It happened five years ago. My neighbor, Granny Vera, buried her war veteran husband and was left all alone. They had no children. The old woman would often reminisce about her dear Michael.
They married just before the war. Then her husband went to fight, and faithful Vera waited for him. Michael returned alive but missing his left hand. He loved his wife dearly and cherished her deeply. He pledged to always protect her from harm, but he couldn’t keep that promise. He died and left her alone!
Exactly on the anniversary of her husband’s death, a large black cat took up residence at her place. It appeared during the night, out of nowhere, and plaintively meowed at the door. A blizzard was raging, the wind was howling fiercely outside, yet somehow Granny Vera heard the meowing. Heading out, she saw the unfamiliar cat. Pitying the poor creature, the old woman let it in and even poured it a saucer of milk.
But, refusing to eat, with a proud, independent air, the guest strolled through the rooms. After thoroughly inspecting the home, it chose a spot on the owner’s pillow, started purring, and promptly fell asleep.
For some reason, Granny Vera didn’t drive the cat away and napped beside it. In the morning, she examined the cat more closely. Well-groomed and well-fed, it didn’t look stray at all! Black as coal, with large green eyes taking up half its face and a decidedly bold demeanor. And one more noteworthy detail: the fingers were missing on its left paw, as if they’d been torn off.
“Just like my Michael!” the old woman cried.
Meanwhile, the cat gently jumped onto her lap and purred.
“We need to call you something… Maybe Whiskers?” she suggested, kindly stroking the animal and scratching behind its ear.
The cat flinched and gave Granny Vera such a look that she was caught off guard and surprised.
ITS EYES WERE HUMAN! NOT “LIKE HUMAN”, BUT TRULY “HUMAN”!
“Got it. You don’t like ‘Whiskers’. Then, maybe Timmy? That’s a good name!” the owner quickly blurted out.
The cat meowed in displeasure, leapt off her lap, and began to vigorously scratch at the sofa’s upholstery.
“Alright, alright. I won’t give you a name just yet. You’ll just be Cat. Just leave the sofa alone, please,” the old lady politely requested.
Mumbling something unintelligible, the Cat obliged and nobly retreated to the other room.
And so they lived together: Granny Vera and the Cat.
I visited the old lady quite often, and she would tell me the most remarkable stories about her Cat!
Firstly, the Cat healed her. After her husband died, Granny Vera suffered a heart attack, and her heart often troubled her. But as soon as she lay down, the Cat would immediately curl up on her chest with its warm, soft body, purr, and fall asleep.
The pain melted away as if it never existed!
And once, there was a truly odd incident! Granny Vera lay down, the Cat nestled beside her, purring sweetly as it drifted off. There came a knock at the door. Rising, the owner went to open it. The Cat followed her. It was Victor, the local drunkard and troublemaker. He wedged his foot in the doorway and, spewing foul language, demanded money from Granny Vera for more drink.
The old lady tried to refuse, but the scoundrel persisted and became more brazen by the minute.
It got to the point where he insulted her and defiled the memory of her late husband.
Suddenly, the Cat growled unexpectedly and lunged at the offender. Victor shoved it away, but the Cat lunged again, nearly sinking its claws into his throat. Swearing, Victor gave up and left.
And the Cat, looking at the owner with its HUMAN eyes, held its tail high and left the room, its duty fulfilled.
One day, Granny Vera intended to visit the local council about firewood and asked me to accompany her. We took the bus to the district center. I agreed and, taking the day off work, went to see her early in the morning.
The old lady was sitting on the bed in her house clothes, looking bewildered and even flustered.
“Granny Vera, why aren’t you ready? Get dressed, maybe we can hitch a ride,” I instructed.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be going, Lucy,” she quietly said.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know how to explain… Please don’t laugh… The Cat won’t let me go.”
“What?! I took time off work, and you’re talking about the Cat! Get ready!” I protested angrily.
“Listen, Lucy. I had everything prepared last night; I went to sleep. I had a dream where my Cat spoke to me. Just like you’re talking now… Looked at me and said:
‘Stay home, Vera. You shouldn’t go tomorrow.’
My tongue was tied!
It wasn’t just that the Cat spoke! It called me Vera! Vera! You understand?! Only my late Michael called me that! AND THE CAT’S VOICE SOUNDED EXACTLY LIKE MICHAEL’S!
Meanwhile, the Cat started singing. The very song that Michael loved:
‘In the wild steppes of the outback,
Where gold is mined in the mountains… Remember, my dear, I sang it when I left for the front?’
I mustered the strength to ask: ‘Was that you, Michael?!’
‘WHO ELSE COULD IT BE?! I SEE HOW HARD IT IS FOR YOU ALONE, SO I CAME BACK…’
He said, ‘So, my dear, calm down and stay home tomorrow. You won’t hear anything good there anyway. The wood will be delivered next week. Tell Lucy to cancel the operation. She won’t make it through…’
And then I woke up…”
To say I was shocked is an understatement! I was silent for a long time, gasping like a fish.
Then, it hit me:
“Granny Vera, are you feeling alright? Should I call an ambulance? Your blood pressure might’ve spiked.”
“Never better, Lucy! I got to talk to my dear Michael!” she responded, smiling through tears.
I checked her blood pressure. Amazingly, it was normal!
From that moment, Granny Vera began calling her Cat Michael. Strangely, it immediately responded to that name!
Soon, Granny Vera’s predictions (or the Cat’s?) began to come true. The bus we were meant to take to the city nearly overturned that day.
It was icy, the bus skid, and the driver lost control. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but many were injured. Coincidence? Perhaps. And exactly a week later, Granny Vera received the firewood…
The neighbor asked me to call Lucy, Michael’s niece, to dissuade her from undergoing a scheduled operation. But she didn’t listen and passed away right on the operating table…
ANOTHER COINCIDENCE?! I don’t think so.
So they lived together: Granny Vera and her Cat Michael. He continued to heal and protect her. And he was there until her final days…
Granny Vera lived until 94. She passed away last year. To the end, my neighbor was up and about, always worrying about her Michael. She made me promise to look after him if anything were to happen to her.
She left quietly, without suffering, in her sleep…
I remember how her Cat mourned her. He was no longer young and his once luxurious black fur had turned gray.
For three days, while her coffin lay at home, Michael never left her side. I SAW WITH MY OWN EYES TEARS ROLLING DOWN HIS FACE!
People scolded, drove him away, kicked him… But somehow, he always ended up back by the coffin. Sitting and crying!
Michael stayed with her until the grave, and after she was laid to rest, he remained there. I tried to catch the poor creature to take him home, but he ran away…
The Cat stayed at the cemetery, on Granny Vera and her husband’s grave. Michael didn’t want to come with me, and I visited him daily to feed him.
I was worried about how the Cat would survive the winter there and tried to take him home by force. Once, I managed, but the very same day he ran away, and I found him back at the cemetery.
The winter was harsh, but the Cat managed to endure it. He died in early spring. Upon visiting to feed Michael as usual, I found him on the grave. Curled up next to Granny Vera’s cross, Michael seemed to be guarding her peace…
I’m unsure if Michael was just a Cat or if the soul of late Michael truly inhabited him…
These days, there’s much talk about reincarnation, claiming that in the next life one can become anything, even a cat.
I don’t know if that’s possible. But I find myself wanting to believe that in the form of the Cat lived the soul of dear Michael. He returned to his beloved Vera, to protect and save her…
And he was with her to the very end, just as he promised.
