Hunting in the Moonlight, excerpts
Written by Richard Sparapany, richpk25@gmail.com
Illustrated by Joseph Mariano
Originals are not for sale.
Digital prints are available, at $25 plus framing and shipping costs.
Chienko jumped onto the chair just in the nick of time before Bruno could catch him.
Chienko went to his favorite spot. He remembered the first time he went there when he was a little kitten.
But today Chienko had nothing to do and no one to talk to, and he felt lonely.
By the time he woke up, it was night. And a beautiful night it was!
He had turned into his own panther-shadow. He saw his old self.
Then he stalked his prey.
The panther-shadow turned into the real Chienko and the boar shadow turned into a mouse!
His tail was caught under Chienko's paw.
Chienko took a step back from the advancing mouse.
"My name isn't 'Buster', it's 'Chienko'"
The mouse thought that Chienko wanted to eat him!
"My name is Herkimer," replied the mouse. Chienko started laughing. Herkimer did a quick karate move.
"Hey! Cut that out!" said Chienko. Herkimer went right on saying . . .
"I'm too cranky and I'm always shootin' my mouth off.”
Chienko quickly dressed him in a full military uniform and said, "There! Now you look like a real handsome
soldier!”
Chienko wanted to know if he was going to play. In an instant the mouse was chasing the cat!
Bruno thought he was finally going to catch Chienko. “Oh no you don’t!” came Herkimer’s voice from the top of the desk.
Bruno scampered out of the room crying sounds like a little puppy.
Herkimer was snuggled between Chienko's arms, asleep in Chienko's warm bed.
