Quote:
You have a near miss that almost kills you (maybe you almost got hit by a car, the plane you were supposed to go on ended up crashing, you narrowly dodged a falling piano, etc) and you're thanking your lucky stars that you're alive...until you realize that no matter who you talk to, no one responds to you. Strangers don't hear you on the street, friends don't return texts or calls and no one answers the door when you knock. It's almost like you're a ghost….for the next twenty-four hours, you appear invisible to every other person on the planet but then suddenly, out of the blue, it's like nothing has changed and none of your friends know what you're talking about when you explain the odd phenomenon. Was it all a dream?
The day had started innocently enough.
Ember woke up and cuddled Caleb good morning, waking him much earlier than he ever liked to be awakened. It was her habit and she knew there were places to go and people to see. She ate some breakfast and begged him to let her out, which he did with a customary smile. That sort of freedom was important for an animal as independent as she was. She trotted out of their apartment building and onto the street, feeling a crisp breeze against her fur. It was a beautiful day and, barring something else coming up, perhaps a good hour in a tree watching the world go by was in order.
She made her way down the street across town toward the park. Not a lot of people ate outside when it started to get colder but on Saturday there were always a few intrepid people that endured the cold for the nice day. She was about to try to con the man on the patio with a ham croissant for some of his meat when a bicyclist lost control of his bike. She darted out of the way into the street before she heard a car horn and saw the silver sedan skidding toward her. Ember let out a loud yowl and scampered up onto the sidewalk just as the car passed her by.
She collapsed on the concrete, thankful to be alive. The bicyclist, she saw, was further down the sidewalk with a crowd of people around him. The car had gone on already, without a second thought to her safety. She grumbled, angry sounds resonating in her throat. Shakily, she got up again and took stock of herself. She wasn't hurt. Nothing truly bad had happened. There was nothing to do but try to go about her day, perhaps a little more carefully.
She trotted back to the man she'd been eyeing and sat down near him, looking up and trying to appear both cute and pitiable. After all, she'd just had a near miss, right? Sympathy could get here everywhere here. She mewed, straightening her back and moving her front paws to look friendly. That was usually enough to get anyone's attention. This guy, however, didn't budge. He didn't even look down. She tried again, gently head butting him on the leg but still received no response.
Frowning, she moved on to another patron and got similar treatment. Didn't they know she had just almost died? Were they going to let her STARVE TO DEATH too?
She tilted her head and ran home, having to dodge everyone on the sidewalk because no one seemed to want to get out of her way. They looked like they couldn't even see her which was odd because she never had trouble getting comments or pets before. Most people thought she was a pretty kitty with her sash and earring and flame collar. She ran into the building to try to explain this all to Caleb and get the cuddles it would take to soothe her near miss. She mewed at the door and pawed at it, trying to get his attention. He didn't come.
She raced out and up the fire escape where he usually left a window cracked for her but the window was closed. She saw him inside on the couch watching TV and mewed for him to let her in. She pawed at the glass and mewed louder but he didn't flinch. Was the TV too loud? Couldn't he hear her? When he got up she thought surely he'd notice his favorite gal on the window ledge. Nope. He just moved into the house to do whatever it was he wanted to do.
With a defeated sigh and no small amount of frustration, she slumped down onto the ledge. She wasn't going to starve, having had breakfast at home this morning. Surely he would notice her and let her in. Around dinner time he'd start looking, probably. Ember fell asleep and napped for a while, letting the sounds of the city soothe her. When she woke up it was later and when she looked inside Caleb wasn't there. Or, she couldn't see him.
She moved up the fire escape to Mrs. Branson's - a kind little old lady that had a penchant for cats and always cooed over her when she came up to visit. The other cats in the house were not Mauvians but could be tolerated if there was food and love involved. She tapped on the window with a paw and saw the lady with her other cats, fussing over them as usual. Again, she was left at the window without attention and without a warm place to nap.
She was beginning to worry. Was this all some sort of bizarre Destiny City afterlife? Had she died on the street that morning? Of course not, don't be silly. Cats have nine lives and Mauvians were even better than Earth cats so they probably had something like 20. She was being ridiculous. Caleb had probably just gone out somewhere and forgot to leave the window open. This could all be explained, no reason to freak out.
She moved back down onto the landing where their apartment was, waiting for her senshi to come home. No one came to her rescue. Dinner came and went without any word from him. No word or notice from anyone. She felt her ears and tail drooping and she lay on the cold metal fire escape. Eventually, she fell asleep again once night came and didn't wake until the next morning when her window, sure enough, was open. Why hadn't he called to her? Puzzling, she slipped inside and ran straight to her dish, eating a nice breakfast. It was nice and warm in here and everything was exactly as she left it.
She moved to tell Caleb and tell him about the strange day she'd had and, maybe, get an explanation. She wondered if he'd believe her.
word count - 1004
