Magic Beads

There were beads, hundreds of them, small and red and made of glass. If this wasn’t heaven then I didn’t know what was. Each one gleamed at me, enticing me to bat it around. I gave in without resistance. They cracked against the walls of the old hospital but they never broke. I wanted no ball to go un-batted. Sometimes I rolled over and tried to balance a bead between my paws. It didn’t matter if I succeeded, the pleasure I got from simply trying was enough for me.

            I’m normally very alert. I have to be. But once such an irresistible opportunity arises like this one, I dedicate all my senses to it. This is why I didn’t hear an old rusted emergency exit open and close. The sound of footsteps approaching the room of beads. I snapped back to reality when the sound of a heavy weight meeting the granite floor filled the room, followed by obligatory groans and bad language. I didn’t want to leave, but rather than hide until the intruder left, I simply stood frozen, my white patched paw hovering over a bead of glistening pink, and watched as the intruder struggled to his feet. At first his attention was focused on the beads, then, as if through hunter’s instinct, his eyes fell on me.

            ‘Get out of here!’ he roared at me, grabbing a sweeping brush that had been gathering dust in the corner. ‘Filthy vermin!’

            I ran like the clappers. Through the swelling hole in the door and down the desolate corridor. I didn’t stop until I was certain the intruder wasn’t following me. I found myself hoping that he wasn’t a regular visitor because I needed a home and what better place than somewhere that had a room full of entertainment? Of course I had to find food. I saw some houses on my way here, I was sure I could dig out some scraps. I had made it this far without dying of starvation. I had my survival instinct.

            More footsteps.

            I crawled under a fallen sink and kept watch. The intruder seemed to be pacing the halls with his torch. He could only have been looking for me. I hadn’t encountered any others since I arrived that morning.

            Sadness washed over me as I realised I couldn’t stay there. I hated the thoughts of wandering the unsafe streets again. Roads scared me the most. Cars sped over them without caution or mercy. I would be hit and simply left to rot, without a care from anyone. I suddenly envied those I had seen in the houses where I searched for food. They sat on humans’ laps and received kisses and cuddles. Some were so fat I was surprised they could even stand. Why couldn’t that be me? What did I do wrong? I didn’t trust humans, but I had allowed one or two to caress my silver, tortoiseshell coat. Why didn’t they take me in? I mewed and mewed but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. And so I left the hospital and began my journey once again to find a home.

            It was chilly outside. I could see hints of frost forming on the rubbish infested ground outside in the lane. You might assume cats don’t feel the cold under our fur coats but that’s not entirely true. If you were a stray like me, you wouldn’t really know what it felt like to be warm. I was just about to head on my way when I remembered the room of beads. Did I really have to leave it? Maybe I could take just one bead with me. A souvenir.

            I mulled over this idea for a couple of minutes before ignoring the warning bells going off in my little head. I crept back into the old hospital and carefully made my way back to the room of heaven. I nearly jumped out of my fur when I found the intruder sweeping up my precious beads. He still cursed to himself with his back to me. My attention quickly fixed on the glimmering speck of red under a murky blanket. Slowly, and with myself on full alert, I crept over to it and picked it up with my teeth. Success! I thought I had gotten away with it as I returned to the doorway.

            ‘Hey, you.’

            I froze, but I didn’t drop my bead. A young woman stood just a few feet away from me. She looked friendly but I held my guard. Looks had been deceiving in the past. Until I noticed the ham she was pulling out of her half-eaten sandwich. I instantly ran to it as soon as she held it out to me, dropping the bead from my mouth. She caressed me as I practically inhaled the meat. It tasted so good. As soon as I was finished, I looked to her for some more. She crouched down and picked me up into her arms. She smelled sweet, like lilacs. I had enjoyed the smell of those purple flowers when I did my rounds of Merrion Square Park. Sometimes I slept among them when I was too tired to find a warm car to curl up under.

            The woman didn’t seem startled when the intruder appeared in front of her. He took one look at me and frowned. ‘Don’t hold that thing! It’s probably riddled with disease!’

            ‘Ah, stop!’ she cried. ‘It’s a beautiful little cat.’

            ‘It’s vermin!’

            ‘You said I could get a cat.’

            ‘From the shelter where they have healthy ones!’

            Before the woman could argue further, I leapt from her arms and retrieved my red bead that the intruder had almost stood on. As soon as it was safely back in my mouth, I curled up against the woman again, hoping she would take me back into her arms.

            ‘Look! He’s got a bead in his mouth!’ She lifted me once more. Suddenly I could feel what warmth felt like. It made my insides tingle.

            ‘Don’t ask me where they came from. They weren’t here last night when I did my rounds.’

            ‘Come on, Buttercup, let’s take you home and get you properly fed.’

            I got to keep my bead.