The warm sun beats down on my back, yawning, I stretch each limb before getting to my feet. Carefully without making a sound, I walk towards the window sill and look out at the new day. Let’s see…today is…Tuesday. I think to myself, looking at the calendar that has been put on the wall next to the old annoying coo-coo clock. That means breakfast is chicken, lunch is liver and dinner is…Fish. I lick my lips at the thought of fresh fish slowly cooking on a pan, the smell lingering in the room, the first bite…slightly salty, warm and tender. Wiping the saliva off my chin, I walk into Agathas room, and jump onto her bed, tapping her head gently until she wakes.

“Feather…I swear, your better than my alarm clock.” She smiles warmly to me and scratches my head lightly, “You must be hungry huh baby.” She stops and thinks a moment, “Tuesday’s breakfast is…Chicken, isn’t it? Yes…chicken” Slowly, as if painfully, the woman rises to her feet, putting on old worn out slippers and a pale blue housecoat over her long cotton nightgown. She hums lightly to herself as she picks me up and walks out of her room into the kitchen, setting me down on the table she looks at me. “Alright now…Where did I put your plate…” She opens a few cupboards, “Ah ha! Found it!” She places it on the counter and pours water into a coffee maker and turns it on. She then walks over to the fridge and takes out milk and a chicken breast. I look up at the coffee pot.

“Meowr” She seemed to like it when I talked to her, though I knew humans couldn’t understand what we were really saying, it still pleased me to see her smile like she used to.

“Ah yes, I almost forgot.” She smiles down at me as she takes the coffee out and pours one into a cup and another into a saucer. “Cream and sugar…One lump or two Feather?”

“Mew Meew” Two lumps please, it was our routine morning.

“Two lumps it is.” She pours cream and sugar into the saucer of coffee and sets it on the table next to me. I wait a few seconds then lower my head and take a taste, purring my satisfaction, she slices up the chicken into strips and warms them in a box that lights up. Again she cuts them into smaller, bite size pieces and places them beside my saucer of coffee. She scratches behind my ear as I eat, purring the whole time.

When the coo-coo clock strikes twice, immediately after my lunch of cooked liver, Agatha goes out, usually this lasts until the coo-coo clock strikes three times. Between the time she leaves and the time she returns I usually sit atop the window sill and watch our neighbors. Macbeth, a young black and white tabby, and I roam the garden and talk sometimes, but only when Agatha is gone. She doesn’t know I can get out through her slightly opened window. Today, like any other day, Macbeth walked down the garden into my view, I jumped off the window sill and towards her room. Squeezing out of the open window and down into the garden.

“Feather, how good to see you this fine afternoon.” He rubs his head against mine. I smile at him.

“Macbeth, it’s always good to see you.” Macbeth’s owners, Celia and Janice two elderly sisters, often come over for coffee and chat. They always bring Macbeth with them, in hopes we would be friends, which of course we are. “What news of the alley cats today?”

“Some new strays are about, but they’re harmless for the most part.” We both sit, I keep my tail out so it just barely touches his. “Heard anything new on your end of the street, Feather?”

“The box said something about storm warnings, but it shouldn’t come this far.” Agatha always listened to some strange box with moving pictures of other humans, sometimes I often enjoy watching and listening to weather warnings.

“Ah, great, another one, I believe this is the fifth one this year…very unusual…” He mutters quietly to himself, I chuckle lightly and he looks up with embarrassment at being caught muttering.

“You worry too much, Macbeth, our humans will protect us if anything…unforeseen should happen.” In the distance we both hear the coo-coo clock go off in my home. I sigh lightly, “Agatha should be back soon. I enjoy talking to you so; I guess time just…flew.”

“I guess it means you have to go.” He looked down. “Perhaps I can convince Celia and Janice to come over here tomorrow.” I nod.

“Until then, Macbeth” Gently I rub my head against his and turn back towards the house and climb back through the window. He always acts so strange when we say goodbye…like he doesn’t want to leave or he has something else to say…Tomcats are so…odd. I find myself thinking, I yawn and stretch, perhaps a nap will help. Climbing back onto the window sill, I look out in time to see Macbeth slowly walking home. Laying down I close my eyes and dream of kittens, mewing for their milk.

But Agatha never came home.

I had woken up to the coo-coo clock, it chimed five times. Looking around I notice, Agatha hasn’t come home yet. That’s...strange, I wonder why she isn’t back yet… I meow loudly, pacing around the room. My stomach growled for food. Finally I wander into the kitchen and pry open a few cupboards, finding some crunchy things in a bag. Now that food was in my stomach, I walked slowly back over to the window sill and waited, even when the sun came up I waited.

When the coo-coo clock chimed one, my stomach grumbled. Looking out again I saw Celia and Janice walking towards the house, their faces were red and leaking salty tears, Macbeth was in Celia’s arms. I walked to meet them at the door, “Macbeth…what’s going on? Agatha never came home last night…”

“Feather…I heard Celia telling Janice that there was an accident in the metal machines, Something about Agatha in critical condition. I don’t think she made it…” He gently put his head on mine, “I’m sorry Feather…”

Just like that…my friend, my owner and my way of life was gone. But even though it was gone…I still had Macbeth…so maybe…just maybe…it would turn out alright.

I was thrown into darkness…But I didn’t have to search long…To find My light…My love…My Macbeth.