why, there’s a cat in the hat! Must be from the library.”

“Ya picked up The Cat In the Hat at the library?”

“Took ma hat off when I was there, musta put it over their Rainbow.”

“An’ accidently kept the library cat under yer hat the whole way home? Thet’s an unlikely situation Kid.”

“It’s ma story an’ I’m stickin’ with it, Pal.”

“I kin tell ya what happens next. Yer takin’ thet cat back!”

“Or… we keep it!”

“Go, Kid. Go.”

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