A street cat has made my terrace its home. It is a white female about a year and a half old. I do not mind it using the terrace, but I do not want it to start prowling around the house. Besides, it may get stuck inside while I am away. I am doing my best to chase it off, but the clever cat is always a few steps ahead of me. For instance, I found it a couple of mornings ago among the logs I use in the fireplace. The place is protected from the rain, and it rained the previous night. When it spotted me, it did not budge, and I went to the kitchen for a glass of water. By the time I returned, it was gone.  Clutching onto the glass, I searched the whole terrace, but there was no trace of the cat. It rained last night once again, and so I approached the place where I stash the logs this morning with a glass of water ready in my hand. The cat was not there, though. It was nowhere around the terrace, either. It knew that I knew where I had spotted it the last time, and it sheltered from the rain someplace else. Ahead of me, as ever. Although I have harsher tricks up my sleeve, I kind of appreciate the clever cat. And clever it surely is.  Anyway, the game continues.

Addendum (August 31, 2015)

As it turns out, the game is over, at least for a while. On my way home yesterday evening, I saw the white street cat lying limp on the cobblestones halfway between the lower square and my house. It looked twisted, as its front and back paws were pointing in different directions. Either a dog or a car broke its spine. The cat’s body was gone by this morning. It was thrown in one of the garbage bins down the street, I guess. Luckily, the garbage was collected a short while ago, for the cadaver would stink to high heaven in the summer heat. Anyhow, I now miss the cat. We had a game going, and I did my best to outwit the clever cat. To no avail, of course. But there is no reason for worry. Another street cat will make my terrace its home soon enough. And the game will continue without let or hindrance. For my sins, I can hardly wait.