“We all miss Papa, it’s so hard to move on without him…” Midnight woke at the crack of dawn. His glossy, dark pelt shone in the light of the rising sun. The tree shadows danced in the wind like fingers on a black table. Midnight looked around, watching his brother, Moonshadow, his sister, Autumn, and his mother, Silverwater. Midnight’s father had left the beautiful earth shortly after the birth of his family. “One day, I’ll be strong. I’ll live up to you, Papa. Even though I might be the smallest, I have power like no others,” Midnight whispered, staring hopefully at the sky, his heart aching at the thought of the father he missed so very much. As Midnight was settling back down, he saw Autumn’s eyes flicker open. “Midnight, what are you doing up so early?” she whispered, careful not to wake the others. “Couldn’t sleep. Bad dreams,” Midnight meowed back. “Like what?” “Well, Papa was there and… we were hunting mice together… and then he just… left, and…. I couldn’t find him anymore!” Midnight whimpered. “I understand. We all miss Papa, it’s so hard to move on without him… But we just have to remember that up there, high up in the beauty of the night sky, surrounded by stars, Papa is there, and he’ll be watching over us always,” Autumn replied. Autumn settled back down, leaving Midnight with his thoughts about his papa. Could he really be up there, watching me right now? Midnight wondered. And with this comforting thought, he settled back to sleep. * * * Midnight awoke to the faint smell of mouse. He opened his eyes to see that Moonshadow and Autumn had already finished eating. Mama was nowhere in sight. “Hey—where’s Mama?” Midnight meowed. At this, Moonshadow and Autumn exchanged nervous glances. “Well… Mama is… not feeling well,” Moonshadow murmured at last. There was such fear in his brother’s voice. At first, he thought nothing of it, but then he realized what was really happening. “Mama!!!” Midnight yowled. He ran to the small clearing where Mama loved to rest and found her lying in the middle. “Midnight…” Mama spoke, but her words were interrupted immediately by coughing. The cough sounded terrible, almost deadly. “Mama… No… You can’t… This can’t be happening… You are going to be OK!” Midnight meowed, trying to convince himself. “Don’t worry, Midnight… It’s all going to be OK,” she croaked. “No!” Midnight yowled, as his siblings appeared behind him. Their eyes widened as they saw the state their dear mother was in. “Midnight… Go…. Find us a new home…. Don’t worry about me… You must leave this place…” Mama spoke as she coughed some more. “But… Why? How will you survive while you are like… this?” Midnight meowed in panic, trying to take in all she was saying. “I have experience with herbs and healing. I can use catmint to heal my cough, and once the cough is cured I can hunt for myself,” Mama meowed wearily. “Mama… are you sure?” Autumn spoke for the first time. “I most certainly am.” Warmth sparkled in Mama’s eyes. “Now go, my kits, go quickly…” coughed Mama. The cats looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. “OK, Mama… We’ll go…. But remember, we are thinking of you every step of the way,” Moonshadow meowed sadly. “B-but… Wait! Why can’t you come?” Midnight blurted out. “I will not be here for long. It is best you make the journey alone. Soon, I will walk with Papa… And I will protect you in your new home,” Mama said, coughing. Taking one last look at the mother they might never see again, Midnight, Autumn, and Moonshadow turned their backs on the place they had always called home. * * * The three young cats walked along in sorrow. As Midnight padded along, he couldn’t help thinking, I should have insisted on staying there and helping! If she dies, it’s all going to be my fault… He felt terrible about leaving Mama in the forest all alone. When Midnight was ill, Mama had always taken care of him… “Midnight! Watch out!!!” Moonshadow yowled, but it was too late. Midnight was wrenched from his thoughts about Mama as he plunged deep into an icy-cold, swiftly moving river. Midnight frantically tried to pull himself out of the river, but it was no use. The fall had knocked the breath out of him, and he couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was down. Suddenly, Midnight felt a strong paw struggling to pull him out of the river. Then another paw reached for Midnight’s head, and he broke surface. Autumn and Moonshadow were staring down at him, fear in their eyes. Midnight could barely breathe. Water clogged his throat. He coughed up a large pool of water, gasping for breath. “Midnight! You’re OK!” breathed Autumn in relief. “Y-yeah…” Midnight gasped. “I’m fine.” “You have to be careful next time! You could have died!” Moonshadow spoke in annoyance. “Well, sorry,” Midnight replied bitterly. “We should keep going.” Without a word, the three cats kept walking toward a thick pine forest. It was slightly cold as they neared the forest, and Midnight assumed it was because of the small frosty mountain range surrounding it. It was getting dark, and the three cats decided to settle down for the night in a small, empty cave by the edge of the pine forest. As Midnight slowly drifted to sleep, he found he was not asleep at all. He was standing in a small, starry forest with the moon shining brightly over every inch. For some reason, the place seemed oddly familiar. When Midnight looked around, he let out a gasp. He could hardly believe his eyes. For the first time in so long, Midnight’s gaze rested on his very own father, just as he had seen him last. “P-Papa… Is… is that really you?!” he stammered, barely able to speak at the sight of the starry cat
March/April 2016
Drifting
Anxiously I waited with fingers intertwined in my thick, curly hair and my foot tapping out a rhythm on my icy driveway. Puffs of air escaped from my cracked lips. I felt as if someone were slamming my heart against my chest. My eyes swept across the neighborhood. A quick glance behind my shoulder told me that Eliza was in the kitchen watching television. On my left was the mailman who was delivering letters to my neighbor. His shiny black shoes crunched against the tightly packed snow. As I watched him sorting through his mail carrier, I kept coming back to one question. What if he has my letter? The crunching sound became more defined. I became more anxious as I watched him drawing nearer. For a brief moment, our eyes met and he nodded towards my direction. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t go up to him and grab the envelopes. My feet seemed glued to the ground. The mailbox made a mighty creak as he put a bundle of letters in the box. As the crunch drifted farther and farther away, my feet became unstuck and I hurried towards the mailbox that concealed my fate. In one motion, I opened the metal box and grabbed every piece of paper that I could lay my hands on. Making sure I didn’t skip anything, I read each and every letter. As I got to the last letter, my heart seemed to screech and stop in its tracks. The return address was labeled Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago, IL. I pocketed the letter and ran. My long legs were no longer a part of my body. They seemed to be moving on their own. I had walked this path so many times that it had become familiar to me. This time, I did not take in any of my surroundings. I just stared straight ahead and bolted. As I scanned the letter, I felt numb After what seemed like miles, I reached my destination: the house of my cousin. For the next two weeks she was on her honeymoon in Thailand. While she was honeymooning, I house sat. I stopped outside of her house and took a deep breath. I reached for the key that hung low on the end of my necklace. Reaching around my neck, I unclasped the jewelry and held the key in my trembling hands. The key jingled as I slid it in the doorknob and unlocked the mahogany door. As I stepped into the foyer, I did a quick once-over to make sure everything was in its rightful place. My eyes seemed to linger on the framed pictures that hung above her stone fireplace. I quickened my pace and reached the bottom of her carpeted stairs. My right hand slid across the slick wooden banister. Once I reached the top of the stairs I went to the attic. As I entered the dusty room, I made my way to the cracked window on the other side of the attic. Wiping dust out of my way, I jammed my fingers underneath the window and jerked the glass up. My legs slid over the window frame and I climbed out into the chilly air. Then I reached up and hoisted myself onto the roof. Stepping over the icy spots on the tiled roof, I sat down in my favorite spot: the window right above the attic. I stared at the city that spread beneath me. Since my cousin lived in Minneapolis, she was lucky to have a house. Most of her friends lived in apartments. I watched the city life for a few minutes. Women in pencil skirts and men in suits power-walked through the streets, looking for a good place to stop for lunch. As I shifted my position in order to see more, I heard the crinkling of paper. Taking deep breaths, I willed myself to take out the envelope that lay still and buried in my coat pocket. My hands trembled as I held the soft paper. I gave myself a little pep talk. You can do this, Leslie. What’s the worst that can happen? Now, you‘re going to open this letter. One, two, three. The white paper made a satisfying rip as I tore open the envelope. I quickly scanned the letter. Words and phrases. Words and phrases were all I could see. They seemed to float off the page. Accepted, next semester, join us, early program, lucky, scholarship. As I scanned the letter, I felt numb. My legs turned to jelly and my body felt as if it had been drenched in freezing water. A small knot began to form in my stomach. The more I read on, the bigger that knot grew. I didn’t know how I could tell Mama, much less Eliza. I wasn’t even sure if I told them that I applied to art school. I didn’t even know if I wanted to go! Not if it meant leaving Mama and Eliza. Going to art school had been my dream since I had been five. But now that my dream was coming true, was I ready to face the challenges? I focused on the snowflakes that were drifting down in spirals. It reminded me of the time when Eliza and I were sledding a few winters ago. Eliza was only four years old and I was nine. We were bundled up from head to toe. Eliza looked like Randy from A Christmas Story. She could barely put her arms down! We waved goodbye to Mama and headed out of the house. It was one of those days that was so cold, your own breath would freeze. The streets we walked were utterly deserted. You would think that children would be playing outside in their front yards! But no, too cold for them. Well, more room to sled! I thought happily. The two of us walked to the end of the block until we arrived at Massive Mountain.
