It was a tiny black kitten that found the boy when he didn’t want to be found. It may have been malnourished, but it was dextrous and keen of eye, so leapt before the boy as he sat.
The most natural action of the world for a kitten is, of course, to hop into the nearest lap. The angry red in the boy’s eyes, though, paused it, and he spoke his first petulant words to the kitten. “What do you want?”
“I see you,” the kitten said. “I see your heart. And I see it’s cat-shaped hole.”
The boy stared with a new fascination at the kitten, but said, “Go away.”
Instead of obeying the kitten jumped into his lap, causing the boy to pull his hands away as if the tiny creature were made of hot iron. But he didn’t throw the kitten from his lap.
The kitten settled, following its tail in circles until it nestled into the boy’s lap, purring loudly and gently. Sensing the boy settle under him, the kitten said, “She must have been very special.”
With a pretense of anger, the boy asked, “Who?”
“The one who came before me. The one who left the hole in you.”
The air calmed around the two and the kitten felt the boy gently place a hand on its back. “She was.”
“Tell me how she was special.”
There was a long hesitation before the boy responded. “She was beautiful and sweet as she was stubborn and brave. She loved everyone but especially me. But she didn’t love me enough to stay inside and got out one night and a car hit her.” The kitten, eyes closed, could hear the anger and tears in the boy’s voice. “Now she’s dead.”
“That’s so sad. Was she young?”
“No. She was ten.”
“Oh!” the kitten sleepily exclaimed. “That’s ancient. Was she a wizard?”
A small, involuntary laugh escaped the boy as he reflexively began to pet the kitten. “No. That’s not very old for a cat. You don’t need to have magic for that much life.”
“Then I’ll be sure to live that long.”
The gentle hand petting the kitten stopped. “But she broke my heart.”
“All good things do.”
“She could have stayed inside.”
“You can’t ask something to change its nature just because it loves you.” The kitten snuggled into the boy, urging him to continue his petting. “Besides, I’m different.”
“How?”
“I’m a boy,” said the kitten, “I won’t go outside. Everyone knows all boys are cowards.”
The kitten was jostled in his lap as the boy chuckled. After a moment, he picked up the kitten in his hands to take him home. “Maybe so.”
See the author’s published work here.
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So sweet!
I may have cried a bit when writing this one.
Healing tears.
Lovely dear Matthew! you are a wonder!