Red Lobster Blues

King Louis scratched an antenne poking out from top his crown. Boredom made the giant lobster itchy. He'd finished reading his book, and there wasn't anything good much on the telly. It was too cold to go outside.  He hated this time of year, when the Yuletide celebrations were over with and people were getting back to normal activities, yet there wasn't anything new to do, because of the waning of the year. It was the same old game of "hurry-up-and-wait", as Scratch liked to call it.

Scratch had already taken down the Christmas tree. "I'm tired of looking at it," she said. Louis supposed Scratch was bored, too.  After removing all the decorations, she'd mummified the imitation greenery back up in plastic, and it was now stored under their bed, like a giant green dust bunny waiting to strike again, next Christmas. Everything else had been stored in the big clear plastic box--the one that Scratch had to huff and puff to move in and out of the closet. At the moment, it was sitting in the guest room, as there were still a thing or two left to put in it before it could be finally put away. This would be after Thursday, once the new year started over. Hurry up and wait, indeed.

Christmas was a quiet affair. Scratch's little one opened her presents, which consisted mainly of something called "Minecraft Legos" and a stuffed giraffe or two. Louis personally thought a lobster a better choice for a gift, but he supposed there was no accounting for taste. Scratch was still puzzling over her present from her neighbour, a guitar similar to the one her mother had had long ago. Louis was amused at the thought of Scratch functioning as the minstrel as well as the cook. He wondered if he'd be any good at playing it; his claws made good  'picks', but he worried he'd end up cutting the strings by accident. Best not to chance it.

There came a pattering on the roof. Louis sighed. It was raining again. It did that a lot here in Lobsteronia in winter. He wished it would snow.  Although he still couldn't go out in it, it would at least give him something to look at. Scratch didn't like snow. Although, it would be more accurate to say she didn't like having to go out in it. "I don't mind it too much, as long as I don't have to be anywhere," she said. "It shows up well in photographs." Louis did like looking at the snow photographs Scratch took.

Dinner on New Year's Eve was to consist of blackeye peas, cooked cabbage and something Scratch called "collards". Louis wasn't sure he trusted the dark green leafy things. They reminded him too much of the green sea-kale his mother made him eat when he was a little spawn. But there would be cornbread cooked in a skillet. Louis liked the cornbread.

Louis was still bored. Perhaps he would take a nap. Scratch did that sometimes, in the "in-between" times when one thing ended but it wasn't time for anything new to start yet. She joked it was the raccoon in her that made her do this, especially during the winter. Louis sighed again, and wiggled over to the couch and snagged a blanket Scratch had left out. He returned to his throne (which was really a small laundry basket) and snuggled in to wait. Time to doze.........