My Cat Henry

It was a mysterious afternoon. But, I didn’t let it deter me from my quest; to find the perfect place to bury my beloved cat, Henry. He was a tough cat, until he ate some of that rat.

My thoughts were that the rat had been poisoned, and it was in his final dance with death when Henry took him down. So technically, it was the rat that killed poor Henry, and not the other way around.

I figured the rodent was poisoned by my neighbour, Melvin. A man who had a penance to use toxic concoctions for his rodent problem. I might have been wrong, but I was usually right about these kind of things. And Melvin hated cats too. Yeah, I was going to talk with good, old Melvin after the burial. And I sure hope to hell it didn't come to fisticuffs, because I was mighty angry about losing my cat.

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 lay his body down to rest. I was going to have to dig a 5-foot hole. Otherwise, animals could dig him up and eat his poisoned remains, knocking up the body count.

I trudged through the bush on a narrow trail, I figured I was on a deer path. I was unsure of how long I walked before the path widened into a clearing. Looking up, I noticed the sun shone on a single, perfect huckleberry bush. Instinctively I knew, this was it, ‘the spot’. I could tell by my belly, that Henry would have liked this. I don’t know how to put it, except to say, 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 put Henry in the hole, as gently as I could. I was sure 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 that.”

I wiped my eyes, picked up the shovel and filled up the hole with dirt. 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 summer afternoon. I turned my head to the left, saw the fresh dirt, and there was a bit more snifflin' and snortin' 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 when the clouds in the sky tell you 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.