The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again Read online

  He leaned over and looked in the puddle again. As expected his reflection stared back at him again. Why wouldn’t it? After all seeing one’s own reflection in a pool of water was a natural occurrence, wasn’t it?

  “I am the part of you that has been hidden.” The mouth on the reflection spoke. It was his mouth, but it wasn’t his words. Samuel flinched, but didn’t run away.

  “Do you remember how you used to frown all the time?” it continued. “Even though the sponges didn’t drain you directly, you kept me away. You lived a selfish life thinking only of your own comfort, never caring about anyone else. You were miserable inside and always felt that something was missing. No matter how much you took you never had enough. I was the voice that kept whispering to you, trying to break through the hardness of your heart, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  Samuel touched the water with his paw. A ripple ran across the surface, but the reflection didn’t move.

  “That is all different now,” the voice said, “For you have finally let me break through, and have learned how to be a full cat, a caring cat. But be careful that you don’t go back to the way you once were. Keep my voice alive in you, be nice to your human masters and they will love you forever. Be one who serves rather than one who is being served, and continue to do kind things. If you live by this you will have a fulfilling life, and will no longer be bored.

  “When you try to only satisfy yourself, you become unhappy, and empty inside. Moisture evaporates and dries up if you don’t use it, and when you do things against others your moisture evaporates even faster—like a pot of boiling water. But if you share your moisture with others, they will share theirs with you. Maybe not at first, but in time, and if you succeed you will have created a constant flow that moistens the entire earth.”

  A sternness crept into the reflection’s voice, like a father warning his son. “However, if you keep it all to yourself, or do something mean or hurtful, you give power to the darkness that formed the sponges. What’s to stop them from being created again?” There was a pause, and the reflection smiled at Samuel. When it spoke again it was calm. “There are always many ways to serve others, and to help them. A person without a need does not exist. Use your time wisely and unselfishly. If everyone lives by this then needs would begin to disappear, just as the sponges have, but it has to start with you. The name you have been given, Samuel, is a good name. Live as the first Samuel lived by serving others, and by not letting the moisture inside of you dry up. Use it to help keep the sponges away for good.”

  Samuel sat down. The reflection was still there, but the power behind the voice was gone. A strange feeling sank inside of him. How many can say they have actually heard the voice of their heart? This was too much to comprehend. It revealed a hidden truth to him, but what would he do with that truth? Could he just ignore it?

  He sat there for quite some time, pondering the words, and what they meant. Finally he said out loud, “Thank you. I will try to live as you have said.”

  Chapter 5

  Samuel walked up to the familiar tree where he first met the bird. It was hard to see it at first because the surrounding trees and bushes were richly filled in with leaves. They grew brilliant and beautiful from the moisture, but this tree looked as cold and uninviting as it had before. It hadn’t changed at all. It was still solid as a rock.

  Samuel wondered if it hadn’t simply gone too long without moisture, too long in its hardened form, too long for it to change back. The thought of it saddened him, and it occurred to him that maybe some things just can’t change.

  Was he too late? Was he not able to restore the tree back in time?

  Just then he heard a fluttering of wings. He turned his head upward, and before him was the little gray bird with a white splotch on her belly. She landed on the very same branch of the old petrified tree where they first met.

  “It didn’t come back to life,” Samuel said in a solemn voice.

  “Good to see you again, kitty,” the bird said. “What has not come back to life?”

  “This tree. I thought if the moisture was returned that everything would be restored.”

  “Oh, do not worry. You cannot change everything. You did a great deed, and now there are plenty of worms for me and my little ones to eat. I helped you earlier, and now you have helped me. Do not worry about that which you cannot change.”

  Samuel looked down. He took a moment before responding. “You knew it was me who restored the moisture?”

  “Why yes, I’m a bird don’t you know. News travels far in the sky.” She winked at him, turned and fluttered off.

  The lifeless tree stood before Samuel. He stared long and hard up at it. Had he risked himself becoming like it? So drained of moisture that there was no way to get it back? The idea sunk deep inside his chest, and the words of his reflection became even more terrifying.

  He shuddered.

  There was a cool shade and so he decided to take a nap before heading off. His eyes closed, but sleep temporarily evaded him. The feeling of the loss of the old tree etched into his memory, and it became an image he would never forget.

  Chapter 6

  Morning came with its bright rays of early sunshine. Samuel awoke with light glimmering against his fur. The warmth reminded him of home, and all the times he laid sprawled out on the carpet.

  Delaying no further, he got up and continued on with his trek, but before leaving, he gave the petrified tree one last look. Its tall, haunting shape towered over him, casting a creepy and lifeless shadow.

  “May you always serve as an example to us all,” he said, as if it could hear. “I will share my moisture with others so that I won’t end up evaporated and dry forever.”

  He turned and walked along the path. It was once full of roots and rocks, but the rain had softened the ground enough to swallow them up. He didn’t cease to be amazed how quickly everything changed back to its natural appearance. The beauty of the natural state of things was truly magnificent to see.

  Samuel found himself at the town of the bicker people. The rain washed away a lot of the ugliness of the town, such as the absurd colors of paint on the houses. And the people were dressed in a more simple fashion.

  Samuel came across two men who were working on changing the Town sign. He remembered it had read, “Bicker Village” before.

  “Look, it’s a dog!” one of the men shouted.

  “Why, my good fellow. I believe it’s actually a cat,” the other responded.

  “You know, I do believe you are right! How smart you are!”

  “No, no. It was you, after all, who spotted the little fellow. If it weren’t for you I’d have missed the delightful chap.”

  They put an arm around each other’s shoulder and began to complement the nice weather they were having. Samuel looked up at the new sign and read the words: “Harmony Village.”

  This was a welcomed change. Samuel didn’t need to fold his ears back since there wasn’t any bickering. The villagers were still loud, to be sure, but not the kind of discomforting loudness that previously made his stomach turn. Rather it was the sound of laughter, cheers, and goodwill.

  Samuel smiled as he walked through the new village. He watched as they busily helped one another. To his left was a team working to repaint a neighbor’s house, to his right another person helped an elderly couple carry groceries down the street, and just a few yards ahead a kind boy lifted—what looked to be his sister—out of a puddle.

  Making note to come back to visit this town, Samuel moved on with an even stronger urge to be home.

  Chapter 7

  Samuel’s stomach nagged him for food. Even though he was close to his home town, he wasn’t certain whether or not he wanted to make his entrance. After all, maybe nothing changed. Maybe it was a mistake for him to have come back.

  There was a patch of mushrooms not far from the path. Their white shafts supported dainty round caps, reminding him of a miniature village. A village of welcoming food that
is. He bit off a small piece just to be sure it was safe to eat, since he knew one should never eat strange mushrooms, but being a cat meant he possessed a stronger sense for food than humans do.

  He tested a piece and spit it out. It seemed to taste okay, and didn’t harm his stomach, so he took a few more bites. Soon he was comfortably full.

  Samuel lifted his paw to his mouth and licked it clean. The rest of his fur received similar treatment until he felt spotless. A nice, thin tree, only a few paces away seemed to be calling out to him. He walked over, reached out his front legs, and hooked his claws into the bark. With ears laid back and eyes squinted shut he slowly pulled down. A burst of energy flooded through his limbs. Bark tore under his feet as he clawed like a wild animal, marking his territory with scent glands. It wasn’t long before he ran out of breath and settled back down to his normal level of sanity.

  It really is good to be a cat. But he knew it was time. He felt ready. After all—he finally made it back, and wasn’t about to turn away now.

  An old, rusty gate was the first thing to welcome him. Newly grown vines wound around its rungs. He passed through, feeling shivers of uncertainty. Would his family be happy or mad? Would they take him back? Would they chase him away? Was his trip just a waste of time?

  The town stretched before him and he couldn’t believe his eyes. The once dusty ground was moist, soft, and pleasant to walk on. The shops were clean and welcoming. But that isn’t what made his jaw drop. Gaping, he watched a once dead village now full of life.

  People were happily engaging in conversation, a woman curtsied as a man tipped his hat in a gentlemanly manner, and children were playing in the puddles—splashing water at their friends and getting full of mud. Color returned to the villager’s faces. Even the twinkles had returned to the eyes of the village grandfathers. No longer was this a village of dry people. They were full of moisture and were happily sharing it with one another.

  Even the mayor was out in the streets, shaking hands and kissing babies. He looked happy to be away from his mountains of paperwork. Samuel stopped to think that, perhaps, since everyone was loving each other, the paperwork would not be as necessary as it once had been. No one would be suing, since they were too busy giving everything away. Theft wouldn’t be an issue because everyone was content with what they had. No one inflicted physical pain, because they were concerned with providing care. Those who were once dishonest found that they had no reason to lie. No longer was their focus centered on themselves, but on serving each other, just as his reflection had told him. A large smile crept across his once bleak face.

  Samuel, he thought to himself. My new name. It really is a good name. May I always be reminded of the first Samuel who lived as a servant. May I never fall back into my old and selfish ways. Let the moisture flow out and spread to those around me. May it never evaporate, may I never go dry.

  It wasn’t long before he came to his house. He stepped nervously up to the front door, and after a pause, he meowed. The door immediately swung opened and his owners greeted him joyfully. They hugged and petted him without ceasing. Their words comforted him and were filled with the happiness of his return. Even the mice winked at him through a hole in the wall, as if looking forward to chasing one another again. He returned to the home that he knew and loved, and it would be better than ever before.

  I am truly blessed, he thought. How could I have taken all this for granted? I will never do so again.

  The petting and kitty talking continued. He squinted his eyes and purred in delight. He was home at last and nothing truly was something again.

  T H E E N D

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