A Bedtime Story for Lucas: The Story of Minnie

Let me tell you a little story. This story is about a little cat. This cat was named Minnie, and unlike most cats that you hear about, Minnie didn't have nine lives. In fact, she only had one life. But what an amazing life she had.

Part I - Finding Home

Minnie was born a stray on the streets of San Jose, in the year 2004. She lived her life studying birds and people, and loved shiny things. She especially loved lights. Every night, she would look up at the stars and wonder how they twinkled so very brightly. Every day, she would bask in the sunlight next to a bus stop bench when people weren't around. Minnie liked people, but had never met one before, up close. So she was afraid, and she stayed away.

Minnie occasionally saw other cats, but didn't like them very much. The other cats were mean and dirty, but not Minnie. Minnie was a dainty lady cat. Instead of eating the food she found right off the ground, Minnie would copy the people she watched, and eat with her hands. One day, Minnie was eating with her hands, when another cat saw her and got mad at her. "Hey you! Stop that! Cats don't eat with their hands!" "I do", she said defiantly. The other cat got mad and pounced on her. But Minnie had never been in a fight, so she didn't know what to do. Instead, she just cried out for help, and the bigger mean cat got scared and ran away.

After the other cat attacked her, she never quite felt the same. She was moodier and hungrier, and needed more rest. One cold February night, it started raining. Minnie had never seen rain before, and didn't know what to do. So, she found a cardboard box to take cover in. Minnie hid and cried, but she was so very tired. But, just as she started to nod off, she heard human voices! "Oh no!" she thought, and tried to scramble out of the box. But, she was so very tired, and couldn't get away. The humans put her back in the box, and carried the box to their car.

Minnie wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it sure must have been a long time. As it turned out, she had been so tired and hungry because she was pregnant with kittens! She gave birth to those kittens, and nursed them for many weeks. Eventually, the kittens were ready to go off on their own, as kitty cats do, and the humans helped the kittens find homes with other humans. Minnie liked the humans who took care of her, but they acted very hurried and worried, and this made Minnie nervous. Minnie got sick for awhile, and then got better. Many humans came by to see her, and that made her happy. But, none of the humans ever wanted to take her to see their home. "That's okay," Minnie thought to herself, "I'd just get in the way, and I don't want to bother them."

One day, a young pair of humans, one boy and one girl, came to visit her together. Minnie saw them, and thought "They sure look nice!" The boy and girl both took notice of Minnie, and the girl even said, "Aww, she's perfect!" But, like everyone else, they soon walked away to look at the other cats. Minnie laid back down, asking herself why she thought this time would be any different. But it was! It was different this time, because no sooner had Minnie laid down did the boy and girl came back, and this time they said, "She's the one. We want her!" One of the humans that took care of Minnie opened the door and picked her up, but Minnie was so excited to jump into the arms of the girl that she accidentally scratched the human holding her. "Oh no!" she thought, "They'll change their mind for sure!" But they didn't, because Minnie WAS the one for them, and they the ones for her.