An Adorable Discovery

I looked out at the dark, bland nothingness. I was slowly munching on my midnight snack, hoping to find something that would provide me some form of entertainment. The darkness was not welcomed by me, however, it also was quite relieving. I wouldn’t want something dangerous to be around! Although, I thought too soon, as a creature with small, narrow eyes came into the span of the window. Who- or what is that? I thought, worry starting to pulse throughout me. I slightly opened the window, so that the creature, or person, could hear me. “Hello, why are you here?” I asked politely, not knowing exactly what to do. My voice was greeted with a long, pitiful meow. Alarm sparked in my eyes. A cat?! My love for animals pulled me towards the poor creature. I awkwardly shimmied out the window, my leg almost getting stuck. The broken window screen shook, and almost completely scared the cat away. Then, I realized that I would probably frighten the cat by simply coming out of the window. I was about to shimmy back through the window, until I felt something soft, a comforting rub against my leg. Awkwardly staring down, I realized the cat was the one rubbing against me. I quickly reversed my retreat, and finally managed to reach the grassy ground. I gripped the cat in my hands, realizing how greasy and dirty this animal was. They were surprisingly light, for a cat at least. A thought danced through my mind, what if Mom doesn’t allow me to help this cat? I tried to push away the bothersome theory, which was causing a perpetual knot in my stomach. Luckily, my mother was a deep sleeper, so there was a chance I wouldn't wake her up. The cat was starting to protest, and I realized I couldn’t hold them for much longer. I used my free hand to close the window, and swiftly released the cat. They paced around my legs, rubbing against my feet each time. I assessed the cat, finally deciding to bathe her. Softly, I picked up the cat once again, and walked slowly over to the bathroom. I placed the cat down into the tub, and closed the curtains, in order to not let the cat escape. I turned the knob, leaving a light, flowing stream of water. The stream slowly filled the tub, now coming up to the cat’s belly. I raced to turn it off, afraid to drown the cat. They were surprisingly calm, based on everything I’ve heard about cats and water. Using a mixture of dish soap and vinegar, I carefully filtered my fingers through the cat’s soft coat, dissolving matted bits of fur. After I eventually finished grooming and cleaning the cat, I realized how beautiful they truly were. The cat had a base of white, which was originally hidden by the dirt, with a long black cape-like design sprawled across their body. Lastly, there were small orange splotches on the remainder of the cat’s coat. I stood there, dumbfounded for a moment. The cat looked at me with bright, curious eyes, and I quickly unfroze. I bent over, and flicked the drain on. Within an instant, I heard a loud gurgling noise and the water started to drain from the tub. I opened the curtains, and the cat fled. They ran through the house, leaving wet paw prints on the floor. All I could do was laugh. I heard heavy footsteps coming through the door and a shadow reflecting on the floor. I quickly stopped gigging, and stared up at the figure standing in front of me. At first, I was afraid my mother was going to ground me, but instead, she smiled. “You could have woken me up! I used to work at an animal rescue, you know that.” A wave of memory washed over me, and I suddenly felt embarrassed. “I- I wanted to help the cat myself.” I stated, trying to cover up the fact that I forgot about my mother’s old job. She grinned, “Well, I suppose you are doing a good job. I’ll leave you to it! Good night.” At first, I was a little disappointed to not get her help, but I also felt a rush of independence. I searched the house for the cat, eventually finding them behind the television. I chuckled a bit, and carefully lifted the cat. Then it hit me. The cat’s coat had soft, plentiful fur, a small face, and was very light. This is a kitten! I realized, immediately holding the kitten tighter. I brought them back to the bathroom, this time closing the door. I slipped a white towel off the rack, and started to swish it back and forth on the kitten’s coat. Looking at the immense amount of dirt reflected on the towel, I realized that using a white towel was a bad idea. That dirt better come off in the wash, I thought, humor edging my view. The kitten stared up at me, their eyes round with curiosity. After I finished drying off the cat, I gave them a long pat on the head. They responded back with an affectionate leg rub, making me smile. After a tender moment, I softly placed the kitten in my arms, resting my head on theirs. Slowly, I brought them into my bed, kindly placing the cat on my chest as I laid down. Instead of simply leaping away, the cat settled down, and swiftly curled into a ball. They started purring, and the rest of the moment was filled with love. I slowly drifted off to sleep, the kitten doing so too.

I wrote this story in order to represent my love for cats, and it was very fun to write! This is my second short story ever, so it is definitely not going to be amazing. I hope you enjoy reading, and any feedback would be appreciated! (you can give me feedback in the comment section!) (: