Delayed by Rain
MOTE Week 16, 2026
This week on MOTE I was prompted by Becky Jones: “May I please come in?” the bedraggled, soaking wet cat standing at the door asked.
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Ebony had a mission to complete. He had been tasked with taking a top-secret, not to be given to anyone but the intended recipient, message to another kingdom.
The safest route would take three days, but he had been warned that there might be time constraints and that his own King required the response as quickly as possible.
The alternative was to cut across territory held by the neighbouring dog kingdom. Dangerous – dogs didn’t like cats very much after all – but if he managed it unseen it was much quicker.
Unfortunately, while he was about halfway across the heavens opened. The rain that fell was torrential. It was much too heavy for him to keep going. He needed to find shelter, but where could he go that was safe? He was too far from the border, anywhere he could reach was in dog territory.
He plodded on, using the main road, taking much less care than he had done only minutes before as the likelihood of being spotted was so much less in the pouring rain. There were signs on the roadside every so often, giving directions to local settlements and the like. So far, he had ignored them – as long as he kept to the road he was already following he would be fine – but now he checked to see if a suitable resting place presented itself.
The next sign was promising. An abbey of the Rochian Order was only a mile away, following a turn-off to the right. It wasn’t entirely safe – St Roch was the patron saint of dogs, not of cats – but it was better than nothing. And monks had a reputation for being welcoming to travellers in need.
Ebony turned off and trudged along the track. The buildings of the abbey came into view. He made his way to the front door and pulled the bell-pull. He could hear the bell ringing in the tower above.
He waited for the door to open, getting wetter and wetter, if that were even possible now, in the heavy rain that still fell from heaven above.
The door opened, revealing a spaniel in the black robes of a monk of the Rochian Order, and a circular tonsure on the top of his head.
“May I please come in?” Ebony asked. He had nothing to offer to pay for his stay. Whatever coin he had on his person was not considered legal tender in the dog kingdoms, valuable only for the metal they contained, and were frequently not accepted as payment due to the difficulty of exchanging them for a fair value in local coinage.
“All in distress on the road are welcome here overnight. We are a Holy House, and expect all under its roof to take part in the services at evening and dawn.”
“Thank you. I am willing to attend all services to the Great Lord, although you may be distressed to find that I am a devotee of St Gertrude.”
“Cats!” The laughter in the monks voice was clear. “What is it about cats and their inability to admire decent saints?” He stood back to permit entry.
Ebony entered under the roof with great relief, and stood on the welcome mat, dripping pools of water from his fur. “We are independent thinkers, incapable of agreeing with each other as long as an alternative view is viable, no matter how unlikely that might be.”
“Never try to herd cats; each insists on running in a different direction.”
Ebony laughed. Yes, that was a common saying, and there was much truth in it. “When is the evening service?”
“That will be in a couple of hours. I will take you to one of the cells we set aside for visitors as soon as you are sufficiently dry.”
“Thank you.” It was not what he had intended, but it was a safe place to stay the night. Hopefully the rain will have stopped by morning, and he could head out once more.
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My prompt this week went to TA Leederman. I’m looking forwards to reading what everyone comes up with. Please head over to MOTE, and join in if you wish.