The Cat and the Mirror

Chapter 1 - The Day I Met Her

My days begin in the morning, at the time at which I cannot sleep due to all the noise. It is just at the moment in which the kilns fire up and the machines turn on that I cannot stay in my spot any longer. From the corner of the factory I get up and swerve around the crucibles. The radiating heat warms my fur, easing my stiff muscles and fighting the cold I feel in my body. The workers dressed in their long blue attire pay no attention as I make my rounds to the food dish. Their minds are set on their work, gloved hands fixed on delicate machinery, picking up translucent sheets, blasting away at the unfinished square mass. When I set my sights on a silver bowl next to Russell's office, I scrunch up my nose in displeasure. It's empty again. I guess my work wasn't as pleasing last night. I'll have to go hunting.

You see, my life is not a very simple one and by no means understandable. When my master has gone away for what seems like weeks I must fend for myself. That means taking the usual rounds around the factory to pick out the scent of rat among the sand bags and lime. It is a difficult business that brings back very few results yet I believe I am doing pretty well for a cat of my age. You see, it is not every day that you hear about a cat residing in a mirror making factory. In fact, I may be the only one of my kind. Don't believe me? Let me put into your perspective how I ended up in this miserable place:

I was born in the snowy winter of a farm-house not far from the glass factory where I now reside. I was the third oldest of four siblings, though I hardly remember much of them now. My mother was a snow-white Turkish Angora and my father an orange rogue. One day I was taken away from that place by a young man who had recently inherited his father's factory. Instead of taking me home, (unlike the fate of the rest of my brothers and sisters that were adopted), he left me in his office. While this to you may sound like cruel and unusual punishment, to me it was a blessing. In this small, cramped space I had everything a kitten could wish for: food, water, a plethora of toys, a litter box, and most of all Russell. When he wasn't busy overseeing things, he would bring me treats from the convenience store, and would allow me to curl up on his lap while he worked. One day, I could guess you could say the day when he decided I was mature enough, he picked me up and placed me in the center of the shipping room. You can only imagine my delight! Mirrors upon mirrors, each one harboring the young image of an orange and white tabby, bounced out at me like a plaything, and I soon became entranced by them. Who was this young cat? And why did she always follow me around? This was the day I met Ladia. And the day Russell disappeared from my life.