His Kitten

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Emerson trotted down the sidewalk, his mother and father close by his side. His chubby fingers clutched to each of their hands. Anna, his mother, held a large umbrella above their heads as it was pelting down rain. Emerson giggled as his father reached down to tickle him. He squirmed away, hiding behind his mother's coat. They were the perfect family, loving parents and a child destined for a bright future.

Unbeknownst to them, a small kitten hid just around the corner, watching the trio carefully. The kitty's fur was a dark gray with soft white stripes along its back. It was so small it could most likely fit in the palm of a grown man's hand. Shivering and soaking wet, it pressed itself against the  wall of a building, trying to conserve body heat.

The fuzzball yearned to go to the family, but he was afraid. They weren't the first group of family to go by, but there was something about them. Even though he wanted to go out to them, he felt like exposing himself could end up hurting him. But how could something like that be dangerous? Deciding it was safe, he crawled out from his hiding spot, mewling softly. Emerson's acute ears picked it up quickly, and his head snapped down to where the small cat stood.

Like every child his age, when he saw something cute and fluffy, he wanted it. This was different from some stuffed teddy bear at Walmart, though. He felt like he immediately had a connection to the animal, although he wasn't quite mature enough to understand it. Maybe it was its adorable face. Maybe it was its cute meow. Maybe it was something else...

"Here, kitty kitty!" Emerson cooed, squatting as he held his hands out to the tiny feline.

The kitten warily approached the toddler. Its small padded feet slowly made their way closer. Suddenly, something inside the kitten snapped and it lurched forward into the boy's arms. Emerson grinned from ear to ear.

"Mommy! Can we weep it? Pwetty pwease?" Emerson begged, his lip pouted to make his best puppy-dog face. He had practiced it multiple times and was confident it would work its charms on his parents.

"I don't know... What do you think, Charles?" Anna asked, turning to her husband. She already knew what his answer would be, but she also knew her husband wasn't always the greatest at giving a firm answer to his toddler.

"Bring a cat to the pack house? Nuh-uh," Charles shook his head. There were several reasons why this would lead to complications.

Emerson drew in a shaky breath, holding the small cat closer to his chest. Emerson's eyes glazed over and a tear slipped down his cheek. He opened his mouth to scream when Charles hurriedly wiped away his tears. Just like that, his resolve was shattered.

"Uh, I mean, definitely! How can I say no to my little boy?" Charles laughed nervously, scared to upset his little angel. Anna shook her head, grinning. Usually she would have to be one to put the foot down and tell Emerson no, but she thought a kitten wouldn't serve to be too big of a problem.

Emerson cheered, squeezing the cat to his chest. The kitten's tail swished in the air with excitement. Emerson planted sloppy kisses all over the kitty, and it wiggles a little bit because of the pressure and overload of attention.

"Emerson! Be careful! You're gonna hurt the poor thing," his mother scolded.

Emerson immediately loosened his grip. The kitty really didn't mind, so he licked his fingers. Emerson giggled, claiming it tickled. His parents couldn't deny that he looked absolutely ecstatic over his new pet.

     "We is going to has so muth fun! We can pway dwess up and houthe, too!" Emerson squealed. Being an only child, he only had his parents to play with, and they weren't always able to play with him to the extent of what he wanted.