After walking for a few miles, Windy and Jade entered a village. It was a peaceful place with lovely cottages and country gardens. Light smoke emitted from the chimneys, floating into the blue sky. Flowers like roses, hydrangeas, pansies, tulips, violets and daisies flourished everywhere forming a colorful picture. People there looked happy and relaxed. Some were working on their vegetable patches, some were enjoying their afternoon tea under the warm sun and some were lining clothes in their backyards. At the end of the road, a luxurious two-story house caught Windy and Jade’s attention. That lavish house looked kind of awkward in this humble village.The two companions walked up to the house to get a closer look. At the entrance, a sign said “The Spoiler Free Flat”. They exchanged a puzzled look with each other. Jade peeked through the gate curiously, “A flat? How could this be a flat with such a grand building, a large Roman fountain in the front and a neatly organized garden?”
”Well, maybe the owner want to make it sound more modest or that’s just pure sarcasm.” Shuddered Windy, “But what does spoiler mean?”
”Not a clue!” replied Jade. “I wonder who is living there. Probably an arrogant millionaire.”
Noises could be heard from the house and two arguing voices came louder and louder. Suddenly a woman ran out from the door followed by another woman with a rolling pin. They chased around the fountain. “You idiot! Told you not to play with the dough!” roared the angry woman waving her rolling pin. “See what you’ve done? You spoiled my new dress and my cookies!”
”Hey! Now you’re blaming that all on me, aren’t you?” cried the woman in red, “Who’s the one who started throwing chocolate chips at me? It’s you! You started it! You should have caught the dough with your hands instead of your dress!”
”Oh really?” the furious woman gnashed her teeth, “It’s all because someone kept handing me the wrong ingredients! I asked for flour you gave me sugar! I wanted eggs and you gave me milk! Are you trying to annoy me or you’re just plain stupid?”
”If you want something, get it yourself, lazy bone!” the mischievous woman stuck her tongue out, turned and ran towards the gate.
”That’s it!” the raging woman followed and threw the rolling pin at the ducking woman. The rolling pin missed its target and flew straight at the audience outside the gate. Just as the flying weapon was about to hit the victims, it suddenly froze and floated in the air.
“Phew!” signed Windy in relief, “That was close!” Windy swayed his wand again. The rolling pin turned and chased after the two startled women. They grab each other’s hand and ran for their lives. After circling the fountain for a few times, Windy decided that it was enough. With another sway of his wand, the rolling pin stopped and fell into the water. The two frightened women collapsed to the ground feeling dizzy. Jade and Windy went to help them up from the ground. With a closer look, they found that they met two cats.
”Sorry about the chase!” Windy smiled. “Nice exercise though!”
”Windy, that’s a bit too much, but I ‘m glad to see them making up.” Jade pointed at the still tightly held hands of the cats. The two cat women broke into laughter and gave each other a friendly hug. They invited their new friends into their house for tea.
The spacious living room overlooked the wood behind the house through the French windows. Jade was more interested in the scenic view than the opulently furnished interior. Squirrels were playing on the lawn; a duck mother was leading her babies for a swim in the stream.
The cat sisters came in with a tray of elegant crockery and lots of chocolate chips cookies. They were cat twins. The one in red was Femmy and Kita was wearing a green dress. Windy and Jade introduced themselves. Femmy felt so excited to meet a princess and a wizard that she almost spilled tea on Kita’s lap. “Hey! Mind your teapot madam!” shouted Kita, “I don’t want more stains on my new dress!”
”Lower your voice miss, we got a princess here!” Femmy trying to retain her manner, “I am sorry, ok?”
”Ok,” Kita lowered her voice, “you just be careful.”
Windy sipped his tea, “This place looks really grand. How come it’s called the Spoiler Free Flat? You two seem to be the richest cats I have ever seen.”
”Oh, that’s a long story.” Explained Kita, “Well, ever since our master, Antonio died …… oh our dear Antonio, he was such a wonderful master …… sniff sniff ……” She started to weep hysterically.
”Oh please! Not again!” Femmy frowned and went to comfort her sister in her arms. “Poor girl! She just can’t help being emotional whenever she thinks about Antonio. Master Antonio was the richest man in this village with the kindest heart. We lost our mother when we were kitties and he adopted us. He was a bachelor, so he treated us like his daughters. When he passed away three years ago, he left all his properties to us.”
”Sniff sniff …… He was such a wonderful man and loving master. If it were not for him, Femmy and I would be wandering in the street, looking for food from the trash or even become thieves! Sniff sniff …..” Kita sobbed.
”I am sorry to hear the loss of your master.” Said Jade, “You must have missed him badly.”
”We were so depressed that we went shopping every day, hoping that we could spend away our sorrow.” Continued Femmy, “We kept buying things and the villagers started to talk behind our backs. They said we were spoiled and that we were wasting the money Antonio left us. We got so upset and decided to get rid of spoilers.”
”Spoilers?” Jade looked up from the plate of cookies, wondering if it’s safe to try one. “What do you mean by spoilers?”
”They are things that spoil us.” Kita sneezed with Femmy’s handkerchief, “We don’t want to be called spoiled anymore.”
Femmy frowned looking at her poor handkerchief. ”So we sent away our servants leaving only the gardener to keep the surroundings in good shape. We even changed the name of our house to Spoiler Free Flat. Everyone who passed by our house will know that we are not spoiled.”
”But why calling your house a flat?” Windy questioned.
”Well, seems like it sounds more humble.” Femmy shrugged and filled Windy’s cup with more tea.
The cats kept bragging about their heyday, the luxurious lives they had with their master. Whenever they talked about shopping, their eyes would be glinting with excitement. The cat twins showed their guests around the house. It was filled with Master Antonio’s splendid collections, from crystal chandeliers to antique furniture. When they entered the drawing room, a familiar face caught Jade’s eyes.
”Oh my God!” cried Jade with surprise, “It’s Michael! Windy, look at that painting above the fireplace! That’s Michael from La Femme Nikita!”
”No no,” laughed Femmy, “that’s our beloved Master Antonio! Wasn’t he gorgeous?”
”Talking about Michael, he does look a bit like Antonio.” Kita gazed at the painting with passionate eyes. “That’s why I love that show. Michael always reminds me of Antonio. You like La Femme Nikita, too?”
”Oh yes,” Windy took a good look at the portrait, “Jade and I are searching for Section One. That’s why we came to this village.”
”La Femme Nikita was on at the Central Theatre here eight months ago.” Femmy recalled, “It was a great show. I missed it too!”
Jade and Windy were invited to stay in the house for the night. The four LFN fans talked about their favorite show for hours. Jade asked her new friends to join her LFN search and experience a real spoiler free life away from their deluxe home. In the morning, Femmy and Kita took another glimpse of their Spoiler Free Flat and left the village with Jade and Windy.
