Five years ago, my neighbor, old Mrs. Vera, buried her war veteran husband and was left all alone. They hadn’t had any children. The elderly lady often reminisced about her dear Mitchell.
They married just before the war. Then her husband went off to fight, and loyal Vera waited for him. Mitchell returned alive, though he came back without his left hand. He adored his wife and cherished her greatly. He vowed to always protect her from misfortune, but he couldn’t keep that promise. He passed away, leaving her alone!
On the anniversary of her husband’s death, a large black cat settled at her home. It showed up at night, seemingly out of nowhere, meowing pitifully at the door. A fierce blizzard was howling outside, yet somehow Mrs. Vera heard the meows. Opening the door, she found a strange cat. Feeling sorry for the poor creature, the elderly woman invited it inside and even placed a saucer of milk for it.
However, refusing the treat, the cat sauntered boldly through the rooms. After a thorough inspection, it chose a spot on the main pillow, purred, and promptly fell asleep.
For some reason, Mrs. Vera didn’t shoo the cat away and instead lay down beside it.
In the morning, she examined the cat more closely. Groomed and well-fed, it didn’t resemble a stray in the slightest! Black as coal, with striking green eyes and a somewhat arrogant demeanor. And there was another significant detail: the left forepaw was missing its toes. Almost like they had been removed.
“Just like my Mitchell!” the old lady whispered with tears.
Meanwhile, the cat gracefully hopped onto her lap and began purring.
“Well, we need to call you something… How about Whiskers?” she asked kindly, stroking the feline and scratching behind its ear.
The cat flinched and gave Mrs. Vera such a look that she was taken aback.
ITS EYES WERE HUMAN! NOT “LIKE HUMAN EYES,” BUT TRULY “HUMAN”!
“Okay, I see. ‘Whiskers’ doesn’t suit you. How about Timothy? That’s a nice name!” the old lady spluttered.
The cat let out an irritated meow, leapt from her lap, and began clawing at the sofa cover with keen focus.
“Alright, alright. I won’t name you just yet. You’ll simply be Cat. But please, leave the sofa alone,” she politely requested.
Grumbling something unintelligible, the Cat obliged and retreated with dignity to the corner room.
And that’s how they lived together: Mrs. Vera and the Cat.
I often visited the old lady, and she would tell me the most incredible stories about her Cat!
First of all, the Cat would heal her. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Vera had suffered a heart attack, and her heart often troubled her. But whenever she lay down, the Cat would be right there, resting its warm, soft body on her chest, purring and falling asleep. The pain would vanish, just as if it had never been there!
Once, something truly remarkable happened! Mrs. Vera lay down to rest. Curled up beside her and sweetly purring, the Cat dozed off too. Then there was a knock at the door. She got up to answer it, with her Cat following. It was Victor, a local drunkard and troublemaker. He wedged his foot in the doorway, hurling profanities and demanding money from Mrs. Vera for more booze. She attempted to refuse, but he grew more insistent and bolder by the minute. He reached the point of insulting Mrs. Vera and defaming the memory of her late husband.
Suddenly, the Cat growled and lunged at the intruder. Victor shoved it away, but the Cat leapt again, nearly sinking its teeth into his throat. Cursing, Victor gave up and retreated.
The Cat, casting a significant look at its owner with its HUMAN EYES, flicked its tail and left the room, its duty fulfilled.
One day, Mrs. Vera planned to visit the local council regarding firewood and asked me to accompany her. We traveled to the town by bus. I agreed and, taking the day off work, arrived early in the morning to collect her.
The old lady sat on her bed in her house clothes, looking confused and somewhat disheartened.
“Mrs. Vera, why aren’t you ready? We might catch a ride,” I instructed.
“I’m not going, dear, I’m sorry,” she quietly replied.
“Why?”
“I don’t know how to say it… Please, don’t laugh at me… The Cat said I shouldn’t.”
“What?! I took the day off work, and now you’re letting the cat decide! Get dressed!” I retorted angrily.
“Listen, my dear. I had everything ready last evening and went to sleep. In my dream, I saw my Cat speaking to me. Just like you do now… It looked at me and said:
‘Stay home, Vera. It’s not safe for you to go tomorrow.’
I was speechless! It wasn’t just the fact that the Cat spoke! It called me Vera! Vera! Understand?! Only my late Mitchell called me that! AND THE CAT’S VOICE WAS JUST LIKE MITCHELL’S!
And then the Cat began a song. The very one Mitchell loved:
‘Through the wild English fields
Where gold lies in the hills…
Remember, darling, the song I sang before I went to war?’
I found the strength to ask:
“Mitchell, is it you?!”
‘WHO ELSE COULD IT BE?! I SEE YOU STRUGGLING ON YOUR OWN, AND I HAVE RETURNED…’
So, darling, calm yourself and stay home tomorrow. Nothing good will come of going there. The firewood will arrive in a week regardless. Tell Lucy to decline the operation. She won’t survive it…’
And that’s when I woke up…”
To say I was shocked would be an understatement! For quite some time, I was silent, gasping like a fish.
Then it hit me:
“Mrs. Vera, are you feeling alright? Should I call a doctor? Your blood pressure may have spiked.”
“I’ve never felt better, my dear! I spoke with my beloved Mitchell!” she replied, smiling through her tears.
But I still checked her blood pressure. Astonishingly, it was normal!
From that moment on, Mrs. Vera began calling her Cat Mitchell. Strangely, it immediately responded to the name!
Soon, the predictions of Mrs. Vera (or the Cat?) began coming true. The bus we were supposed to take to town almost overturned that same day.
There was ice on the road, and the bus skidded, with the driver losing control. Thankfully, no one was killed, though there were many injuries. Coincidence? Possibly. And exactly a week later, firewood was delivered…
Mrs. Vera asked me to call Lucy, Mitchell’s niece, to urge her to cancel her scheduled operation. But she didn’t listen and passed away on the operating table…
ANOTHER COINCIDENCE?! I don’t think so.
And so they lived together: Mrs. Vera and her cat Mitchell. He continued to heal and protect her, staying by her side until the end.
Mrs. Vera lived to the age of 94. She passed away last year. Right to the very end, my neighbor was on her feet, always worrying about her Mitchell. She made me promise to care for him should anything happen to her.
She left quietly, without any suffering, in her sleep…
I remember how her cat mourned her. He was no longer young, and his once luxurious black coat had turned grey.
For the three days the coffin was in the house, Mitchell stayed by it. I SAW TEARS ROLLING FROM HIS EYES!
The cat was scolded, chased away, even kicked… Yet somehow, he kept finding his way back to the coffin, sitting and crying!
Mitchell accompanied her to the grave, and once she was laid to rest, he stayed there. I tried to catch him to bring him home, but he ran away…
Mitchell stayed at the gravesite, by Mrs. Vera and her husband’s tomb. He never wanted to leave, and I visited him daily, bringing food.
I worried so much about how he’d survive the winter and tried to take him home by force. Once, I succeeded, but that same day he escaped, and I found Mitchell at the cemetery.
The winter was harsh, but somehow the cat endured it. He passed away in early spring. When I came as usual to feed Mitchell, I found him on the grave. Curled into a ball beside Mrs. Vera’s cross, Mitchell seemed to protect her in eternal rest…
I don’t know if Mitchell was just a regular cat or if the soul of old Mitchell truly inhabited him…
With all the talk of reincarnation, suggesting that a person might return as anything, even as a cat, in the next life, I don’t know what to believe. But for some reason, I want to believe that the soul of old Mitchell lived in that Cat. He came back to his dear Vera to watch over and save her…
And he stayed with her until the very end, just as he promised.
