Black cat

The herb shop in the middle of downtown didn't get very many visitors - it maintained a sense of traditional medicine in a world of ever advancing technologies, which many mocked it for - but the low cost of its supplies and a healthy supply of regulars kept it in business. The only real expense its owners had made towards advertising their store was the fine marble statue of an eastern dragon in front of the shop. It was a beautiful black marble, finely chiseled and incredibly smooth to the touch. They encouraged their guests to touch the dragon, to stroke its nose and run their hands along its mane, for good luck. They cleaned and polished the stone daily, and few of their customers actually touched the stone for luck, so after ten years, it continued to look as immaculate as the day they had bought it.

If there was anyone who was a particular fan of the dragon, though, it was the owner's cat. A black burmese, who was a large fan of disappearing into other black objects in the warm sun and generally being lazy. Though he was hard to spot, he could often be found somewhere along the dragon's body, curled up in a ball and sleeping or lazily watching the humans walk by. He didn't much need affection, which is why he spent so much of his time hiding - he knew at the end of the day, he could walk back inside and his masters would have food ready for him.

On that particular day, he was surprisingly visible, laying on the very top of the dragon's head, curled up in a ball with his head buried in his own lap. It was a hot summer day, but there weren't many people mulling about in the streets. It was a strange day, that brought so few people down the streets, for while not many went into the shop, many still passed by it, barely deigning to give it a second glance. It was this strangeness that encouraged the cat to rest out in the open.

Around midday the cat awoke and stretched out, letting out a small meow as it did so. At the same moment, the dragon statue blinked its stone eyes, adjusting its vision to the light. It had been some time since it had really tried to see, but the mewl had awoken it from its nap.