A warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows into the living room. Phursie was stretched out on the sofa, fast asleep. Only the sound of soft breathing filled the quiet space.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Pumcat and April were whispering with their heads close together.
“April, Phursie is napping again. I want to wake him up… but just shaking him would be boring, right? Got any fun ideas?”
“Hehe, of course I do! The best method ever. You jump on his face and cover it completely! Lie down flat so your whole body smothers his face. The moment Phursie’s eyes snap open in shock is pure art. I tried it on a friend before and the reaction was… explosive!”
Pumcat’s big green eyes sparkled. The green stem on his pumpkin head wiggled slightly.
“Cover his… face? That sounds… fun. Okay, I’ll do it!”
April was already shaking with suppressed laughter. Pumcat crept carefully but excitedly toward the sofa. He lowered his black body, stretched out his green front paws, and flopped right onto Phursie’s face.
Plop!
Pumcat’s pumpkin face completely covered Phursie’s nose and mouth. The soft pumpkin surface and warm body heat pressed down fully.
At that moment—
“Pwahahaha!”
April burst out laughing, rolling on the floor. She clutched her stomach so hard her glasses nearly slipped off. Her chicken tail wagged wildly.
Phursie’s eyes flew open. For a second he had no idea what was happening and flailed his hands in panic.
“Uwaah! What the—!? Pumcat!?”
When Phursie swung his arms in surprise, Pumcat yelped “Uwaa!” and tumbled backward. His pumpkin head tilted, and his green legs flailed in the air.
“Success! Total success! Did you see Phursie’s face? It was priceless!”
“Ugh… You put me up to this, April. But… Phursie’s reaction was stronger than I expected.”
Phursie stared at his two friends in a daze, then sighed and let out a small laugh.
“You guys… seriously… Next time I won’t let you off so easily.”
Laughter from the three friends echoed loudly through the living room. Pumcat’s mischievous pumpkin face and April’s cheeky grin turned an ordinary afternoon into a special memory.
Some time later, Phursie plopped down on the sofa with his arms crossed, cheeks puffed out in annoyance. His ears drooped, and his tail thumped against the floor in frustration. His face still felt hot from the earlier prank.
Just then, the front door opened and familiar footsteps approached. The three lived together as roommates in a family house, bound by friendship.
“Excuse us, Phursie! We’re Come in~ Anything fun happen today?”
“Ford, my friend, I bought Tempura again. Your favorite flavor.”
The two “uncles” noticed Phursie’s expression immediately. Their usually cheerful nephew was sitting there in full sulk mode.
“…Uncles… Today Pumcat and April did something really weird to me. I was napping and suddenly Pumcat flopped right on my face and completely covered it! April was laughing her head off beside us… It was too much!”
As Phursie covered his face with his hands and explained what happened, Ford and Ted tilted their heads in unison.
“…He covered your face? A pumpkin cat?”
“So that’s their way of waking someone up? Haah, kids these days and their pranks… I really don’t get it. You must’ve been really startled, Phursie.”
Ford thought for a moment, then a mischievous smile spread across his face. The clever glint typical of a raccoon sparkled in his eyes.
“Hmm… So that’s what happened. Cheer up, Phursie. Uncle has some good news for you.”
Ford leaned in close and whispered, placing a hand on Phursie’s shoulder.
“How about the three of us quietly plan a little ‘operation’ this weekend? We can properly pay them back for what they did to you. I know a good way… We can use something they like to give them a real scare. What do you say? Want revenge?”
“Ford, here we go again… But looking at Phursie’s face, he actually seems interested this time.”
Phursie’s drooping ears perked up slightly, and a mischievous spark flashed in his eyes. He wasn’t completely over it yet, but the uncles’ suggestion was starting to intrigue him.
“…Really? Then… tell me the details, Uncle Ford.”
The living room atmosphere slowly shifted into “Prank Operation” mode.
Phursie, Ford, and Ted sat together on the living room sofa. Ford rubbed his hands with a mischievous grin, while Ted sat with his arms crossed, shaking his head.
“Alright, here’s my plan. First, we lure Pumcat and April into a completely dark room with no lights. We can say something like ‘We have a secret present’ or ‘I’ll tell you a scary story.’ Once we lock the door… Phursie, you go in wearing a ghost costume and scare the daylights out of them! Just imagining the pumpkin cat and chicken cat screaming is hilarious, right?”
Ford waved his arms dramatically as he explained. Phursie’s eyes sparkled for a moment.
“That won’t work, Ford. We already did something similar last year — the ‘Dark Warehouse Ghost Operation.’ Remember how it turned out? Pumcat got excited and said ‘I made a ghost friend!’ and followed it around, and April put on her glasses and started ‘analyzing the ghost,’ making it even worse. It’ll be the same this time. Those two are just not the type to get scared easily.”
Ted shrugged and shot down Ford’s plan. Ford pouted.
“My idea is a bit more… direct. We wait until Pumcat and April are about to take another nap. When they let their guard down and lie down, we quickly grab them and pin them firmly on the table. Then we spank their butts properly. ‘You won’t prank again, right?’ While they cry and beg ‘We’re sorry! We’ll never do it again!’ — that’s when we stop. That’ll be the most effective.”
Ted tapped the table as he explained. Phursie’s face gradually turned red.
“No way… That’s exactly what happened when you uncles got spanked by Dad! What if Pumcat and April go crying to Mom and Dad saying ‘The uncles spanked us!’? I’ll be in big trouble! Absolutely not!”
“Haha, Ted, your plan is pretty intense. Phursie looks scared.”
“Well, it would definitely work… but if Phursie doesn’t like it, we’ll find another way.”
Phursie sighed as he looked back and forth between his two uncles. He really wanted revenge, but he was afraid of the consequences.
“Uncles… Isn’t there a safer and more fun way? Something that makes them regret it but isn’t too harsh…”
The three put their heads together again and began brainstorming new ideas. A playful tension filled the living room.
Phursie was quietly baking pumpkin pies in the kitchen. The soft aroma of pumpkin filled the house. Ford watched with a sly smile.
“This is what I came up with. Since Pumcat loves pumpkin… I’ll make two pumpkin pies — one for Pumcat and one for April. Uncle Ford, Uncle Ted, will you help?”
“Oh ho, great idea! I’ll sprinkle a special sauce on just this piece.”
Ford quickly drizzled a clear liquid (laxative) evenly over the pies. Ted stood at a distance with his arms crossed, shaking his head, but didn’t stop them.
A little later, Pumcat and April followed the smell into the kitchen.
“Wow! Pumpkin pie? Phursie, did you make this for us?”
“It smells amazing! I love pumpkin pie!”
The two friends happily took the pies and began eating with delight. Phursie, Ford, and Ted watched secretly from afar, laughing to themselves.
A few minutes later…
Their stomachs began to churn with strange signals.
“Ugh… My stomach feels… weird…”
“Me too… Suddenly my insides… urgh!”
Both cats clutched their stomachs and butts and dashed toward the bathroom. They slammed the door and stayed inside. Uncomfortable sounds continued to come out. It wasn’t just once — they kept running back and forth to the bathroom.
In the living room, Phursie, Ford, and Ted high-fived to celebrate the success of the operation.
“Haha! It worked perfectly!”
“The effect was faster than I thought. Good choice, Phursie.”
Pumcat came out of the bathroom weakly and approached Phursie with a pleading look.
“Phursie… I’m sorry. About covering your face while you were napping… Can you forgive me? My stomach really hurts…”
Phursie stood with his arms crossed and spoke coldly.
“No use. I felt really bad back then too. Now it’s your turn to feel it.”
Pumcat clutched his stomach again and hurried back to the bathroom. April, with a pale face, kept going back and forth as well.
For several days after that, Pumcat and April had to visit the bathroom frequently every single day. Especially Pumcat — after the pumpkin pie incident, even smelling pumpkin made him cautiously rub his stomach in caution.
‘Finally, I feel a bit satisfied…’
Ford and Ted smiled in satisfaction at their great-nephew’s successful revenge. The scent of pumpkin pie still lingered in the house, but to Pumcat and April, it had become a ‘danger signal.’
Several days later, one morning.
After Phurah(Phursie’s Mom)gave them each a spoonful of stomach medicine (syrup type), Pumcat and April were sprawled weakly on the living room sofa. Pumcat’s pumpkin head drooped more than usual, and his green hands gently rubbed his belly. April had taken off her glasses, stuck her tongue out slightly, and stared at the ceiling.
“Ugh… Just smelling pumpkin now makes my stomach… gurgle… I can’t eat pumpkin pie anymore…”
“Me too… My chicken tail has no strength left. It feels like I’ve formed an eternal bond with the bathroom. Phursie… he got his revenge good.”
Just then, Phursie approached carrying two cups of warm ginger tea. Ford and Ted Watched secretly from behind.
“Here, drink this. Uncle said it helps calm the stomach. …I’m still a little angry, but I didn’t mean to make you suffer for so long.”
Pumcat struggled to sit up and took a sip. April put her glasses back on and sipped as well.
“Phursie… I’m really sorry. I thought covering your face while you napped was just a harmless prank… I didn’t know it would make you feel that bad. Can you… forgive us?”
“I was the worst for encouraging it while laughing. I won’t do that kind of prank again. My stomach hurts so much… I’m seriously reflecting on it.”
Phursie sighed as he looked at his friends’ pale faces. He wasn’t completely over it, but seeing them suffer for days softened his heart a little.
“I guess… I went a bit too far this time. But since you’re sincerely apologizing… I’ll forgive you just this once. But if you do it again… I’ll prepare something even scarier.”
“Haha, Phursie turned out to be surprisingly scary. Pumcat, April, now you understand, right? Pranks should be kept within limits.”
Ted sipped the ginger tea secretly and spoke to them.
“Now, eat some light porridge and rest today. You’ll recover fully in a few more days if you’re careful.”
For the next couple of days, Pumcat and April still had to visit the bathroom often and struggled, but gradually their appetites returned and they regained their energy.
Pumcat started liking carrot cake instead of pumpkin pie, and April created her own personal project called “Get Phursie’s Permission Before Any Future Pranks.”
A few days later, Phursie, Pumcat, April, Ford, and Ted were laughing together again in the living room while playing games.
“Phursie… You’re not mad anymore, right?”
“Yeah. But… I’m never making pumpkin pie for you again.”
Everyone burst into laughter. This incident created a new rule among the friends about the ‘limits of pranks.’
Several days later, on a warm afternoon.
April and Pumcat were walking slowly in the backyard, chatting. Pumcat still occasionally touched his stomach cautiously, but April seemed to have fully recovered.
“Pumcat! I found something on the internet — butt-spanking pranks! It looks super fun! Want to try? Just lightly this time!”
“Eh… Again? Won’t Phursie get mad…?”
“It’ll be fine! This time we’ll only do it lightly to Uncle Ossie! He’s very understanding. Come on, follow me!”
The two cats sneaked back into the house. Ossie (Phursie’s dad) was in his study, busy searching for something. He was bent over his desk drawer, sticking his butt out slightly.
At that moment, April quietly pulled down Ossie’s pants and quickly grabbed a wooden plank (broom handle) and gave his butt a light... whack!
“Yahoo! Success!”
“Uwaaa!?”
April grabbed Pumcat’s hand tightly and dashed toward the back door.
“Uwaah! What the hell——!? Pumcat! April! Are you pranking again!?”
Ossie’s face turned bright red. Thoroughly annoyed, he picked up the plank and started chasing the two cats.
“You little rascals! Just wait till I catch you! This time I’m really going to teach you a lesson!”
April and Pumcat screamed and laughed as they ran across the yard. April’s chicken tail wagged excitedly, and Pumcat’s pumpkin head bobbed up and down.
Phursie, watching the scene from afar, let out a deep sigh and muttered.
“I thought they had learned their lesson and would behave… but of course, this kind of thing will probably continue forever…”
Phursie shook his head and watched the three of them run off. From behind him came the sound of Ford and Ted giggling. Pumcat and April’s pranks were never-ending.
And Phursie’s peaceful daily life… would probably never be peaceful again.
The End
