The January 2006 story is to be inspired by a real cat, June Bug, pictured below. June Bug is in reality up for adoption at Gay's Cat Rescue

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. However, the story will be fiction, based on some truths.



The truths that must be in the story are:

The cat is female.

She was abandoned/lost as a very small kitten.

The cat is blind in one eye, due to something that happened when she was a kitten.

The cat's color's are the same as the real June Bug.

You will change the name of the cat to something other than June Bug, but can have a variation of June in the name if you desire.

Your story will tell:

the start of her life and how she came to found all alone as a tiny kitten(e.g. born to a feral mother who got killed, born to house cat whose owners "got rid" of the tiny kittens by dumping them outside somewhere hoping they'd die, etc.)

how she came to be blind in one eye (untreated eye infection, injury either accidental or on purpose by an evil person, etc.)

who cared for her as a tiny kitten (she would not have been able to survive on her own outside as a tiny kitten)

what happened next as far into her life as you desire. (e.g. can end with her in old age looking back on her life; can end with her as a younger cat finally getting a permanent, loving home; maybe she never did get a permanent home, etc.)

The purpose of the story is:

To encourage sympathy and empathy for abandoned cats.

To highlight some positive, endearing things about cats that might help someone consider adopting an abandoned cat.

To entertain.

The story does not have to have a happy ending, but should not be a "dark" horribly upsetting story. It should be suitable for older children to read as well as adults.

Winners of the contest will have their story published on W. V. Cats website (www.wvcats.com). Winners can also get to adopt June Bug

Be sure to use paragraphs, and correct capitalization and punctuation. Do check your spelling, but don't worry much about that. Any story chosen to be published will be proofread, with spelling errors corrected.

Post your story as a reply to this message.

The contest ends January 25.

The winner will be determined by a combination of member voting and selection by impartial judges.

You can also ask further clarification about this as a reply to this message.

Wow! This sounds like a fun project. I love to write. I may not get to it for a while, but I hope I can take part.

The best part will be reading what everyone else writes - I love stories.

One question, Margaret. Could this story be based on a true story, only the names changed to protect the innocent kitties and people?

Maria

A Christmas Miracle

by Cindy

It was a perfect winter day. Snow fell gently from the sky in big huge flakes that drifted down to cover the sidewalk outside the window. A fire was burning in the fireplace and the crackling and snapping made for a peaceful background. The Christmas tree in the corner was twinkling with lights of many colors and the lights were turned low even though the day was cloudy with the snowfall. The presents had been opened and all the paper and wrappings were now picked up and the room restored to it's usual disorder. With several kids in the house, it was always in a slight state of disorder. All the people in the house had scattered to play with new toys or other gifts. Except one.

Mary stood by the window next to a tall cat tree gently stroking the fur on a huge black and white cat. She had named her Simba so many years ago. Simba turned her head slightly to look at Mary and gave a soft meow. This was a special day for both of them and they always took this day to look back and remember. So many years had gone by, yet they both remembered. In this, the twilight of both of their years, they remembered. The pain, being scared, being cold, and being alone in a world that just didn't care. So much had changed for both of them, but they would continue to remember.

Simba lifted a paw to gently grab Mary's hand and lick it in a playful attempt to mock fight with her. There was still a kitten inside this big old cat. Then Simba closed her one good eye and a purr came from deep in her chest and she allowed herself to go back. Back to that time when things weren't good and peaceful. When there wasn't a warm fireplace and gifts under a Christmas tree for her. It had been twenty years ago. But she would never forget the kindness of this woman who stroked her.

Twenty years ago a small kitten was hiding in a shed. The rest of the litter was gone. She knew better than to cry even though the pain was intense. Her feral momma had taught her well. Never let the predators know where you were by making noise. Even at 10 weeks old, this kitten knew this. But the pain!! The coyote had found them even though Momma had tried her best to hide them. It had come in the night. Momma had tried so hard to fight even though she was weak and gaunt from hunger. The kittens had come late in the fall and Momma was just barely a kitten herself when she had them. There was little food, but Momma really did her best. Now she was gone with the rest of them. Three tiny bodies were scattered in the snow.

Momma was gone. The coyete must have taken her, the kitten realized. They had woken, shivering in the cold. Even laying as close to Momma as they could get, it was cold. They all woke up when they heard soft footsteps outside of the shed where Momma had thought it was safe. Momma had screamed at them to run. Run as fast as they could and hide. Hide, but where? The kitten felt the pain before she realized what was happening. Then a scream of pure rage as Momma attacked to save her. The coyote let go of the kitten to face this feline who was about to give her very life to save her kittens. The kitten ran. Blood was pouring from her eye, but she ran. She listened for a while as the screams of her family died to nothing. Nothing but the cold, the snow and the pain remained now.

Two days went by while the kitten lay in her hiding place. Then, footsteps again. She shivered in terror and cold. By now hunger had even been forgotten. Then she heard something different. Soft sobbing coming from outside her hiding place. A hand reached inside her hiding place. The kitten fought with all her strength, but was too weak to put up a battle. Just before blackness overtook her, she had the satisfaction of hearing a voice wince when her tiny claws and teeth sunk into the hand that would take her away.

The kitten came awake some time later, but was unable to open her eyes. Two humans were standing over her. A male voice was telling another that it was no good. The kitten was feral and all the time and expense to try to save it just wasn't worth it. One eye was already gone and infection had set in. It was starved to the point of death. But the kitten felt something then. A gentle hand was stroking her. It almost felt like Momma. A soft, female voice floated above her head. It must be an angel. The voice spoke softly and the stroking never stopped. The female said they had to try. She didn't have any money to pay the male, but she would come up with it somehow. If he would only try. The male said he would do his best, but it was a lost cause. The kitten felt something then. It was kind of funny...it felt like another kitten had just poked her with a tiny claw. Then, blackness again.

When the kitten woke up next, she was wrapped in a warm blanket. She smelled what she thought was food, but was unable to lift her head to find out. A finger came into her line of vision. She realized then that only one eye worked now. But the finger smelled so good and gently slipped into her mouth. It was food!! The finger disappeared to be replaced by a nipple of some sort. It dripped with what tasted like Momma's milk. Maybe Momma was back!! She eagerly sucked and felt warmth flow into her body. So good, oh so sweet to be full again and have Momma back.
But this wasn't Momma! The kitten tried to unsheath her claws and bare her teeth. She heard a soft laugh from above her and looked up. The female stroked her full belly and told her "My name is Mary, little one. Welcome back to the world. I think I will call you Simba. You remind me of a mighty cat I read about in a children's tale. Today is Christmas day and I think God has given us both a miracle. You are going to live, little Simba."

Simba's road to recovery was a long one. She remembered the pain of the surgery to remove her eye. There were other wounds she didn't even know she had and they were all infected. The medicine was horrible and she fought with all her strength to avoid taking it. But all her efforts were met with a soft laugh and a gently stroking hand. Mary never gave up on her. She was there with food when Simba wanted food. She was there when the pain was so bad Simba just didn't care to go on. But she was there with love too. Love that Simba soaked up. A love like Momma's love. This love gave Simba the strength and courage to fight back. To come to terms with being blind in one eye. Her raggy black and white coat slowly came to be shiny and glossy. When she was too weak to bathe herself, Mary was there to do it for her. Mary was always there.

That was twenty years ago. She remembered the day Mary took her back to the male who had given her the medicine. She asked the male to spay her so she would never know the agony her Momma knew. The agony of bringing kittens into the world that she couldn't care for. The pain of knowing they would probably die before they ever lived because of hunger or predators. That was just fine by Simba. She would never forget her Momma and the rest of the litter. And that was okay too. The pain of losing them was softened with time, but she would never forget them.

Mary and Simba gazed out the window on this Christmas day and remembered the miracle that had brought them together and gave Simba her new life. Time was short for both of them now. The children in the house were Mary's grandchildren. Time had taken it's usual toll on both of them. They napped a lot these days. They had been through so much together and they would remain together till the end of their time. Neither could bring themselves to think about what would happen to them when one of them went to the bridge without the other. That was to painful to even bring the thought to words.

Mary slowly removed her hand from Simba's fur. She said softly "Let's go take our nap now, my beautiful Simba." She had to lift Simba up on the bed. That was a feat in itself for Mary was weak and tired also. Simba lay as close as she could to Mary with her head on Mary's pillow. That is when the second Christmas miracle happened. They both woke up to a beautiful place. A place where health was restored and limbs worked again. Simba could see with both eyes now. Mary was young again and her laugh of pure delight awoke the kitten in Simba. The romped together in a green field filled with flowers where Simba leaped after butterflys who stayed just out of reach. Ahead was a golden bridge. They ran to the bridge and were greeted by a million or more voices of animals who were waiting for them to cross to their new life. A new time had begun for them now. It was their Christmas miracle.

Oh my, Cindy, that is a great story! It brought tears to my eyes. You sure did get in the sympathy for abandoned/orphaned cats requirement! I love the ending too, with both of them passing on together, after their 20 year loving relationship.

Thanks for contributing!

P.S. I edited your story to correct some typos/spelling errors.

Cindy,

That's a great story. You have a natural flair for writing. Thanks for submitting it.

Jim

Thanks for editing the story GG. I had put in the paragraghs when I wrote it and thought I had covered all the mistakes. Then, when I hit submit and reread it , all my paragraghs were gone

Thanks for the kind words, GG and Jim. I wrote that in such a short time. The words just seemed to come from nowhere and flowed. It is the first thing I have ever written! Most of the time I can't even write what I am trying to say or think, lol.

Cindy,

Your story was absolutely beautiful. I just got home from NY with my friend from Ohio, and was checking out the forum. I read your story and it was very touching. What a gift for writing and story telling you have. Thanks so much for sharing it here. We are blessed!

Maria

thanks, Maria. I can't wait to read what others have written. I love reading and will read anything I can get my hands on. I read three books this weekend. But this is my first attempt at putting words on paper.