Crossed Paths

Creatures

Photo by Sašo Tušar on Unsplash

You don’t know me. Fame or notoriety is certainly not what I’m seeking, but  I have something I wish to share with the public. 

You don’t have to believe me, and maybe it doesn’t matter.

My name is Caroline Ehlers. I became Windy Fletcher’s best friend in 5th Grade.

Windy was cute, shy and kind of troubled back then too.

We did so much together: Soccer, needlepoint, skiing in the winter months at a rundown little resort called Mount Allort.

But the general public isn’t really concerned  about any of that.

My sister says I should have told my story long ago, back when the world first fell in love with Fancy the Cat in the Follow Me Kitty series.

Windy Fletcher didn’t create that cute little black cat. I did.

Does it matter? I’m not sure. 

I remember Windy being really sad one day, some time after Christmas , and I drew her a little kitty cat to cheer her up. That cat became Fancy, the one you’re all familiar with. You may have (or had) Fancy on your coffee mug or t-shirt.

Windy’s family moved away after 7th Grade. We emailed back and forth, then she just stopped answering.. 

At the time it upset me, but I never forgot about Windy. And I never forgot about the little cat I taught her to draw. 

It was a bit of a shock when my sister brought Windy’s first book home.

I emailed Windy then, to congratulate her.

I didn’t say anything about her copying my little 5th grade cat drawing.

When I saw she was doing a book tour, I thought it odd that she skipped the city in which she spent the first twelve years of her life.

Then I read about how sweet she was with the youthful fans of Fancy the Cat,and sent another email, again, congratulating her.

I never once brought up money-I don’t need it, I’m a successful anesthesiologist - or credit or anything. 

I didn’t hear from Windy.

Like most of you, I read about her eccentricities and odd behavior on the second book tour. There’s no need to rehash that here, other than to say, no I never taught her the cat’s voice, just what the cat looked like.

And like many of you,I thought adopting the persona of the now animated creature you were famous for “creating” was odd but harmless.

We know now it wasn’t harmless. 

Some of my hospital colleagues who specialize in psychiatric care suggest that Windy may harbor some deep sense of guilt that the cat for which she is beloved really isn’t of her own making. 

That’s what compelled me to go public. 

I trust that the authorities will get Windy the help that she needs and I’d like to extend my best wishes to the brave members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who brought those children to safety without casualty.

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