My Cat Henry

It was a mysterious afternoon, even the clouds filled the skies with images of dragons. I didn’t let it deter me from the quest of finding the perfect place to bury my beloved cat Henry. He was a tough cat until he ate some of that rat.

My thoughts were the rat had been poisoned and it was in his final dance with death when Henry took him down. So technically that rat did in poor Henry. I figured the poor rodent was poisoned by my neighbour Melvin. A man with a penance for using poisons for his rodent problem. I might have been wrong, but I was usually right about these kind of things. And he hated cats too. Yup. I was going to talk with old Melvin after the burial. And I sure hope it didn't come to fisticuffs, because I was mighty mad about losing Henry.

So here I was, shovel in one hand and a burlap bag with poor Henry in the other. I was looking for ‘the perfect spot’ to put his body down to rest. I was going to have to dig a 5-foot hole to lay his body to rest. Otherwise, animals could dig him up and eat his poisoned remains. Knocking up the dead body count.

I trudged through the bush on a narrow trail. I figured it must have been a deer path. I was unsure of how long I walked before the path widened into a clearing. The sun shone on a single perfect huckleberry bush. I knew instinctively this was ‘the spot’. I could tell by my belly that Henry would have liked this spot. I don’t know how to put it, except to say that it just felt right. So, I dropped the bag on the ground, grasped the shovel and started digging. I was finished in a jiffy as I was angry and it was fueling me on.

I slowly put Henry in the hole, as gently as I could. I was going to miss my orange tabby. A tear coursed down my cheek, cause I was sure fond of that cat.

“Dear Lord. Can you look after my poor cat Henry. He was a good cat. So, I'd really appreciate you looking after him now for me.”

I wiped my eyes, picked up the shovel and filled the hole. When I was done, I stepped on the soil to flatten the dirt, then used the shovel to pat it down more.

I laid down, with my arms behind my head and watched the clouds on this late afternoon. I turned my head to the left to see the fresh dirt and there was a bit more snifflin' and snorting from me.

“It’ll be alright Henry. God will take care of Melvin, just you wait and see.”

Eyes open to the universe, I watched those clouds. A ballerina with her arms held high. A whale. And I had to blink, but it was still there. I rubbed my eyes and opened them again. I started to chuckle, cause it was just kind of funny is all. In those clouds there was Melvin chasing a rat. I tell you no lie here. The story of Melvin and the rat was already being told to the heavens. And I just knew that Henry would join in with their story too.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I reckon there is something special in the clouds and sky tellin' a story. I’d still miss my damn cat, but I knew he was being taken care of, in God's hands now. I just knew it. Damn if I didn’t fall asleep in that warm evening sun with a silly smile on my lips.