7. The Domino Effect

Chapter 7: The Domino Effect

It was about three years ago. I was walking home from school when I heard something making noise in an alley a couple of blocks from my house. My curiosity got the better of me and I took a peek. What I found was a little squealing black and white ball of fur. She couldn't have been more than a week old at the time. Someone had just abandoned the poor thing in an alley.

I couldn't just leave her there, could I? So I beckoned her over, and I guess she hadn't really developed a few of humans yet because she just trotted right over.

Now, I had been bugging my parents for a pet for a long time now, but the answer was always the same… we can't afford it, you aren't responsible enough to care for a pet, they're terribly messy… I'd all but given up on it. But one look into her little yellow eyes and I fell in love immediately. So, it was settled. I was sneaking her into the house. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, after all.

That was the plan, anyway. I hid her in my backpack and brough her into the house, but when I got to my room, I found that she had somehow managed to get out and was now loose in the house. And mom has eyes like a hawk, so getting in trouble was inevitable at this point.

Now, at this time, my dad was really into setting up elaborate domino displays and then taking pictures of them to post online. He said it was good publicity for the restaurant, but I think he jut liked getting likes. He actually had a decent number of followers for such a niche account.

Anyway, he'd just been putting the finishing touches on a giant elephant layout based on the Thai Go mascot, when my rescued kitten jumps up on the table and knocks over the first domino… and you can guess what happened next.

Of course my parents immediately guessed how a kitten got into the house. There's no sense in trying to lie, so I admitted that I just couldn't leave an abandoned kitten out to freeze and starve.

Then mom just looks at me and asks me "A kitten is a very big responsibility, you know. She will need food, and a litterbox, and you will need to take her to the vet to get her shots…" I said I knew, and that I would do whatever I had to to keep her safe and happy. She paused for a moment, and then she smiled and asked if I'd thought of a name yet.

I looked down at the table, and immediately knew what her name was going to be.

"Domino," I said.

Okay, back to today. I was teaching Sprig the ancient Earth game of baseball, but played with a scythe and a watermelon instead of bat and a ball. Probably not the best choices, since I lost my grip on the scythe and nearly took Sprigs head off (also, I thought I sliced his hat I half, but he was wearing it again a few seconds later, so maybe I was mistaken?).

[A.N.: This actually happens. Are we to believe this is some sort of magical hat? Boy, I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder.]

Anyway, when we went to retrieve the scythe, we found a bunch of wasps bullying some poor defenseless creature. The two of us charged in to save it, and would'nt you know it? It was a cat!

…erpillar. A caterpillar.

But the crazy thing is, this caterpillar looked almost exactly like Domino! A few more legs and a longer body, and no tail, but the fur pattern, the eyes, the ears...

I've been wondering whether I could learn to love again. But now I know. There's always a new day on the horizon.

So, there was a slight hiccup in the whole adoption process… there's some history with a pet spider who was a lot of trouble, so HP's forbidden all pets from now until the end of time. Bit of a problem, but nothing we couldn't handle. All Sprig and I had to do was sneak the little cutie-pie in.

And let me tell you, Domino II is keeping us on our toes. Just keeping her away from Hop-Pop is a job in and of itself, because she gets anywhere and everywhere. Just like my precious baby.

In fact, pretty much everything about her reminds me of the original Domno. The urge to explore everywhere, the purring… occasionally bringing me things she's murdered… actually, she kinda does this a lot.

Okay, so maybe there are a few troublesome behaviors. Like her habit of sometimes gnawing on limbs.. spitting up her silk everywhere… that time she tried to eat Polly… but every new relationship needs a period of adjustment.

And at the end of the day, when you're watching her curl up and go to sleep – she even made herself her own little blanket to snuggle in! – you know it's all worth it.

…so, here's the thing about caterpillars. They grow up. Fast.

It seemed like just twenty minutes ago that I put Domino II down for her nap so Sprig and I could grab some dinner. In fact, it was twenty minutes. I always thought metamorphosis (hey, look, I remembered a word from science class!) took a lot longer than that.

But apparently not here it doesn't. Within that tiny amount of time, Domino II cocooned, went through the pupa (I am on fire today) stage, and turned into a gigantic moth with an insatiable appetite for frog flesh. And here we were with three ready-to-eat meals.

I tried to calm her down. After all, I was mommy! She'd listen to me. Right?

She didn't. It was like she didn't even recognize me. If she even did to begin with.

Did she ever care about me? Or was it all in my head from the beginning? In the end, was all this just me looking desperately for a piece of home where it never was?

Then I remembered, there was something Domino cared about. I'd had one of Domino's old jingly mouse toys in my backpack. I'd used it to lure Domino II back to the farmhouse, and to lure her (and really, was she even a her? I have no idea how to tell male and female caterpillars apart. I was just imposing my own memories of the first Domino onto he- it) away from things I didn't want it near.

It never loved me. It loved the mouse toy.

Well, if loved the thing so much, it could have it. Sure, it was a piece of my past that I'd be saying goodbye to forever, but it was a small price to pay to save the family that had done so much for me. Especially since I'd been the one to put them in danger in the first place.

So, I jingled the mouse in front of it, hoping it would still recognize the sound. And fortunately it did, and I was able to lure it to a nearby cliff, chuck the mouse over it, and watch as the giant moth left my life forever. It was kinda sad. Sure, it was a dangerous predator, but I was kinda still hoping for the chance that it would recognize me, and that we could work things out. It wouldn't be the same, but it'd still be nice to have something that loved and depended on me.

But alas, it was not to be.

You know, I was kinda expecting Hop-Pop to tear me a new one once this was over, but he was surprisingly understanding. Seems he was the most broken up out of the whole family about having to get rid of that spider. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why he was so dead-set against another pet; he just didn't want to risk getting attached again.

Anyway, at least I still have a companion on those cold lonely nights; Sprig made me my very own Domino out of the hairballs Domino II left behind (there's another thing she had in common with the original). At least I can be sure Domino III won't eat me while I sleep!

…at least, I hope not…

A.N.: Hope you guys liked my little headcanon on how Domino got her name!

Snake screamer: Thanks!

Jose: Well, there's always vegetables. One of the advantages of living on a farm…

Team Gophers: Depends on how the Plantar nae got passed down.

Next: Taking Charge