Cuddles and Soothing Purrs

She was tired. Oh so very tired. She had been for as long as she could remember. Emily knew there was something wrong with her. Even though she went to bed early and woke up late, she was still so very tired. There wasn’t anything else the matter with her, just the tiredness. No fevers, sores, aches, pains, or lack of breathe. Emily refused to see a doctor, because there were other more important things for them to be focusing on. And besides, she was strong enough to power through it.

Emily was stretched out on the couch. She had just finished mowing the grass, and it was unbelievably hot, but that didn’t stop the ten pound cat from laying on her. Poor Myth was always insistent that she must lay with her mistress at all times. When Myth was a kitten, she had been born along with her litter outside of a factory, later she was found to be the sole survivor and taken to the shelter. When Emily had arrived, Myth had captured her attention with her pitiful cries. So Emily adopted her and quickly realized that Myth had a “touch” need. But so did Emily.

“I need to take a shower, Myth.” She spoke softly to the three-year-old. Three years of cuddles, cat cries and purrs, and constant companionship. So why couldn’t Emily shake off this fatigue?

Myth lifted her head to give a big yawn and then stared at Emily sleepily. While Myth couldn’t communicate with words, Emily felt she had a good idea of what Myth was thinking. Right now was a lack of desire to move. So Emily put her head back down on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

The sun was shining outside, and Emily had put a wind chime in her garden a long time ago. The wind chime was made out of colored metal, and when the sun hit the wind chime at just the right angle it reflected a different colored light onto her ceiling each day. Yesterday it had been blue, and it had made her sad because it hadn’t been bright enough. It had blended so smoothly with the ceiling that Emily had almost missed it in her drowsy state. She was always searching for bright colors, because she felt that they would help to alleviate the fatigue. It was partially the reason behind why she had painted various rooms in her home red, pink, and sky blue.

Today the color on the veiling was a bright neon green. Bright but thin like water. In psychology green meant growth, renewal, and nurturing, but also envy and greed. So what was she feeling outside of the tiredness? Emily didn’t believe she was feeling any negative emotions like envy or greed. She was, however, unusual reflective today, so maybe that was growth? She turned her attention to water. Water could also convey nurture, but also wisdom, intuition, and emotions. Emily snorted as she didn’t believe she was being wise nor emotional. She was calm.

Emily lifted her head to gaze at Myth and found her still staring. Myth and her need for tough had turned out to be a blessing in Emily’s life. She had become so angry and annoyed at being tired, especially when no one else seemed to understand that she had been ready to lay down and not get back up. Emily still had no idea what prompted her to go to the shelter, but she did and Myth had come home. It was the thought that if something ever happened to Emily, then no one would know or even care for Myth that made Emily move through the day. There had been one night, so long ago, when Emily had lost her keys. She couldn’t get into her house, and it was too late to call a lock smith. Poor Myth had cried at the door which had made Emily cry. She slept in her car that night, and called the lock smith first thing in the morning. Once inside, she held Myth for hours, apologizing. She made sure to never lose her keys again. She reached out and stroked Myth’s little head.

“Other than being tired, I feel okay. So I think a shower first, and then food and work. What do you think?” Myth purred against Emily’s fingers. “You know something, sweetheart? I don’t think anyone can ever truly know how much you have saved my life.” Emily sat up, making Myth cry in protest even as she sat on the cushion next to Emily. Emily leaned down and kissed her head. “But I am so very glad you did.”

Emily was tired, oh so tired. She had been for as long as she could remember. But she believed that she was strong enough to work through it. She gazed again at that thin-watery green light on her ceiling. And on the days when she wasn’t, Myth would be near by with her cuddles and soothing purrs.