The black cat slowed down, his legs too tired to walk and his heart too heavy to continue. He sat by a tree, convincing himself that this was all just a dream that, by some bad luck, he felt was reality. How long have I been running? He looked behind him. Nothing familiar in sight. Where are the orange lights now? He turned a full circle, only seeing the surrounding forest. Is he safe? He tried to shake the thought away. There would never be a way of knowing now.

Just as the cat was about to collapse to the forest floor, he heard a distant noise. Despite his sadness, a tinge of hope got the best of him. He walked closer to the noise, finally coming upon a house. This house had lights of all colors emanating from the inside, changing to the beat of a loud song. Curious, he circled the house, finding some rocks he could climb up to peer through a partially-open window.

Multiple humans were inside the house enjoying themselves. Some of the youngest were singing along to the song and dancing, laughing all the while. Others who seemed slightly older were on electronic devices, the lights changing as they scrolled without end. Most of the adults were hanging near the food and drinks, talking to each other around a large table. The cat moved closer to the center of the window, trying to see and hear these humans.

“And that’s what I tried telling her!” one of the adults sighed as she grabbed a new cup. “Every day, she comes home in tears because of what those jerks at school are saying. She even feels guilty!”

“‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ That’s what I’m always telling my kid,” one of the other adults said. “Once you rid yourself of the negative and focus on the positive, it makes life so much better.”

Another adult nodded and voiced her agreement. This one walked away and reached for something out of the cat’s view as the conversation continued. She returned with a massive container of plastic, opening the top and letting it fizz. “Hey, kids! Anyone want more soda?” She poured the beverage into more unused cups, handing them to the growing line of children.

The cat’s yellow eyes looked in their direction, but he was lost in a trance as the sounds of joy slowly faded into darkness. Looking beyond the insignificant actions and conversations here, he thought about his own family of humans.

One of the humans he had known and loved, not so different from the ones in the other room, had been scrolling through pictures on his device. This human, named Chance, had turned to him and shown him the device. There was a picture of captivating orange flames. Fear in his eyes, he had whispered, “Soon, this could be us. Fires are becoming more common and serious every day.” Chance had picked up one of the nearest objects, a container that had held his food from earlier that day. “See this? Plastic.” The cat had pawed at the container, listening intently to Chance’s warning. “This is one of the many things that’s destroying us. Humans are killing the entire world, but no one wants to do anything except watch it like it’s a movie. No action is being done around here.”

The cat dipped his head down, remembering that that was one of the last times he had seen Chance before a similar fire devoured their own home and he was separated from them.

How long had he been running? Where were the orange lights now? Was Chance safe?
 
Filled with fear and guilt, he climbed down the rocks and began to run away from the house of noise, thinking about his own home while wondering how these humans could think so little about their futures.

“Look!” A young voice caught the cat’s attention. Momentarily shocked, he turned around and saw a little girl. This girl ran to one of the adults and tugged on their arm. “Daddy, come! It's a cat!”

The cat stayed where he was, watching the girl as if she was from another lifetime. She smiled and grabbed her father’s arm, leading him outside. In this moment, there was nothing more important in her world than the captivating yellow of his eyes. She looked in wonder, unaware of his sadness.

The man glanced back at his daughter after seeing the cat, quickly changing his expression to mock fear. “Yes, Hope! But it’s a black cat. Did it cross your path?”

Hope’s green eyes shone in the dark. “No, but it’s still standing there! Isn’t it beautiful?”

“No.” Hope’s father waved his finger in the air as if he was scolding her. “Stay away! Don’t let a black cat cross your path. It’s bad luck.”

“Really, Daddy? What could happen?”

“Very, very bad things. Now, come on back inside. There are still a few cupcakes — if you promise to go to bed soon.”

Hope giggled as she waved to the cat and headed back inside. The cat waited until the father closed the door behind them, then snuck up to the window again. The father picked up the plastic cups he saw no one needed anymore, throwing them in the trash as the little girl ran to pick up a cupcake. Without any thought of how it would affect her sleep, she removed the wrapping and threw it away. Out of sight, out of mind! The little girl stuffed the cupcake in her mouth, humming without a care of the world.