The Ink Well Prompt #106
Prompt Word: Reality TV
“Here’s your tea, Mr. Hirata,” said Kaida, gently placing the mug onto the wooden table and taking a step back to give a subtle bow. She sat at the facing table with her coworkers; all of their chairs turned to face the two producers dressed in suits. Some of the crew members sat in chairs near the adjacent table in the middle of the room.
“Thank you,” Mr. Hirata said softly. He turned to his partner, Jomei Endo, “Shall we get started?” He looked down and pursed his lips. “So, I asked you guys to meet with me here today because…the ratings are in.” The cast and crew members said nothing and looked around at each other, embarrassed. They already knew the ratings.
“You guys… we can do better.” Mr. Hirata said. “But how will we do that with the down season ahead? It’s already late April.”
Mika, a cafe server chimed in. “We’ve also lost some of the seasonal workers already.”
“Less servers means less characters. Less customers means less money and even worse ratings. It’s going to be a snoozefest,” said Jomei, thinking out loud.
“We did manage to up our sales and had an increase in adoptions, though.” Kaida tried to introduce a silver lining while she became distracted by a fleeting furry creature passing through the fabric ottoman seats nearby. She held out her hand and rubbed her middle finger and thumb quickly together, beckoning the fluffy Calico. The cat, Smudge, trotted over as Kaida tapped her seat for the cat to jump up. “Our adoptions almost doubled.”
“I thought the cat fashion show was a big hit. It drew a large crowd at least,” Kota, a barista, added. He looked over toward the cameraman who was nodding in agreement with him, then looked at Mr. Hirata and Jomei to gauge their response.
“Yes, but we need a little more…” Jomei paused, trying to find the right word, “drama when we have these events, competitions, and such. We need viewers to be more on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what happens next among you guys, the characters.”
Tori, a barista who’d been sitting quietly the whole time, finally spoke up. “So, you want us to act?”
Mr. Hirata and Jomei looked at each other, then Mr. Hirata turned to Tori and said, “Sort of.” The cast looked around at each other and nodded their heads in compliance. “We could always get our writers to help out if you want.”
“What about having a celebrity come to the cafe?” Tori said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Mr. Hirata. “We’ll have to see who we can get when we look through our contacts.”
“What celebrity would present a good image to a cat cafe?” Pondered Jomei, out loud to himself, while pulling a pen out of his pocket. “And who’s willing to travel to Okinawa during the down season?”
“Mr. Hirata?” Mika said, hesitant. He looked over at her as she sat with her mouth open, wanting to speak, but still unsure of how to get the words out. “You know the Tabby… Pilot?”
“Yes,” said Mr. Hirata. He leaned forward, confused, but intrigued.“The orange tabby. The fat one you used to call Pumpkin?”
“Mika…” Tori looked sternly at Mika with wide eyes and shook her head, knowing what she was about to say. Everyone else in the room looked confused.
Mika looked sheepishly around the room at the others, then Tori. She turned toward Mr. Hirata. “Can you come here when it’s dark? At least a few hours before Midnight?”
Mika looked at the two producers up front, then at Tori, who was shaking her head. The producers looked at each other, then at Mika, and nodded their heads.
That night, Mika walked through the front entrance of the cafe and was greeted by a grey Scottish Fold named Loki who was walking on the counter. Loki’s head greeted Mika’s hand endearingly as she extended her arm out to pet her head. She looked out back into the outdoor area, lit up by outdoor lights. She saw a group of people, including the producers, standing around. Tori had already seen her and was walking toward the back door in order to catch her alone.
“I’ll go get Pilot.” Tori said. “But I’ll leave all the explaining to you.” Mika nodded her head, but still felt uneasy about disclosing their secret. “You do realize this might not be a good idea, right?”
“I know,” said Mika, filled with apprehension. She had some slight regret toward speaking up earlier that day.
Mika walked out the back door through the covered porch, and down the stairs to greet the producers, Kaida, and Kota. All of them stood there anxiously watching her walk toward them. Anticipation filled the air. Tori came out another doorway and walked toward them with Pilot in her hands; her small arms wrapped around him with her hands holding up his fat round tummy. She placed him down in front of everyone and kneeled down beside him.
Mika looked at the others and opened her mouth to speak, but then realized she didn’t know where to begin. “He flies. But--” She blurted this out, then began to stammer. “Well first, there’s a whole process that -- You see, it was just the two of us one night after work… I was petting him and felt a small object attached to him.” She said this while kneeling down to show them. Mr. Hirata bent down to see closer as she moved some orange fur out of the way to show a valve stem. It looked almost like one you’d see on a tire. She looked up at the others, who were watching intently, then looked back down as she began to twist off the cap. Everyone gasped and stood back as there was a sound of air pressure being released. They watched in shock as the hefty feline not only began to deflate, but he also started to change appearance. As he shrunk in girth, his fur became scarce and a glossy vinyl material began to show through. It was as though Pilot was being transformed into a cartoon version of himself.
Kota stepped forward, as though he wanted to help the cat. “It’s okay. This is just part of the process.” Mika said, holding out her arm to stop him. Then she stood up and backed away, knowing what would come next. POOF! The new vinyl cartoon Pilot self-inflated in an instant, and was slowly starting to float upwards. The worried onlookers now stood in awe with their mouths open.
“Stand back,” said Tori, guiding them out from underneath the floating cat. Right as they moved, a gondola, attached by ropes, fell down from the middle. Kota, Kaida, and the producers looked at each other in amazement.
“Who’s ready to get in?” Mika said, as her and Tori boarded onto the gondola. “We can only fit one more.” Jomei stepped forward eagerly, while the three others still had caution in their eyes.
“But… you guys don’t know how to fly this thing. You’re not pilots,” said Mr. Hirata. “This is technically illegal.” He said this disappointed, knowing it wouldn’t be right for the show.
“We’ve had some practice,” Mika said, smiling, as her, Tori and Jomei floated up into the air.
“Where are we going?” asked Jomei. He was breaking the silence as the three of them drifted quietly into the air in the giant cat balloon. Until then, they had stood in silent awe as they looked around enjoying the night view and surreal experience.
“A couple weeks ago, we snuck into the pool at the Ritz. It was the most fun I’ve ever had.” Tori said. She said this as a suggestion, rather than a fact. Mika smiled at her, then looked at Jomei, who was starting to look apprehensive.
“You guys,” he said. “I think Mr. Hirata is right. This whole thing just isn’t going to be right for the show.”
“This is probably the only chance we’ll ever have of swimming at the Ritz,” Mika said, speaking for her and Tori. Jomei realized he was completely powerless in this situation, so he didn’t argue as Mika adjusted the ropes.
As they floated down toward the pool balcony, Mika and Tori grabbed onto a palm tree next to the balcony and pulled themselves closer to the side to tie the balloon. They went to grab the balcony ledge in an attempt to climb over, but suddenly the light to the adjacent hotel room flicked on. Out onto the small hotel balcony, walked a beautiful woman with long flowing hair, looking completely bewildered. Haruko Yamada?! Even in the dim light, they could recognize her high cheek bones and signature doe eyes. Both parties wore stunned looks on their faces; the girls and Jomei because they had been caught by none other than a famous actress from Tokyo. Meanwhile, Haruko stood aghast because she was roused by a giant, yet adorable, cat balloon and strangers climbing onto the pool balcony.
“I’m so sorry,” Tori stepped toward Haruko and slightly bowed. “Please don’t tell on us. We can explain.”
After seeing this sight, Haruko was too intrigued not to hear their explanation. She invited them inside to the hotel lounge. Just before Midnight, the balloon was brought onto the pool balcony where it transformed back into a real cat at exactly Midnight. Haruko cuddled Pilot in her arms back to her hotel room. The cast and producers lay, snoring, sprawled out on the couches and chaises in the lounge. Little did they know, they had officially found Pilot’s new owner and a celebrity who was willing to be on their reality show.