You clear your throat. โWhatโฆ what do you do here?โ โI wait for my person.โ The catโs voice is deep. It resonates in your chest. โShe cannot walk where she โ where you are from. I wait by the ramp to ease her path.โ โOh, a wheelchair?โ you blurt out. โDid she โ uh โ did she ride you? Is that a weirdโโ The catโs purr is interrupted by the low rumble of its laughter. โYes, she rides me. She cannot walk there, but here,โ the catโs eyes open, โhere she flies with me.โ โSo youโre waiting for her?โ The cat nods, twitching its whiskers. Such a normal cat behavior seems bizarre and wonderful when magnified like this. โHow long since you saw her last?โ The catโs eyes search the stars. โHm,โ it muses, โ200 hundred years? Maybe three.โ "Oh." Your heart drops in your chest. "Oh, I'm sorry, but we don't live that long." The purring ceases. After a moment, it begins again, the catโs chest slowly pumping like a bellows. โI was afraid of that,โ the cat hums, its eyes closing. โPerhaps it is time for the next one, after all.โ โThe next one?โ You take a very small step closer, so curious. โYouโve had otherโฆ people?โ "I have had many companions. They arrive when they are meant to. They need my help and I give it to them freely. I do not keep them when they are called away." You lean against the railing, frowning. "Will you forget her?" "Never," the cat intones. Its answer is immediate. "I never forget them." It feels sweet to hear that. You smile. "I hope your next one comes soon." The cat lifts a great, tawny lid to look at you. "Did it ever occur to you that it might be you?"
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If you made it this far, thanks ๐ค I felt like stretching my creative writing muscle on this one. Maybe that's what Tumblr is for for me, writing a little more here and there as these dimensions inspire me.
I hope you're well, Tumblr people.
