Hi there, in case you don’t know already, my name’s Rascal.  I’m playing Toto in the “Wizard of Oz”.  Trish, my pack leader, says it’s a play.  I love to play.  She told me that I’m going to be a star and I should write something about myself for my fans.  By the way she said it I’m thinking fans are licky things.  I can’t wait!

Ronan and Sarah are the other humans in my pack.  We also have two cats, a parrot and thousands of bees.  I stay away from the bees, those girls have no manners.  There I was, just sniffing their butts to say ‘hi’ and they stung me.  I got such a fright.  Socks, my friend cleaned my face and told me not to bother with them. He said they taste yucky.

Now that I’m a grown up, Socks is not fond of me jumping up on him.  He’s still good for a chase though.  I’m doing him a favour, Trish says he needs the exercise.  He never gets cross, not like Kitten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitten was very thin when he arrived but he’s a big cat now. He walloped me when I was a pup.  He’s got a mean right hook.  Socks protected me.  Now that I’m older, I stand up for Socks when he’s fighting with Kitten.

The bed’s mine but Kitten says it’s his.  He’s sneaky and steals the food in my bowl when he thinks I’m not looking.

Trish says that Kitten lived with bad people before us and I should let him have a little ‘cat tax’.  “You won’t starve Rascal” she says.  I can’t take that chance.

When someone claps in our house it means we’re putting the cats out.  I’m good at helping.  Socks walks but Kitten runs fast.  Kitten thinks he’s winning the race – he never does.

Chasing cats is fun.  Sometimes I run so fast my back legs pass my front ones out when I’m going around the corners.  My Sarah, likes to run too.  She plays with me and throws my toys and she’s got a great bark.

Barney, our parrot, thinks I’m stupid and tells me “it’s OK” when he’s trying to bite my nose.  My nose is my greatest asset so I keep it well away from his beak.  I’ve seen him crack nuts with that thing.  I guard Socks when he’s asleep and Barney’s trying to bite him.

 

Barney gets into trouble a lot.  I like that because then we can race.  He flies, I chase.  He’s not as fast as I am but I let him win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all the chasing I take a nap on a lap.  Trish’s lap is great but my favourite place to sleep is in Ronan’s fur-lined hoody.  When I was a pup, I would climb in and he’d zip it up.  Ronan still lets me squeeze in there but now my middle hangs out.  Sometimes it gets cold but I don’t mind.  I’m happy. I’m with my pack.    ***********************************************************************

The Enniskillen Light Operatic Society Presents “The Wizard of Oz” in the Ardhowen Theatre from 1st December 2016.  It runs for 11 shows.  Phone: 028 66325440 or www.ardhowentheatre.com for more details.