Once upon a time, there was a cat who played the violin. She had a cow friend who could do somersaults and other acrobatic tricks. Together, they traveled from village to village, selling tickets during the days and putting on shows in the evenings when the moon was rising. In one village there was a famous chef everyone called The Spoon because his soups were so good. For many years, he had been in love with Esmerelda, the most beautiful young lady in all the land. People called her The Dish. Esmerelda (The Dish) was saving her love for a Prince Charming, but she didn't know any Prince Charming. She did have a little dog named Barkley who had been put under a magic spell by Esmerelda's fairy godmother. Esmerelda's mom suggested that she forget about finding a prince and just try to marry a nice man instead. Esmerelda (The Dish) said, "How can I tell if someone is a nice man, Mama?" Her mom answered, "If you meet a man and Barkley growls, stay away from him. If you meet a man and Barkley laughs, he's probably a nice man." And so, the day came when the cat and the cow came to this little village to put on a show. Everyone bought tickets for the evening show because by now the cat and cow were famous. Just after the sun went down and the stars filled the sky, the moon began to rise. Esmerelda sat next to the chef. The cow was ready. The cat raised her violin to play and... Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such sport And "The Dish" ran away with "The Spoon"! Copyright 2009, Jerry Jindrich. All rights reserved.