I thought it would be strangely green or infra red, like a bizarre night time action commando movie,” thought the cat, glad that the whole night scene was not like one big green and black inverted photographic image. He made his way down to the barbeque area, jumped up onto the wall, onto the small fence and finally leapt to the heights of the big long fence that ran along the back of all the gardens. He was astonished at how his feet just instantly found their footing, even on the top of the thin fences and in the evening light. It was so instinctual that it felt like someone was doing it for him without having to worry himself. His tail counterbalanced him from behind, compensating with incredible effectiveness every time his body twisted, turned or jumped. He really felt like the perfect night creature, superbly balanced and intricately aware of his environment. He skipped along confidently, wondering at how marvellous the gardens looked with this new cat vision. He was silently enjoying being a cat.
He proceeded along the fence, dancing one paw in front of the other in a satisfying quarternity of movement, past the strange old man’s garden and those of his neighbours. At the end, there was a tall wooden post crowned with a small, flat, piece of wood. He jumped up onto it, the area being just big enough for all four paws to arrange themselves and balance him proudly on top. He looked around and saw down to the right a small pond surrounded by tiny bushes and shrubs. He jumped down and sat beside the water’s edge, next to a small solar powered lantern flickering on and off as if the batteries were on their last legs.
Why can’t they get it right? he thought, as he sat alert, mesmerised by the beautiful calm silence all around. He stared up at the clear starry sky and the sharply focused three quarters moon. It was indeed a thoroughly beautiful night.
Maybe this is the lesson right here. What’s wrong with this? No ambition, no obligations, no worries, no stress, no bills, no arguments and no anxieties. Maybe this is enough. Why should I change anything? I get fed, have a warm place to sleep, gardens to roam in, extreme agility, night vision and ridiculously good balance. This ticks a whole load of boxes that are definitely not ticked for a lot of humans. Why should I want to go back to that?
Ed mused on his position, slightly surprised how quickly he had adjusted to the whole thing and how he had come to terms with being dead.
Sure, I miss how things were, but if I move on from this incarnation, there would probably be elements of it I would miss.
Ed moved over to the water’s edge. He could see his reflection clearly as he moved his head over the calm water, stretching out his right forward paw and disturbing the mirror water surface. It erupted into a thousand ripples, moving outwards from the point of impact, breaking his reflection into a million quivering segments.
That sums it up. The reflection is as temporary as me. One little point of aggression and the whole thing shatters.
He stood up and moved around the small pond, mesmerised to see how one tiny point of impact caused so many ripples. His mood swung left and then right, one minute marvelling at being a cat and the next being distraught at not being his old self. As he moved around the pond, the surface underfoot changed from a soft mown grass to a loose shingle made up of tiny stones. Each paw sank smoothly into the shallow shingle as he moved forward creating a mesmerising sound, reminding him of the seashore and the stony beaches of the south coast. He continued reflecting on his situation, his tail adding to the soothing sound by brushing to and fro in the pebbles.
It’s all well and good enjoying these animal attributes at the moment but what will they be worth if I stay around and lose any self awareness? Would there be any value in it or would I be merely surviving? What would looking up at the sky mean? How would I be able to appreciate night vision or different foods, even the warmth of the blanket? How vital is the ‘I’ in all this to have a fulfilling existence?
Ed pondered pond side for a few more minutes before moving on through some loose bushes and into an open area of ground. Just then he began to notice an evocative smell, romantic, alluring and lust worthy. He stopped in his tracks, looked around and caught sight of a bush just twenty or so meters away shaking slightly, as if an animal was entangled in it. He immediately wandered over and could hear a small whimpering noise, attractively feline. His whiskers got more sensitive than ever, almost throbbing with intensity, willing him towards his objective.
As he got closer he could see a beautiful, white, furry moggie, about the same size as him. It stared out of the bush cautiously with its tempting vulnerable eyes, longing for help. He moved in closer still and realised it was caught on some thorns. He moved around to the side and gave the cat a firm push with his strong front paws. Out it popped, like a pea from a pod landing gently on the short grass to the side. It immediately jumped up, shook itself down, went over to Ed and began nuzzling him. The cat smelt wondrous, Chanel and Dior all in one. The fur was super fluffy and brilliant white with the black nose standing out prominently like a big button.