In a quiet little bookshop, Whiskerstein – a peculiar cat lived amongst stacks of dusty novels and shiny bestsellers. Whiskerstein was, however, not an ordinary cat – she had a secret passion for storytelling and writing. While other cats used to chase mice, laid around on cat rooftops or nap in sunbeams, Whiskerstein spent all her nights typing away on a vintage typewriter hidden in the attic.
She used to write poems and even short stories, and her paws moved swiftly over the keys. She created stories which were solely about the world only as a cat could see it.
Some of her finest poems included Ode to the Empty Bowl, The Sunbeam Sonata, Paws on the Keyboard, The Mouse That Got Away, The Mystery of the Red Dot, A Symphony of Purring, Tales from the Litter Box and Tuna Dreams Midnight Schemes.
Some of the stories included stories about daring rooftop adventures, thrilling mouse heists, secret lives of house plants, etc. Whiskerstein had an endless imagination where she produced wonderful pieces but one dream loomed over her, and that was to become a published author.
On one warm night, as Whiskerstein managed to complete her latest manuscript, The Purrfect Crime, she pondered over thoughts of how she could get her work published. She thought and thought until it suddenly dawned upon her that she lived in a bookshop where her shop owner was a struggling author!
Using her charm and stealth, Whiskerstein managed to leave her manuscript on the desk of her shop owner, Clara’s table.
The next day, when Clara found this manuscript on her table, she also happened to notice the authentic-looking signature on it: W. Stein.
After contemplating for a few minutes, she decided to submit the draft for publishing, thinking that an anonymous but shy and talented writer had left it behind. Becoming an instant hit overnight, ‘The Purrfect Crime’ became the talk of the town, with everyone wondering who W. Stein was.
Simultaneously, Whiskerstein basked in this secret success and was riding on Cloud 9, in happiness! She would lounge in the bookshop, with her tail twitching in pride as she would watch customers smile as they flipped the pages of his book. Clara, often wondered to herself, “Oh how I wish I could meet this W. Stein! She seems like quite a genius!”
As Whiskerstein kept on submitting manuscripts and Clara sent them for publishing, each story became more popular than the one before. This was truly an adventure to be an undercover writer for her. She was able to follow her dreams, one pawstep at a time!
The twist was when Clara started to receive a letter addressed to Whiskerstein, where her book had been shortlisted for the prestigious Golden Quill Award. Now, Clara had never even met Whiskerstein, and people began to demand that W. Stein be present at the ceremony. “How will I be able to explain that I have never even met him?” Clara thought to herself.
She then decided that she had to inform the Awards Committee and as she sadly began to type a letter addressed to them, Detective Baxter – a retired police investigator entered the bookshop. He was a sharp-eyed old man with a furry moustache and he loved to solve problems. Word seemed to have spread quickly as he quickly picked up on the mystery of the missing W. Stein.
Confidently and somewhat with a sense of pride, Baxter approached the shop owner and declared, “Clara, I will find this writer for you!” Surprised but with a somewhat sense of relief that someone was willing to help her find this writer, Clara agreed to this and let the detective take charge.
Little did she know, this wise little writer (Whiskerstein) had overheard this conversation. Typing furiously on the keyboard, she began to pen down a story entitled ‘The Curious Case of The Meddling Detective.’ It was duly submitted on the bookstore’s table the next morning.
However, the next morning, Baxter appeared in the shop and began to search for any possible clues that could be found. However, not only was this laughable but also thrilling for Whiskerstein to witness. She began to leave behind certain noticeable clues such as pawprints on a dusty shelf, a rolled-up paper from her typewriter, etc. Baxter became more and more confused, as they began to play this game of cat and house with Whiskerstein ALWAYS one step ahead.
Finally, the day of the Golden Quill Award ceremony arrived, and Clara was forced to attend alone. “Where is this W. Stein, and why won’t she take credit for her work?” she wondered. “How very, very odd,” she thought to herself.
The ceremony began and Clara began to feel nervous. She had a gut feeling that she would be able to meet W. Stein tonight but she tried not to entertain such thoughts or that it was even plausible that could happen.
All this commotion over one writer who she decided to help by publishing his work. She could have avoided all of this had she not submitted his work. However, as soon as W. Stein’s name was announced as the winner of the prize she dutifully stood up.
However, at that very moment, the strangest thing also happened. A cat leapt on stage. It was Whiskerstein! She had managed to escape from the bookstore and follow Clara to the venue!
As the cat owned her place on the stage, the audience let out a gasp wondering what was going on. Then it hit Clara; all the clues- the pawprints the scraps of paper and the mysterious manuscripts.
Clara then walked on the stage and had a word with the host standing there. “It seems to be that uh… a cat has won this award,” he said.
The whole room erupted in laughter, excepting Clara. She was taken back in disbelief. Whiskerstein stood proudly at the podium, refusing to budge. As the surprised audience struggled to digest that it was a feline author who penned these stories, Clara smiled at herself. “This has got to be the most bizarre thing that I have ever come across!” she exclaimed.
The host then announced on the mic, Ladies and gentlemen, we have now solved the case of W. Stein!
Whiskerstein became an overnight sensation not just for her stories but for being the first feline author of all time! People from all pockets of the city flocked to Clara’s book corner to catch a glimpse of this literary genius.
Though initially amused, Clara began to represent Whiskerstein and became her official representative; ensuring that the cat had a good amount of tuna and nap time and the books were being sold.
As for Baxter, he cringed with jealousy at how he could not solve this mystery. He was rather very impressed at his furry adversary. “That cat is sharper than a lot of people I have met”
As Whiskerstein continued to write many books, his latest book basked in the most glory, ‘A Tale of Mystery, Ambition and a Cat Who Dared to Dream.”
