The Color of Life is Red

The Kitten

"Momma! Look!" A young Keith frolicked about the dusty ground, kicking up small clouds of pale brown. A wooden plane was held high above his head. His black hair shined in the desert sun; the wind whipped his dirty overalls and red sleeves.

A woman with short dark hair and winged eyeliner looked up from her book. A basket of bread and fruit hung from her arm. Her knee-length dark orange dress flapped in the wind. She smiled at her son, "That's so cool, Keith!"

Keith ran further, jumping up to let the plane soar higher. "Momma! Look it g-" Keith fell into the dirt with a grunt. The plane crashed into the sand, rolling to a stop.

Keith's mother jogged over to him, "Oh, Keith! Are you alright?"

Keith got up on his hands and knees, looking at his plane. His eyes slowly rose to find a cat sniffing it. It crouched low, hesitantly inspecting the strange object. Keith was pulled up and dusted off. He pointed to the cat, "Momma look! It's a kitty!"

She looked to where he was pointing. "Yes it is!" She smiled at him, then reached into her basket. She pulled out a small piece of jerky, handing it to her son. "See if it will eat."

Keith happily took it and walked toward the kitten. When it noticed him, it trotted up to his hand. Keith held his hand flat to let it take the meat. After it ate, Keith reached over and picked it up. The kitten purred and rubbed her face into Keith's. "Momma can we keep it?" Keith laughed.

Keith's mother wore a warm smile. She walked up to him, placing a hand on his back. "Of course we can. Papa loves cats, too."

Keith trotted up to the house, the cat bouncing in his arms. "Papa! Look!"

Keith's father stood up from his small garden and wiped his forehead. He rubbed the dirt off his hands, "Keith, my boy!"

Keith ran up to him with a wide grin, "Look!"

"Well, what do we have here?" He crouched down to Keith's level. Keith handed him the cat, which he took and held close. "What's his name, son?"

Keith's face dropped as he thought about it. His mother caught up to them, kissing his father on the cheek. "We found the poor thing all alone out there."

Keith gasped in realization, "It's name is Dirt!"

"Dirt," his father repeated with a chuckle. He turned to Keith's mother, "His name is Dirt."

They laughed at their cute son as Keith tugged on his father's jacket. His mother held out a hand to him, "Come on now, Keith. Let's go make some dinner."

Keith took it, "Can Dirt come?"

"Yes, he can. He needs dinner, too!"

Dirt stayed around the house, happily eating all his meals and chasing mice. He loved when Keith pet him; he slept in his lap and purred loudly. One day, Keith was playing with a wooden car in the sand when Dirt trotted over to him. Keith's mother watched from a chair as she sewed patches and buttons into their worn clothes. Keith giggled and threw his car to the side so he could pet him.

The cat was dusty from all the sand, but happy as can be. Keith fell back on his butt to allow him to climb into his lap. Dirt reached up to sniff his face, rubbing their cheeks together. Keith's giggling continued. He carefully grabbed Dirt's cheeks and kissed the top of his head.

It took Keith a moment to realize that Dirt wasn't touching him anymore. He opened his eyes and watched him curiously. Dirt had recoiled, slowly lowering his body to the ground, then falling on his side. Keith's mother had watched the scene from her chair. "Keith!"

She jumped up to cover Keith's eyes and stand him up. Keith put his hands on the cover, "Momma?"

She watched the cat with horror as it twitched and convulsed. Soon, Dirt stopped moving.

"Momma?"

She looked down at Keith, then back at the cat.

Keith gasped and jumped up as he woke from the dream. With a hand to his chest, he caught his breath with strained wheezing. Lance sat up next to him, "Hey, baby. What's wrong?"

Keith blinked the sleep from his eyes and shook his head. "Just, um," he turned to look at him. He gently ran his fingers over Lance's lips. "It's nothing. Just a bad dream."

"About what?" He took Keith's hand and placed it on his cheek.

"About," Keith felt energy and warmth fill him from Lance's touch, "A-uh- a memory from my childhood."