**Whiskers Vanished**
“Natasha, are you home?” Oliver burst into the flat and froze when he saw his wife in the hallway. She was crouched on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. “I couldnt understand a word you said on the phone. You were crying so hardthen the battery died. What happened? You look like youve seen a ghost.”
“Whiskers is gone” Natasha barely managed to whisper. “Hes not here.”
“Gone?!” Olivers voice cracked. “Where could he have gone? Maybe hes hiding somewhere in the flat?”
“No. Your sister Vicky She said he slipped out into the corridor when she took little Alfie out for a walk. But Oliver, you *know* Whiskershed never just run out. Why would he? After what happened to him out there I think she did it on purpose.”
“What?!” Oliver clenched his fists. “Where is she? Wheres Vicky now?”
“She said she was going to the shops I dont know. Ive been searching everywhere, but hes vanished. No ones seen him. How could anyone be so cruel, Oliver? To toss a helpless creature out into the cold. In *December*. What kind of person does that?”
“A person wouldnt. But Vicky Vicky would. Especially after last time. Dont worryshe wont spend another night under this roof.”
—
*A month earlier*
Oliver was trudging toward the bus stop when something grey caught his eye beneath a dusting of snow. At first, he thought it was just a stonebut stones didnt shiver like an old fridge on its last legs. Curiosity tugged at him, and he veered off the path.
It wasnt a stone. It was a tiny grey kitten, trembling silently, as if it had already given up on being saved.
“Well, look at you,” Oliver murmured, scooping it up and tucking it inside his coat. The bus arrived just then, as if fate had timed it perfectly.
“Natasha, Ive got a surprise for you,” he announced as he stepped inside their flat.
“Oh, youve been spoiling me lately,” she laughed, emerging from the kitchen. “First those earrings, then the new phone, now cinema ticketswhats next? A weekend in the Lake District?”
“Better!” Grinning, he unzipped his coat and produced the kitten. “Found him outside. Isnt he just what you wanted? Grey and stripey?”
Natasha gasped. “Hes freezing! Give him hereIll warm him up. You go wash up; dinners ready.” She cradled the kitten, her face softening. “Hes perfect.”
And so Whiskers came into their lives. Theyd debated names for hoursOliver fancied “Toby” or “Lucas,” but Natasha insisted on something classic.
“Whiskers suits him better,” she said.
“Agreed, love.”
It had been late November, the first snow just settling. Whiskers had never known the horrors of winter streetsthank God. By Christmas, hed claimed every inch of the flat, knocking off remote controls and napping on forbidden sofas.
Then, one Sunday morning, a knock interrupted their peace.
“Whos here at half six?” Oliver squinted at the clock. It was still dark outside.
“Neighbours, maybe?” Natasha guessed. “An emergency?”
But it was Vicky. And her five-year-old, Alfie. And a suitcase.
“Surprise!” she chirped. “Mind if we crash here a bit? My useless husband kicked us out. Found himself a newer model.”
Olivers jaw tightened. The last time hed trusted Vicky, shed sold their late fathers flat and pocketed every penny. But Natasha squeezed his arm. “Let them stay. Just until she finds a place.”
Disaster struck within days. Vicky complained about Whiskershis “staring,” his “nocturnal sprints,” even blamed him for Alfies sniffles. “Its allergies,” she declared. “You should rehome him.”
“Over my dead body,” Oliver snapped.
On New Years Eve, Natasha called him at work, hysterical. By the time he got home, she was a wreck.
“Whiskers is *gone*,” she wept. “Vicky let him outI *know* she did.”
Oliver confronted his sister. She shrugged. “Accidents happen. Besides, a cats just a cat.”
He threw her out that night, suitcase and all.
As midnight approached, the flat felt hollow. Thena scratch at the door.
Whiskers stood on the mat, bedraggled but alive.
Natasha burst into tears, clutching him like a miracle. As fireworks lit up the sky, Oliver poured champagne.
They didnt know it yet, but Whiskers had brought more than himself home that night. Nestled against Natashas chest, he sensed ita new heartbeat, tiny and fierce, joining theirs.
