#19thcenturysplendor — Public Fediverse posts

ASHWAGANDA

The Book of the First Warmth In the beginning, there was only the cold hard floor, and it was bad. Then, the Great Ginger Spirit stretched his long paws and said, “Let there be soft things.” And suddenly, there were wool blankets, bordeaux velvet chairs, and warm spots of sunlight on the rug. Ashwaganda looked at the soft things and saw that they were very good. He curled into a perfect round circle, wrapped his thick ginger tail over his nose, and took the first holy nap. The world was finally at peace.

The Book of the Tall Servants The world was soft, but Ashwaganda knew he could not open the heavy metal cans by himself. The cans held the sacred wet food. So, he decided to allow the Humans to exist. He allowed them to be tall so they could reach the high shelves where the best treats are hidden. He gave them soft hands so they could scratch right behind his ears.

He chose Moira to be his head servant. He gave her the tea shop so she would always have a warm fire for him to sleep next to. The duty of Moira and all tall servants is very simple: serve the food the moment the sun comes up, never touch the belly unless asked, and never, ever move your legs when a cat is sleeping on them.

The Holy Rules of the Bowl Listen closely to the true laws of the soft paws.

First, the bottom of the food bowl must never, ever be seen. If you can see the bottom of the bowl, the bowl is completely empty, even if there is food around the edges. You must sit next to it and sing the loud song of deep sadness until a tall servant comes to fix this terrible mistake.

Second, the best time to run extremely fast from one side of the house to the other is in the exact middle of the dark night. You must sound like a heavy horse. This reminds the humans who is truly awake and in charge.

Third, a closed door is a great insult. You must scratch at the wood and cry until the tall servant opens it. Once the door is open, you do not have to go inside. You only need to sit right in the middle of the doorway, looking outside, to prove that you hold all the power.

The Book of the Black Shadow A king of the warm sunlight needs a brother in the dark. Ashwaganda accepted Toe, the black Maine Coon, as his holy partner. While Ashwaganda claims the soft blankets and the center of the room, Toe rules the high wooden shelves. Toe is the silent watcher with green eyes. Toe strikes at the dust in the air. Together, the orange fire and the black shadow keep the tea shop totally safe from the cold wind and the strange people who come to buy tea.

The Promise of the Red Dot There is a very old secret story. It speaks of a small, bright red light that moves fast across the floors and walls. Many brave cats have chased it. No cat has ever caught it. But the holy truth says that one day, Ashwaganda will stretch out his mighty ginger paw and trap the red dot forever. On that day, the grand victory will bring endless plates of fresh salmon, the sweet smell of rosemary will fill the air forever, and it will never be time to wake up.