#adad

aDaD - #4

'Handover hugs'

ADAD 2025: 85/365

Jan Dyntera: lost in Habrielizmaballach

Dr. Jack Abbot & a kitten

Summary: Jack is suffering from ptstd, phantom limb pain and grief when he has a unexpected meeting.

Cw: mentions of phantom pain, hurt animals (no animal cruelty though)

This is my contribution for the ADAD event. I hope you like it. 💜 @letsgobarbs @ananonymousaffair @clubsoft

Divider: @saradika-graphics

“Hugh. Another morning, another wake to phantom pain.” Jack held his arm over his eyes as he groaned in annoyance. After losing his leg, everything suddenly got so much harder, because what he will truly connect to that day was how his wife died next to him in the line of active duty. He saw no point in getting up, just so he could face another day filled with the pain of a limb that wasn’t even there anymore and being tormented by survivor's guilt. He wanted to turn around again when he heard noises from outside that he couldn’t quite place. He slowly got up and as he sat on the bed, he took a good look in the mirror, hoping to see that part of the leg was gone would ease the pain. After he put on the prosthetic, he slowly walked out of the house to where the noise came from.

He found a small, curled-up grey kitten in his backyard, and it was hurt. “Hey little one, are you ok? Where is your mommy?” He knelt in front of the furball and looked around, but saw nothing. The little kitten was so thin, dirty, and hurt that it almost broke his heart. “You’re a fighter, aren’t you? Hang in there, I’ve got you.” Jack picked her up and held her close to him.

He put a blanket in a box and then proceeded to take a quick shower and brush his teeth, and as he got dressed to leave the house, he realised this would be the first time he'd leave the house in weeks. “Ok, let’s get you to a vet, little one.” Jack caressed the tiny head of the kitten when her paw reached out for him. He tried to fight the urge to get attached, but this was fated, he thought.

“She’ll be fine. The blood wasn’t hers, and we couldn’t find any other injuries.” The vet explained to Jack. “She’s, however, malnourished and needs a lot of care. We think she was either abandoned or she was from a street cat litter. In any case, she is not chipped.” He explained further. 

“I’ll take her.” Jack didn’t even hesitate. He knew he needed her as much as she needed him. The vet smiled, relieved. He was worried for the kitten's future if that hadn’t been the case.  Besides, now that she was clean and he could take a good look at her, it was almost hilarious that her salt and pepper fur matched with his hair. 

“Do you have a name for her? We could get the paperwork done.” He offered. 

“Freya. She’s a fighter.” He smiled and held her paw again, staring into her tiny golden eyes. 

“I’m giving you some information on how to raise a malnourished kitten, but if you have questions, you can always call.” The nurse handed him papers. 

“We give you kmr for the first couple of days. But you can buy it in supermarkets in the cat food sections and please come back next week so I can do a check-up.

Two weeks later.

“Meow!” Freya squeaked as she woke up on Jack's chest. It was time for food, and her human should know better. As her cute and adorable squeaks didn’t do anything, she proceeded to gracefully stomp on his face with her front paws. 

“I’m awake. Let a man sleep. Will you?” He huffed. 

“MEOW!” She countered. 

The Myth of Etana

The Myth of Etana is the story of the Sumerian antediluvian King of Kish who ascends to heaven on an eagle to request the Plant of Birth from the gods so that he might have a son. Etana is named as the first king of Kish in the Sumerian King List (composed c. 2100 BCE) which claims he reigned early in the 3rd millenium BCE. According to the Sumerian King List, Etana was known as "he who stabilized the lands" after the gods had created order out of chaos and established the concepts of kingship and government among humanity. Etana was, therefore, a well-known and highly respected figure and would have been chosen as the central character for precisely this reason. A central message of the myth is that one should trust in the gods and Etana, a great king, would have been chosen by the unknown author as the best exemplar in conveying that message.

Central Message

That the myth is very old is attested to by cylinder seals depicting Etana on the eagle's back which date from the reign of Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BCE). The British Museum has among its holdings a fragment of The Myth of Etana from King Assurbanipal's library at Ninevah, dating from the 7th century but, as G.S. Kirk points out:

The Neo-Assyrian version from Ashurbanipal's library happens to be the most surviving text, but where it overlaps with an Old Babylonian version of a thousand years earlier it corresponds with it very closely, sometimes word for word. A short Middle Assyrian fragment maintains the same accuracy. (25)

The story contains many motifs seen in myths of every culture: a great city created by the gods, a search for a worthy ruler, talking animals, broken oaths, divine intervention and a quest which brings the hero to the land of the gods (this one involving an eagle of mythic proportions). The myth may have been intended, as suggested by R. McRoberts, to convey a political message regarding kingship:

When this story is placed in the context of the First Dynasty of Kish, and its exceptional rule of twenty three consecutive kings, it can be seen as more than a tale of fantasy. Earlier dynasties in the King Lists show only a few kings ruling in succession. It is possible that the success of the First Dynasty of Kish could be owed in part to a new tradition of passing the monarchy on to a male heir of the previous king. The myth of Etana served as a colorful reminder that it was the king's duty to go to any lengths, or heights as the case may be, to produce that heir. (40)

While McRoberts' observation is certainly valid, the duty of the king was not only to his people but to the gods who had not only given him life but placed him in his position. According to Sumerian belief (and Mesopotamian belief in general), the gods had created humanity as co-workers to maintain order and keep the forces of chaos in check. The king was responsible to both the gods and his subjects to make sure the gods' will was followed. He could not perform this task if he had no faith in the gods himself and so the myth, in addition to its many other themes, would have emphasized Etana's faith in the gods even when it seems his prayers have not been answered.