Ghost Kitten Rise

There is another world that exists parallel to our own. It sits right beside us, and above us, and below us, and all around us, yet we never see it, and only very few of us ever sometimes feel it. That feeling may come as a cold chill, or a whisper from an empty room, or a tingle running down the spine, or any of a million other barely noticed disturbances to our ordinary everyday lives. We only notice because the feeling is so non-ordinary, so different from what we expect and are used to. Some people call it the spirit world, or another dimension or heaven or hell, but the name is not important, at least not for purposes of this story. What is important to understand about this other world is that it is inhabited by many creatures, some of which are formerly living beings from our own planet earth. Most people refer to these as ghosts, and they are feared by the still living. Some of these ghosts should be feared, but others are innocent and kind, even helpful to the living. There are other things in that world that are much more fearsome than the former living. They are natives of that world, and it is all they have ever known. However, they also know of the ghosts, and they know they come from another place. They very much desire to know what this other place is, where it is, and how to get there. They wish to conquer that world, our world, and make it their own. The reasons for this are not understood and there may be no reason, at least not one we could ever hope to comprehend. For countless millennia these beings have waited and watched and plotted and planned and made attempt after attempt to breach into our world.

In one instance, they would have succeeded had it not been for the heroic efforts of a lone, brave, tiny kitten, a ghost kitten. It had lived only two weeks before dying in the home of Tim and Dana Stephens of 146 Cooper Street. Tim had buried the kitten in the pot of a barely living bougainvillea which sat on their front porch. He cried as he dug up the dirt and as he carefully placed the tiny body into the hole. He said a blessing in his mind which went something like this.

“Dearest kitten, I grieve for the loss of the love you would have given this world. I cry for the joy that some person will not have a chance to feel. I hurt for the smiles that your loss has stolen from this world. But I know you are meant for something bigger. That your death has meaning, that you have been called to a different destiny. Know that you always have my love, and the love of my wife, to call upon for strength when needed.”

The spirit of the dead kitten heard those words and understood them as he passed into the world of ghosts. The natives who always waited and watched what came into their world saw the kitten as well and they believed he could be a pathway to what they desired. This tiny kitten would be easy prey, totally defenseless, and so they pounced upon him thinking to quickly defeat him and use the remains of his spirit to rip a hole into our world. The ghost kitten felt no fear, and stood upon his tiny, barely formed claws. He stared at the oncoming horde of natives and bared his tiny teeth and hissed. Because he was so small the sound was barely a whisper, but to the natives it sounded as loud as thunder because it was amplified by the love of Tim and Dana Stephens, two humans the kitten had never known. The sound of that hiss and the sight of the kitten’s teeth and claws struck a terror into the natives and they immediately withdrew back to their hiding places scattered throughout the spirit world. The kitten sheathed his claws, and closed his tiny mouth, and laid down for a nap. When he awoke he saw a light and then felt a warm tongue upon him and he knew he had been born again.

Author’s postscript: This story is dedicated to a kitten I once knew for a very short time. Thank you little guy and may you find your way home someday.