Eyes of gold, a story

I wake up covered in a cold sweat, sick with fear. I know it was just a bad dream, and yet I have to get up and check on her, just to see if she’s okay. Barefoot, without turning on the lights even though it’s midnight, I walk toward her. She opens her golden eyes and looks at me, and I start to breathe, realizing only then that she was holding her breath.

His gaze is calm, so I calm down too. I’m sorry I woke her up and comfort myself with the thought that she always finds it easy to sleep.

However, sleep is not so easy for me. I don’t even remember the nightmares and I don’t want to; all I want is for her to be safe, and there’s nothing in the world that can guarantee me that. Nothing and no one could guarantee me that someone wouldn’t hit her with a car for the hell of it, or cut her up and post photos of her on Facebook or videos of her on YouTube. People are getting more and more angry, more and more nervous, and many like to take it out on those who are smaller and weaker than them, and she is so small and vulnerable. I tell myself that she has her own strengths anyway, that she is really smart and careful, sometimes even more careful than me! – but that’s not enough to comfort me.

Sometimes I think about locking her up, about not letting her leave the house. There are people who do that, some even pride themselves on being careful and reasonable. However, he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t just lock her up and take away her freedom. Even if he lived longer that way, would he be as happy as he is now, free to do what he wants and go where he pleases (within reasonable limits, of course; if there’s a neighbor with a bad dog, I’ll go ) yell at him for coming to that yard, and go ahead and laugh at me for acting like a fool, I dare you!)?

I lay in my bed, still awake, still afraid for her, when she comes to see me. Has she heard Me? Did I make a noise that I didn’t even notice? Or have you felt something? I don’t know, and at that point, it doesn’t matter. I look at the contours of her small body, her beautiful golden eyes, and calm down. There she is, right in front of me, and she’s fine. She is perfectly fine.

I make myself comfortable as she jumps on my bed and purrs me until I fall into a peaceful sleep.

This story was first featured in the Bibliophilic Blather.