“Um, Andrew?”
“Yes, Dear One, what is it ...”
“Um, Mama sez ...”
Andrew reached down and picked up the little cat. She was often so solemn when she searched for him, though he already knew what was on her mind, he usually gave her time to get it out. But this time he sensed she didn’t quite know where to begin.
“Another comes. He was not of your family, but of a family linked to your Mama’s family. It’s all right, I was expecting him. Max is ready, shall we go to the meadow? Max has already alerted the others.”
Mouse looked up at him, grateful that she didn’t have to explain all the complexities of the relationship. Andrew seemed to understand all about humans, and the way their lives touched each others. He cradled her in his arms, and with Max beside him, the three were gone, leaving only the rustle of the leaves to mark their passing. Where they had been, a plump calico was trotting off toward a large golden retriever, clearly a cat on a mission!
* * *
At first he didn’t get it. He stretched, looked around, and didn’t see anything he’d seen before. For one thing, Star was no where in sight, neither were the dogs. He didn’t go out by himself as much as he did with the others, and it was odd that they weren’t there. Oh well, first things first.
All cats are taught at a very tender age, “When in doubt, Wash”. And he was in doubt, so he washed. First one paw, then behind an ear, then the other paw, and behind the other ear. Whiskers, shirt front, sides, tummy, tail.
Having done all that, he was thirsty. His ears caught the sound of water running, so he rose, and started off in the direction his ears told him to take. Sure enough, there was a crystal creek, of the clearest water he’d ever seen. No dog drool, just clear, clean water, just the right temperature. Lick, lick, lick ... pausing to think how wonderful it tasted.
Having had his fill, he turned, to take stock of his surroundings. Not far from him, under a huge willow tree, sat a man (at least, it LOOKED like a man, but he was dressed funny), and a big black and white cat. On the man’s lap was a much smaller cat, whose ears were folded tight against her face. She looked more like an owl than a cat!
He took one last look around him and still not seeing Star or the dogs, he headed toward the odd trio.
“Hello, Garfield! It’s nice to see you!”
Huh? How did this dude know his name? and furthermore, who were the other two cats????
“I am Andrew. This little lady is Mousie, and ...”
“ ... I am Grampa Max!” Max cleared his throat, and puffed out his furry chest.
“We came to meet you and to take you to the Bridge, and then you’ll have to jump off and then you wait and ...”
Andrew couldn’t help himself, he started to shake with laughter. “Oh dear, that didn’t quite come out right. Mouse is correct, but there’s a little more to it than that.”
“Garfield, your time on earth has come to an end. You have left your family behind you, and now you go to a place where all of God’s creatures go, to wait for the day when you will be reunited with your family. God made a promise to all he created, that they would be provided for. He knows when even the smallest sparrow falls from the sky.”
The smile was wiped from Garfield’s face. He sat down rather hard, and tried to take in all that had just been said to him. He wasn’t at all sure he wanted to go along with any of this.
“You mean, I’ll never see them again? What about Kendal? And Star? And ...” a lump in his throat kept him from saying any more.
Andrew reached into one of his pockets, pulled out a treat, and offered it to Garfield. He rubbed the big orange cat’s ears, in just the right spot. He understood it was hard to take all this in at first, especially for one who wasn’t long in years, and hadn’t been ill for a long time.
“Garfield, your family misses you very much. But even now, your Mama is explaining to Kendal and to the rest of the family, that though you are gone from sight, you are still with them in spirit, and in their hearts and minds.
“But you became ill suddenly, and that illness cut your life short. We are here to take you to the place your Creator has prepared for you, where you will be safe, and happy. Time is different here, what seems forever on earth is but a blink of an eye.”
“My Mama has a girl-kitten who is all grown up now, but she went to school with your Mama. That’s how I knew you were coming. Mama was thinking hard and sent her thoughts to me ... and I went to get Andrew, but he already knew all this, and Max is here because he always is, and ...” Mouse’s words all ran together as they normally did. Max stifled a giggle himself, for he knew she meant well.
“Come. It is time. We’ll explain on the way. The others are waiting for us,”
With Mouse under one arm, and Garfield in the other, and Max pressed close to the hem of the angel’s gown, they vanished as though they had never been there ....
.... and reappeared on a Bridge made of every color.
“Look! Here they are!” Mittens were at the bottom of the Rainbow, with Pepper and Maggie beside her. There were dozens and dozens of cats, dogs, ponies, rabbits, parakeets, more animals than Garfield had EVER seen! Next to Maggie stood a handsome German shepherd, and a beautiful collie. They all seemed to be anxious to meet the newcomer.
“So you see, all that remains for you to do is to accept the promise that was made to you before you were even born. You just have to make this last jump yourself, we can’t do it for you.”
Max softly jumped to the ground, to stand with Mittens and Pepper.
The shepherd spoke first ... “I lived with your Mama long ago. We will have much to talk about.”
Andrew put Garfield down on the Rainbow, and stepped back. The little cat he called Mouse moved closer to him.
“Garfield, it’s okay. Really. I’ll jump with you ...”
“But, I’m not sure I want to do this. I mean, I belong with Kendal and my family.”
The collie spoke ... “Garfield, it’s okay. Come down from there. We’ll teach you how to send your thoughts and love back to your family. They can’t see you, but they can hear you when they sleep, and they can feel your purrs, and know that you still love them.”
With one last look over his shoulder at the angel, Garfield closed his eyes tight ... and ... jumped.
As Andrew faded from sight, he knew that Garfield would be okay. The others would teach him. It wouldn’t be long before he’d romp and play with the other animals, chase the butterflies, and enjoy the days with the people who came each day to play with the animals. There were others who had not had pets on earth, who came to spend time with these sweet creatures. Many of the angels did too, for that matter.
As he watched, the little grey cat he knew to be Pepper, slipped quietly away from the group and went to the edge of the meadow. She closed her eyes, and purred with all her might.
“It’s okay Heather, tell Steffie that Garfield is here with us. Explain to the girls that he isn’t gone, he’s still in their hearts. I love you ... “
... soft snowflakes fell quietly to the earth ...
©Rose Scott
