Mother pondered a moment. She'd never had very much, that was true, but she also didn't have much of an idea of what else a cat could have, or would want.
"Well, I suppose I'd like to keep my claws - I've heard some cats have
theirs chopped off by Humans and I can't imagine life without my claws."
It was Bast's turn to shake her head. Was there ever a cat less demanding than this one called Mother?
"Keep your claws you shall Mother. But there should be more...let me
think. Yes! All tabby cats will wear the mark of my amulet around their
necks to commemorate this meeting. Still, that's not much. Let me think
some more. "I have it! From now on, all cats, if only so faintly, will wear the mark of "M" on their forehead, in honor of the cat called Mother. Hmmm...that still doesn't seem like much." Bast closed her eyes and twitched her tufted ears. She lashed her tail back and forth in thought, and stamped her paw with impatience.
"I know!" she announced and licked her paw in satisfaction. "From this
day forward, even after you leave this earthly 'home' of yours, your spirit will always be present. At the edge of the forest and field, Man will see a brown tabby cat from the corner of his eye. As he rides in his motorcar, he will spy you by the side of the road. As he turns the corner on a dark night in the city, there you will be. Under lamplight, against fence posts, in the alleys, on doorsteps, you will be there as a constant reminder to Man of what he has foolishly ignored - the simple, quiet, loyal and forgiving heart of a brown tabby cat. That, Most Honored Mother, beloved of Bast, will be my gift to you."
With that pronouncement she shook gold dust from her luxurious fur and
strode imperiously out of sight. Mother nestled into her straw, and began licking her paws. She hadn't any understanding of what had transpired and wondered if it had been some sort of waking dream. The sun shone, the bees droned, and the birds resumed their twittering. Mother slept soundly away.
The days passed one after the other, and all was as it was before, or so
it seemed. It was nearly dusk one day, a short time later, when the Man
returned home from the fields. He leaned heavily on the back door frame
of the house as he removed his work boots and allowed them to drop with a thud. The Woman was occupied with setting the table for their supper and a fire blazed in the grate.
"I thought you said you found the old mother cat dead yesterday?" he
said to his wife.
"I did, indeed," the Woman replied. "I set her out this morning with the
trash."
"Odd. I just thought I saw her next to the woodpile as I came in," he said.
"Funny you should say that. I was walking up from the mailbox this
morning and I could've sworn I saw her at the edge of the field."
In her temple, in a land and time far away, Bast smiled.
The End
Copyright Jim Willis 2001
e-mail: jwillis@bellatlantic.net |
