Brainstorm - What is Normal?

4. Why Would I Need A Facemask?

At last me and the cat arrived at my house.

Grabbing the key out of my pocket, I opened the front door and walked in leaving my wet shoes on the porch. I wrapped the cat in a dry towel and turned on the heater leaving the cat in front of it.

Cold and wet I coughed and wheezed as I struggled for air, feeling a deep itch in my chest and tightening in my throat.

I hate having asthma.

I pulled out my puffer and took two big puffs of Ventolin. Finding it a lot easier to breath I came back to the cat and looked at it worryingly. It looked up at me, still wet but a little happier.

"Poor thing" I said under my breath, "You must be hungry". I haven't got any cat food, but I do have some canned tuna. I gave the cat fresh water and tuna and it ate it eagerly. "Well at least you've got an appetite". As the cat ate the food, I made a warm bath.

I came back to the cat and carefully picked it up and brought it to the bath. "Oh, you're a girl" I said as I washed the cat. I looked at the cat's red fur wondering how it was such a bright colour. I've certainly never seen let alone heard of a red cat before.

I dried the cat using another dry towel and my hairdryer. Her beautiful green eyes looked up at me happily and she stood up and walked up to me purring as she rubbed her head against my arm. She didn't seem to be injured. I watched as the cat walked off into my room with ease.

I put on some dry clothes and dried my hair, feeling nice and warm.

Me and the cat sat on my bed as I pet her soft and silky red fur. "What am I going to do with you?" I said as admired her fur, "I know, I'll draw you".

I grabbed my sketchbook and pen as well as a red pencil the same colour as the cat's fur and began to draw her. "What do you think?" I said to the cat while showing her the finished drawing. In the drawing she lay happily on a storm cloud with lightning striking out from it, her red fur catching most of the attention.

The cat lovingly licked my cut hand as a sign of approval.

Oh yeah, the cut on my hand. The pain had eased off and had stopped bleeding and was already clean from washing the cat.

As I looked at the cut, I noticed it slowly closing. What! It was healing! The cut on my hand had healed over in just a few seconds leaving only a small scar as evidence that it had even been there. Am I dreaming? Yeah that makes sense bright red cat in the middle of a storm and a cut that had instantly healed. But it hurt! Then I'm not dreaming! What is going ON!

I turned my head from looking at my hand to the cat. Her big green eyes staring right at me. This cat was certainly not your everyday cat that's for sure.

I looked back at the cat with my dark brown eyes, feeling as if she was looking right through my soul. For a moment it felt as if time had stopped. Then in that moment I heard a

Thank you.

Startled, I frantically looked around the room for someone. Who said that? Noticing that there was absolutely no one near us I realised it must have been in my head, but it wasn't me who had said those words, it wasn't my voice. I looked back to where the cat was, but she was no where to be seen. Leaving only a facemask in her place. I looked at it with a puzzled expression

Why would I need a facemask?