Original: 6-25-00
Revision: 11-22-12, 9:40PM (Thanksgiving Day)
The Pet
Life Beyond the Window
By T.K. Wade
Dedication
I dedicate this story to Patches, Jimmy, Ringo, and Leslie.
The Pet – Life Beyond the Window
I walked around my new home feeling very safe. It was very kind of my new mother to give this entire place to me. It was so big–much bigger than that tiny room where I used to live with my brothers. It was all mine too. I went about as I pleased and played wherever I wanted to. I was free to live out my life peacefully.
As kind of my new mother was, she did not look at all like my first mother. She stood two stories high, and her skin was always a different color. Normally, I would be frightened of such a strange sight, but the constant love and warm hugs that she gave me withdrew all of my fears.
The first few days with my new mother were a bit confusing to say the least. She seemed to insist on having a separate life from my own. When she served herself dinner, she would give me something different. When she went to her room to sleep, she insisted that I sleep on a smaller–but still comfortable–bed in the big room.
There was another thing that I found to be very odd. When my new mother would prepare her food, I did not think it would be a problem to ask for a taste; however, I got quite the opposite reaction. She seemed genuinely insulted that I would ask for some of her food. Instead, she would pick me up and take me to a small bowl located in the corner of the room. I would then be served a different–less appetizing–dinner from out of a large package. It took me a while to get used to these odd traditions; nevertheless, I grew accustomed to them over time.
Let me now emphasize how much I love to be hugged and cuddled by my new mother. I received the same kind of love from my first mother. It was something I had grown very fond of over the course of my life thus far. It was for this reason that I would try and get as many hugs and cuddles as I could get from her.
When I saw that my new mother was lying down to sleep for the night, I did not think that it would be wrong to snuggle up close to her; after all, my first mother did not mind it. However, I was–for some reason–rejected the pleasure of it. She took me to the big room, put me in my tiny bed, and left me to sleep there without any of those wonderful cuddles that I so yearned for. I did not mind it too badly; however, it still caught me as strange.
These two odd rules were really all I noticed to be out of place. The rest of the time, things went very smoothly. I would wake up by the light of day, eat my breakfast, play and cuddle with my new mother, and then go back to my tiny bed at nightfall. It was a pretty steady routine and did not take long to get used to.
These routines may have seemed acceptable to most people, but there was one rule that eventually drove my curiosity to its limits. This rule was that I could not leave the house. I would constantly look out of the window and observe the outside world with much interest. At one point, I asked my new mother if I could stroll about outside for a while; however, she abruptly refused my request.
One day, my curiosity got the best of me. I decided–against my better judgment–to sneak out for just a little while so that I could get a taste of the world that lay beyond the window. My new mother was heading out on an errand, so I decided that my opportunity had come.
Peering out from behind a dark corner, I watched her movements carefully. I was waiting for the most opportune time to make a dash for it without her noticing. I saw her open up the door and turn back to grab her other skin. Before she turned back around, I darted out the door and out of sight. I had made it, and my new mother had never seen what had happened.
There were a lot of trees outside, so I ran and hid behind one of them and watched what my new mother would do from a safe distance. After leaving the house, she proceeded towards a large, shiny creature and somehow entered into it. The creature then moved away with my new mother inside of it. It was making a loud growling sound as it went, and I was not really sure what was happening. It all just seemed to confuse me; nevertheless, I decided that I would focus on exploring life beyond the window.
It must have been late in the day because it was not as bright outside as it had been earlier. For this reason, I thought that it might be best to take in all the sights before it was too dark to see. There were a lot of trees where I was, and a voice inside of me kept saying that I could climb them; however, when I tried to do it, I could not get my claws into the bark. For the very first time, I noticed that I did not have any. This was much to my dismay because I saw something up there. It was a tiny creature that fluttered about in a rather silly way. I wanted so badly to climb the tree and find out more about this weird thing, but I realized that I was restrained by my now apparent handicap.
Behind me, I noticed that there were a lot more of those shiny creatures. They were flying past on a gray trail that had a yellow line down its center. I dared not cross the path of these shiny things because they were moving so swiftly. I feared that–if I got in front of them–they would trample over me. Further exploration of my immediate environment sounded much safer.
I am unsure exactly how long I was exploring this interesting world beyond the window. I must have traveled a very long distance from my house, but I never expected to get lost. In some ways, I did not really care because I was having such a good time.
Along the way, I saw many different kinds of creatures. The scariest one, however, was a rather large, black beast that made the loudest, most irritating sound that I have ever heard! Not only was he loud, but he also looked like he really wanted to eat me! Fortunately, he was trapped behind a cage, and to be perfectly honest, I could tell why.
I also came across a few creatures that were very similar to my new mother. Some tried to approach me, but I did not really know them well enough to let them. I ran away just to be safe.
Further alone on my journey, I noticed some more of these shiny creatures, but they were all sleeping. I really was not too afraid of them when they were sleeping. They only seemed to pose a threat when they were awake and moving about. Still, I was worried about what had happened earlier to my new mother. I was not sure if she had willingly gone away with the shiny creature or if she had been eaten by it. As it got darker outside, I began to worry more and more about my mother’s well-being; however, that is not the only thing that worried me. I was also beginning to realize that I did not know where I was.
It was so dark that I could not make out any landmarks. Lost and afraid, I took a path at random and hoped that it would lead me home. I passed so many houses, but none of them were my own. With each step, I worried more and more about my new mother. Was she all right? Did the shiny creature let her go? Was she worried about me? Did she even realize that I was gone? These and numerous other questions kept going around in my mind as I continued my search for the safety that I had once felt on the inside of the window.
I heard a slamming sound as I passed another house. It startled me. To my right, I noticed another one of these shiny creatures that for some reason was not shiny anymore. I felt that it was pretty safe to be around it because it was sleeping, but suddenly, its eyes began to shine with a very bright light that nearly blinded me! With a loud, horrifying growl, it started to approach me. I was so stricken with fear that I did little more than just stand there. I thought for sure that it was going to eat me, but with a loud screech, the creature stopped right in front of me–allowing me the chance to escape.
I do not think that I have run so fast in my entire life. That creature scared me so badly that I wanted to get home right then and there. To my delight, I recognized one of the next houses as my home. I almost passed right by it, but when I realized where I was, I made a swift turn. I remember kicking up every piece of dirt and rock under my feet in my attempt to get to the front door.
When I got there, I started to bang against the door and cry out in hopes that my mother would hear me. After what seemed to be an eternity, the door swung open. As soon as I saw my new mother, I leapt into her arms and cuddled her with all the love I could muster. She in turn cuddled me and seemed extremely happy that I had returned. This let me know that she had indeed been worried about where I had been.
We held each other closely for a very long time, and then she laid me in my tiny bed. It seemed more comfortable than it had ever been before, and I fell asleep almost immediately knowing that I was home.
I never forgot what happened that night. It left a lasting impression on me. At first, I did not understand my mother’s odd traditions and the reason she had so many rules. Now, however, I understand. She only had my best interest at heart.
Epilogue
This creature that I hold so dear is not only a pet but also a gift–a gift of love, a gift of peace, and, most importantly, a gift from God. I love this little creature as I love all of God’s wonderful creations. Despite its curious little ways, I continue to love, cherish, and care for this special creature of God. ~ The New Mother
About This Story
This is the very first story I wrote in my entire life. It was written as a school project for English Class, and if I recall, I went much farther than what the assignment had required of me.
I was very proud of this story when I wrote it; however, I did not write anything else for nearly six years. The story stayed in my mother’s possession and was subsequently lost until it was rediscovered on Thanksgiving Day 2012. The paper was discolored and the staple was heavily rusted, but other than that, it was in great condition.
I immediately confiscated it, took it home, and did a revision of it. In a way, it still feels like it is written by a much younger me, but I kind of like it like that. The idea that a child would write an adventurous story about a cat comes across as rather cute.
I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed getting reacquainted with it.
~T.K. Wade
