Chester

I was volunteering at an animal shelter and I meet a cat named Chester.

I volunteer at a decent little animal shelter on the outskirts of a lake-side town.

Every morning the cats swarm around their doors waiting for the affection they desperately crave. But Chester was different; he was perched on the highest ledge of the room. His eyes intensely followed every creature that wandered past his vantage point. He was the type of cat superstitious nut-jobs fear; he had obsidian colored pelt and deep leafy green eyes. Once I finished my daily tasks in all the rooms and petted the affection craving felines I walked over to Chester. I stood there looking into his eyes until he finally blinked. I greeted him with a few words and than proceeded to pet him. He meowed a few times but stayed seated on his perch. I felt a kinship to this fellow animal, his eyes show a spark of adventure but he is locked in this room. He knows there’s more out there but he is trapped in an 8/6 foot room covered in green bedding and little objects they call cat toys. People come into his life, feed him, pet him, brush him, and than leave. Sadly I’m just another one of those people that well leave within the hour. You can almost tell he’s straining to not get attached but the battle in his mind is losing. He let out a soft purr of delight and rolled over to expose his belly, that’s one of the biggest shows of trust for felines.

     I whispered my heart put to my feline companion, “Hey, I know how you feel. The world is so vast but you’re trapped in this tiny space. You watch your fellow species enjoy their lots in life but you can’t understand why. You feel selfish for wanting to explore but you can’t conform to the normal cycle of your life. If I could take you out of this place I would, but I can’t. But if I could we’d go on adventures together, We’d walk to the sea, sneak onto a ship sailing to a far away land, meet new friends and see new places, we’d struggle to survive but it would be worth it. But for now we’re stuck in small spaces.”

     He just meowed again but I felt he could understand. Until the time that we’re both free we’ll use our imaginations to sail away…