Cat Fantasy Short-Story Contest Winner:
"Separation: The Story of a Cat Named LiThai" by Leona L. Leo

Copyright ©1998 by Leona L. Leo

The last thing he remembered was being cradled in her arms. Tears were flowing down her face and she was singing their song. "I love you LiThai, oh yes I do, I love you LiThai, and I'll be true ...."

She had been singing it to him so often lately, when she gave him his pills in the morning, and even while she had poked that needle into his back every night, the one attached to the long plastic pipe that left a pocket of water under his skin. His One never really hurt him, or left him alone in strange places. Where was she? LiThai began to fear that something had happened to her.

He looked around. White spots of various sizes darted back and forth, and opalescent shapes seemed to hover all about, some nearby, and others very far away. LiThai didn't understand how he could see so many things at such varying distances. When he concentrated on the spots, he saw that they seemed to be insects of all types. But the larger shapes, also iridescent, were all different. Some seemed to be People like himself, others were the Related Ones, while others were the Large Ones like His One. They were all around, above, below, everywhere. LiThai concentrated hard, watching the lights. They all seemed to be going somewhere. In the distance, he saw openings. Doors? Not quite, but they were all around and filled with soft pulsing pastel light, and the shining ones were drifting toward these doorlike places. The more he looked, the more inviting they became. He felt compelled to follow.

No! He didn't understand but he refused to move. He wanted His One! He concentrated, trying to discover where he was. It was hard to see beyond the lights. Everything else was a hazy grey. Now he remembered the room. It was the only place His One ever left him where Large Ones did painful things. Some of those Large Ones were carrying in a Related One, one of those large spotted Ones. It was hurt. LiThai jumped to a countertop, or seemed to, although he felt like he was floating. He watched the Large Ones do things to the Related One. They seemed agitated, although he had trouble actually hearing them. How strange. Something was happening to the spotted One. She started to glow, just like the spots and the shapes. Then she floated above the grey spotted shape on the table. The Large Ones stopped doing things, wrapped the spotted shape and took it away.

"Who are you, and what happened?," asked the Related One, as she seemed to be standing over the table.

"I don't know," said LiThai, "but you're glowing."

"So are you." "My name's Abby, and I'm a Dalmatian."

"I'm LiThai, and I'm a Siamese. I'm looking for my One, but I don't know where she went."

"Sorry," answered Abby.

Abby looked around and was entranced by the lights. She started to drift toward one of the doors.

"Stay," called LiThai.

But Abby was no longer looking at him, and soon her shape swirled away and through the nearest door, vanishing into the pulsing mist.

LiThai began to be frightened. He had to get away or be entranced by the doors. He remembered being brought to the place in the moving machine which must be outside. He jumped down, but it was hard to walk. He actually seemed to be floating above the floor. He went from the room and through other rooms until he was outside. Everything was still grey and hazy, and His One's machine was not there. Other machines were moving in the road in front of the building. LiThai remembered which way he came, and jumped toward one of the machines going back. He floated through the side window but none of the Large Ones inside even noticed him. How very strange it all was. It didn't matter, though, since this machine would take him toward his home, and everything would soon be all right. He kept watching out the window, and after a while, he recognized his neighborhood. Before the machine moved away, LiThai jumped/floated out. The shining ones were all around, even here. There were more doors. He wouldn't allow himself to look. There, just down the street, was his house. His One would be there. So would his Person friend, Ebony, big, black and strong. LiThai rushed to the front door. It was closed, but when he leaned against it, he fell right through into the living room. How was this happening? He didn't care. Ebony would be upstairs in His One's room on the big bed. LiThai ran upstairs, drifting and floating again, into the bedroom.

"Ebony," he called.

No reaction, although Ebony wasn't asleep.

"Ebony!"

LiThai pushed against him, butted into him. Nothing. Why, why, why? Some of the shining ones came toward him. One Large One looked right at him.

"Don't you know me, LiThai?" it asked.

"Go away! I'm not going to look at you. I don't want any of you," he answered.

There was a sound from downstairs, a key in the lock and the door opening. A voice, unsteady, breaking, called out her regular greeting in a soft sing-song.

"LiThaaaaaaiiii, LiThaaaaaiiii."

His One was home. He ran/floated downstairs, and jumped up at her hazy shape. And fell right through her.

"LiThai," she called again softly.

She was crying again. She sat down on the floor, hugging her arms around her.

"LiThai," she whispered.

LiThai pushed himself into her arms, rubbed against her face, licked her hand, but he couldn't feel her. Ebony came downstairs and she took him into her arms, and cried even more. LiThai was shaken. He needed her, and she wanted him. What was wrong?

"Look at me!" the shining Large One said.

LiThai looked up, and stared hard. She was familiar in a way. "I lived here with you too. Don't you remember?"

LiThai thought and thought. There had been an old Large One, the Warm Soft One who was so snuggley to sleep with. But she had disappeared awhile ago.

"That's right." said the iridescent shape. "I died. You just died too. That's why we can be together but you can't touch your One."

"But I love her. And I want to be with her," LiThai cried. "And you will, in a while. But for now, there are other places to go, and all types of beings to meet."

The shape touched LiThai with her golden glow, and LiThai didn't feel so frightened anymore.

"Come," she said. "We can wait together with all the other Persons who also loved your One."

And many more glowing shapes swirled around LiThai.

"I'm Ching Toi," said one.

"I'm Nero," said another.

"I'm Ling Thai," said a third.

Swirling colors of Persons, Large Ones, Related Ones, all surrounded LiThai. He felt safe, and warm, and beautiful. He turned again and looked at His One holding Ebony and softly crying. He would wait for her with all the others. It wouldn't be forever. LiThai turned and drifted with the others toward one of the doors.