Opening post by Cathryn Furr · #1
Before the first arrow was loosed, someone had left the latch unfastened. I keep Niko’s lobster treats in a screw-top tin inside the upper pantry cupboard, with a child latch fitted; the counter is only a staging ground, and Allie Blu treats any unattended packet as tribute.
When I give Niko one, I take out the tin, close the pantry, and bring him to the kitchen table before opening it. Count: Niko, Bianca, Allie Blu. Bianca gets the speech, Niko the treat, and Allie gets no chance to raid the supply.
If you share a home with a determined thief, put the tin back and test the latch with one firm tug; a high shelf alone is not a lock. Count again: Niko, Bianca, Allie Blu. If the tin is missing, I blame the nearest absent lord.