Morning Bliss

Something pulls at me. The darkness no longer so dark, but a softer gray, a flutter of light. The feeling of skin against sheets is fleeting, quickly drowned out by the push of bone against muscle, of nerves once silent now screaming. Awareness is painful, every breath rattling my ribs and pushing my spine against its cord.

But there is something else. A rattling song just to my right. Eyes still closed against the harsh light I lift my hand towards the sound, each finger cracking as they uncurl from slumber. Knuckles brush against something soft, lighter than air and yet still tangible against my sleep warm skin.

My arm sways, not yet ready to fight against gravity to stay up, but its fall back to the sheets is stopped by that softness, and a rumbling chirp. Flickers of motion against my finger tips, a soft vibration beneath the palm of my hand, and yet the dull nature of it all is brought to a single point, a hardness beneath the cloud. My fingers twitch again, carding through the soft pieces when another rattling song begins anew. A sharp pain on my shoulder, pressure too much for my weighted body, when that same softness drags across my face. I turn to it, my neck straining against the movement, and a cold point sends shivers through my bones.

Finally I open my eyes to see a tongue scrape across my nose. The pinkness of it bright against the blackness it comes from. I turn on my side, my body aching from the previous stillness, and face the creature who chirps like a bird and purrs with the rumblings of a bear. Gold eyes meet mine, a face triangular and yet rounded by fur. The black edges that spread from nose to ears is dappled with yellow and brown, as though the darkness is being permeated by sunlight through dense trees. Ears twitch as my fingers rub against them, the fur barely there and yet softness absolute. The pressure had gone as I turn, but returns again now, a small paw pushing against my arm just above my inner elbow, balancing as the small head rubs against my face once again. The fur tickles my eyes and I have to close them, feeling my eyelashes sway with the rubbing movement.

Opening them once again I see the cat for their entirety. Small, limber, and excited to see I am awake. They climb over me, forcing me to turn to the other side as they step gingerly upon the comforter, pawing at a star larger than the rest of the design. I cover myself in the sheets again, not ready to venture into the cold of the waking world, but they see my movement and quickly rub against me again.

As I watch their efforts to wake me I begin to drift back to the land of dreams. A scraping of plastic against claws startles me, the noise repeated again from behind me. I sit up to see the source and gasp as my shoulder snaps, bending too far as it holds my weight. Dropping onto my elbow I see the kitten watching me, their ears perked as I stare back at them. They raise a paw and push against the cup on the nightstand, the scraping sound beginning again. She turns back to me, as though expecting me to do something.

A shrill call breaks our stare off, and she knocks the cup onto the floor. Knowing she will continue to knock it around to continue the sound I throw the covers off and roll onto my side. Pressing a hand against my back I push until a pop fills the silence, rolling the other way I repeat the act but can only pant in pain as the muscle refuses to relax. Rolling flat to face my ceiling of stars I press my face to one side, sighing as a crack follows by a release of pain. I do this one more time, facing the kitten on the nightstand who watches patiently. Sitting up I reach out a hand that she presses into, her purr a light sound against the now silent aches of my body. I stand and she jumps off the nightstand, disappearing through the doorway into another room. The soft tinkling of a bell the only thing she leaves behind.