Christmas Animal

Leah opened her drowsy eyes and walked into the living room: “Merry Christmas, Whiskers!!”She called out, waking towards the door, instead of purr or meow, she was greeted by silence.

“Whiskers??” she called out in response to the silence. She peeped out of her room to find whiskers on the sofa, legs crossed, remote in one paw, and a red, floral Chinese scarf adorned its neck. Just like –“GRANDMA!’ Leah mouthed.

Whiskers daintily put one leg down and walked towards the door, unaware of its silent onlooker, whiskers peered cautiously, walked out.

Leah followed quite as a shadow.  Once on the street, quite a peculiar sight met her eyes: shih tzus, Pomeranians, Siamese, labradors… all draped in either Christmas shawls or wearing Christmas hats and red ribbons were teaming up and walking in herds.

And no other people seemed to move. They seemed… frozen stiff. There was Mrs. White, holding a teacup, and Mr.Joe, mowing his lawn, but lifeless, just like someone said, “Statue”.

Whiskers walking through this still world, Leah following her.

Whiskers rang the bell of a familiar house.

“Tring!!??” the doorbell screeched, bringing Leah back from her trance. The door clicked open. “Oh, Josephine!!”, though a perfectly cheerful human voice called out, but it was a cat who spoke in a human voice.

“I need to confess,”- Whiskers purred in a low voice.

“I am so sorry, please forgive me, Nancy,” she sobbed and continued.

“Milinda is your child, and Leah is your granddaughter – No, your daughter never died in the hospital. It’s just that I took her,” she said with her eyes digging down.

Leah’s throat was dry as her mouth hung open.

Milinda- her mom?

Josephine-her grandmother?

Nancy- her grandmother’s friend? But …both had passed away last year.

“Grandma !!” Leah screamed and slowly stretched her hand in an attempt to reach Nancy.

Suddenly, Leah felt drowsy again. So, she rubbed her eyes and opened them again.

Then again, Leah found herself in the living room.

She called out, for the second time that morning, “Whiskers!!”

Now she was answered by “Meow…” and Whiskers licked her leg clumsily.