Magic, Madness And Sadness

Kitty the Kitten

"Mosia Motobatsi."
That is what her mother would always call her. Being from a family of Basia, who venerate the cat, one could say it was fated that she would develop a kinship towards the creature. From the moment she could talk, young Senate had always wanted to have a cat all her own and was rather vocal in her requests. Of course, back then she was still but a young kitten herself, and her parents had their reservations as to whether she was ready to take on such a responsibility. It was on her fifth birthday that her wish finally fulfilled. Her grandfather's cat had just given birth, presenting her with an entire litter from which she could pick a kitten to call her own. It was not an easy choice to say the least. She occasionally snuck a glance at her mother with her young saintly eyes and asked if she could take them all - a request that was instantly met with scorn and stern disapproval.

As she looked around, she noticed a few that were very energetic, hopping and skipping around their exhausted mother, chasing their own shadows. Others however, seemed rather lazy and chose only to lie down as their mother had done, bellies full of milk and eyes barely open. As her parents grew evermore impatient, she noticed a pair of big green eyes staring up at her. It was perhaps at that moment that she made her choice, or rather, the choice was made for her. He wasn't the most handsome of kittens with his grey and white fur, nor was he the most lively or playful, but there was something about him that the little girl had absolutely fallen in love with. All throughout their journey home, she held on to the kitten as if it were the most precious gem on Earth, all the while gently stroking its soft coat. Her father had wanted to put it in a box, but she would have none of it. After screaming her lungs out in protest for a good half an hour, he finally yielded and allowed her to carry it in the back seat. She started talking to it, telling it all about her family, where she went to school and all the things they would do together once they got home. Never had her parents seen her as jubilant as she was at that very moment.

As soon as they got home, she hurried to the cupboards to get a bowl and some milk for the cat. No matter how high she jumped or how far she reached, her efforts to open the cupboards were all in vain. It was only after her mother had lifted her off the ground that she managed to get what she wanted. Only a few hours had passed since acquiring the kitten but regret had already set in for Senate's parents, after all, it was already drinking the milk they were saving for dinner. Her mother then asked her,
"What are you going to name him?"
She continued to quietly stroke the kitten's fur as he purred his worries away on her lap before raising her head and turning her gaze toward her mother.
"Kitty!" She replied.

Senate's mother looked back at her husband, not quite sure how to react to the name. After getting nothing but a silent stare in reply, she simply shook her head and walked away. Over the months that followed, Senate and the cat grew inseparable. At first Kitty seemed uneasy in his new surroundings, running into any dark space he could find at the mere sight of someone approaching. He was a bit more relaxed around Senate. She was the only one who had had the honor of running her dainty little hands through his lustrous grey fur. Their relationship seemed to only add to her parents' stress. Once she had started playing with the cat, they would often have to give her quite the earful just to get her to do her homework, or even eat. Her favorite thing to do was crawling on all fours like the kitten. In her mind, this act alone made her and the cat indistinguishable from each other. She always found it rather frustrating when her mother easily saw through her clever disguise. Perhaps moms just have super sight, she thought.

As the kitten grew, so too did their friendship. Even when she got older, Senate always made time for Kitty, perhaps too much at times. Whenever a piece of meat went missing from the pot, her mother knew that the cat was out somewhere probably gnawing at the bone. Regardless of how much she got yelled at, Senate would always steal a piece of meat for Kitty every now and then. When that ultimately seemed no longer viable, she simply refrained from eating any meat she was served and would later give it to Kitty. Her parents had often told her that meat was a staple for the Basia clan, an argument she always used against them whenever they tried to tell her to stop giving all her meat to the cat. Never had they imagined that she would take it so literally. She also believed she could talk to the cat, after all, it was her totem animal. Anyone who had ever seen them together would not have much reason to argue otherwise. Kitty would follow her everywhere she went, whether it was out to play with her friends or to the shops to pick up a loaf of bread. Overtime Kitty had grown to be not just a pet, but a loyal companion.

Over the years, kitty grew old and increasingly less agile than before. He would often be overpowered by the younger and more agile village cats, something that broke Senate's heart beyond imagining. Even though the cat was more of a nuisance to them, her parents did their best to protect it when she was not around. Even after all the time that had passed, they had never seen anything make her happier than she was the day they brought Kitty home; not even being top of her class, getting new clothes or even receiving her very first cell phone. All of those things paled in comparison to that moment when she was just a five year old girl, hanging on to her kitten for dear life. The saddest moment in her life would come many years later when she would have to say goodbye. After her mother received a transfer to work in China, the two compatriots had to part ways. Part of her wished more than anything to take him with her, but alas, she had to leave him behind. Not many people were as fond of Kitty as Senate was, but seeing him wonder aimlessly without her was a sad sight to behold. Her cousins would always call out to Kitty and feed him whenever they saw him like she had instructed. Although they weren't too fond of the cat, they took good care of him all the same.

One day, from halfway around the world, Senate opened her eyes and awakened in her old bedroom back home. She found it all rather strange, but what was even more so was seeing Kitty looking up at her as a small little kitten like he was when they first met. At that point in her life she didn't remember much from back then, but that particular day she certainly couldn't forget.
"Hey, where have you been all this time? I miss you." said Kitty.
Senate had always dreamed of the day she would hear his voice, she couldn't help but be overcome with glee when she finally did.
"Wait, you can talk? When did that happen?" she enquired.
"I've always been able to talk, and you've been the only who ever heard me. Don't you remember?" replied Kitty as he began to excitedly hop around her
"I'm sorry, I've just been here for so long and I really miss you. It's really great here. I'm glad we didn't bring you along though, some of the people around these parts would consider you a delicacy."
"Sounds like a nightmare, I'm glad I stayed. We don't have much time, come play with me."
The bedroom door suddenly swung open on its own accord and instead of leading her to the corridor to her parents' room, it led her straight outside. She looked around and there was no one there, just her and her Kitty. It reminded her of the old days, often times she would forget everything and everyone around her when they played together. This time however, there really wasn't a single person around.
"Come, let's play." said Kitty as he hopped around her little feet.
They seemed smaller, like those of a toddler. She soon realized that she too had become younger, just like Kitty. Suddenly her playful nature came bursting forth and before she knew it, she had gotten on all fours and began hopping alongside Kitty like they did in the old days. Her hands and knees were covered in dirt but that didn't worry her in the slightest. All the troubles of her new life disappeared in those few minutes of bliss. This time it didn't feel like she was just pretending to be a cat anymore, after all she could finally hear his voice. The sound of their laughter echoed through every corner of the empty village and despite there being no other person in it, never had it been so full of life. As they played on, Kitty began to repeatedly call her name.
"Senate, Senate, Senate!"

At first she found it rather odd but the more she listened, the more she realized that it was in fact her mother trying to wake her up. Once she had gotten her wits about her, she noticed a solemn expression on her mother's face that she had never seen before. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but after the dream she had, she feared it would only strip her of her joy. Her mother sat on the bed and then started to pat it with her left hand, signaling for Senate to scoot to her side. For five minutes neither one of them said a word. She could tell that her mother wanted to tell her something and her reluctance to spit it out only made her all the more anxious. Finally her mother took a deep breath, pulled out her phone and began to scroll.
"I just received a text from your brothers back home, they say Kitty has died."
Silence prevailed once more. Senate's mother looked unblinkingly at her daughter, waiting for the moment she would begin to shed tears so she could embrace her. She waited, but not a single tear came, all she did was look down to the ground. After some time she looked up and had the widest grin on her face.
"Aren't you sad that he's gone? I was so scared to tell you because I thought you'd be in pain." said her mother, feeling rather confused.

"Don't worry mom, I'm okay, and so is Kitty. We were playing together just before you woke me up. Now I understand why he came to me. No matter where he has gone, I know we will see each other again someday, hoba ke Mosia Motobatsi."
Her mother suddenly began to relax, she was surprised by Senate's response but more than that, she was proud. The two then started reminiscing on life back home and shared a few laughs together, truly Kitty the kitten had lived a full life.