Tommy had been turned outagain. It was the third time someone had decided they didnt want him, and for his short life, Lady Luck never seemed to be on his side.
Hed just celebrated his first year, but already three families had given up on him. At first, theyd passed him from home to home, but in the end…
In the end, the last man simply walked him out past the terrace houses, cradled him under the arm, and set him down in a dustbin behind a row of brick buildings before hurrying off. The idea, Tommy supposed, was that he wouldn’t find his way back. He didnt even try. He understood immediately, saw it in the mans expression.
The wife had been terribly upset when Tommyafter all, still just a kittenleft a few scratch marks on her brand new leather settee. An expensive one at that. Shed made the decision. The husband? Well, he just went along with whatever she said.
So off he went, carrying the ginger cat to the bins at the back of anothers estate. Tommy hadnt followed. No, hed seen that final look and understood. Nothing could change it. It would have been kinder at least to say goodbye, give him a gentle pat and offer some forgiveness. As it was, it felt as cold and careless as dumping out a bucket of rubbish.
Tommy sighed and rummaged through the bin, scavenging stale scraps of chicken. He crept out and curled up beside the big green wheelie. The sun was slipping lower, and he squinted into its warmth, letting it soak what little hope he had.
These were the last rays of the seasonthe final glimmers of a summer long gone, mingled with the first chill of late autumn. Even the thin crust of ice had melted. But inside Tommy, things only froze harder.
As dusk fell, the night became bitter. Frost and wind swept in as darkness settled. The ginger cat shivered, lost for shelter or direction. He finally burrowed into a heap of crisp, golden leaves, wrapping himself in their musty comfort. At first, he shivered violently. Later, as the wind bit and his velvet fur grew stiff and cold, a curious warmth crept over him and the shaking ceased. Somewhere deep in his mind, a gentle, lulling voice whispered kind words, coaxing him to close his eyes, to let go of pain and memories, to simply sleep.
Hush now, curl up tight, go on and sleep just sleep. Warmth flowed through him, as if by magic, tempting him to give in and drift away. Peace, at lasta place where hunger and rejection couldnt follow.
Tommy sighed one last time, ready to surrender. Why fight? Tomorrow would only bring more of the biting cold, a gnawing emptiness, and that wish to shut his eyes forever.
Street lamps flickered on, one by one, across the London estate. Tommy looked at them for the last time. He used to gaze at those same lights from his window. In this final moment, their glow flickered in his eyes, catching the attention of a little girl with a tumble of ginger hair, walking home with her father.
Daddylook! There, in the leaves someones there! the girl tugged his sleeve.
Theres nothing there, darling, her father muttered, shrinking from the cold. Come on, lets hurry home. Im frozen.
But the girl pulled away, stubbornly, eyes wide with certainty. No, I saw it. I saw a light.
A light, in a pile of old leaves? he said, frowning in disbelief. Impossible.
Yet she was there already, digging through the leaves until her fingers found himthe ginger cat, limp and ice-cold.
Daddy! she cried.
I told you. There he is.
Who? her father asked, coming closer.
Look, Daddy. She tried to pick the frozen bundle up in her arms.
Leave him, love, her father said softly. Hes gone. We cant take a dead cat home.
No, hes not! she insisted. I know he isnt. I saw it. Theres a light in his eyes.
A light in a cats eyes? he muttered skeptically, but he knelt and lifted Tommy, feeling for a heartbeat.
Tommy only wanted to sleep. Just sleephis eyelids heavy, the warmth inside him growing faint. That gentle voice went on comforting himSleep, never open your eyes again.
But then another voicea real one, high-pitched and determinedkept repeating, Theres a light.
What do they want from me now? Why wont they let me go? Tommy thought crossly, forcing open his eyes a crack.
Shes right! cried the girl. Daddy, looktheres that light again!
What light? her father startedbut he took off his coat, wrapping it gently around the small, trembling body, and set off for home.
Quickly, Daddy. Hes so cold, she pleaded, running at his side.
They disappeared into the terraced house. Upstairs, on the fifth floor, lights glowed in the window. They bathed Tommy with warm water and gave him a saucer of heated milk. The little girl knelt beside him, whispering, Please dont die. Please dont go.
The ice melted from his fur, and from somewhere deep inside, too. For the first time ever, Tommy felt what real warmth meantkindness, the simplest love of a child, not from a radiator but from a heart.
Outside, through the streaming window, an old night watchman on his rounds paused and looked up at the light in the fifth-story flat. Ive done all I can, all I can, he murmured to the night. After a pause, he added, Not everyone can see the light. And not everyone who does can keep it.
Tommy, blinking up at the ginger-haired girl, was not weighed down by thoughts of human grandeur. He was a cat, after all. He simply saw the light shining in her eyes.
And he knew: sometimes all it takes is a little kindness and the courage to care, to save a lifeand to let the warmth back into our own.
