Picture 2
Denise Callaway’s Picture Choice: 2
Title: Lucifer’s Lament
Angel moved achily toward the basket, every move causing pain. Lucifer paced around her worriedly. He knew that time was short. She raised one aching paw into the basket followed by another. Her companion quickly fetched the catnip mouse that had always been her favorite and dropped it into the basket. She settled down with a grumble, a shiver moving up her tail into her spine. Lucifer began grooming her and she purred appreciatively. Climbing into the basket, he curled around her as their tails caned, settling down into a rest.
Hours later, the mistress returned home. Lucifer fought the instinct to jump out and greet her. He heard the shake of the treats, still he remained, wrapped in his friend’s rest. The mistress finally entered the back room where they rested. “Oh!” she quickly dropped down to her knees, checking on the two of them. “Poor Lucifer! Your sister has truly become the angel she has been named for!”
Mistress carefully lifted the white feline, wrapping her tenderly in a towel. Lucifer would around her legs, meowing mournfully. “I know, dear. We will both miss her.” They exited the house and approached the flower garden. Mistress placed the towel on the ground and disappeared into the shed for a few moments. When she returned, she found Lucifer once again curled up around Angel, as if his warmth would bring her back to him. Sighing, she reached down and stroked his dark fur. “I’m so sorry, dearest. She’s been ill for some time.”
Lucifer watched as mistress began to dig deep into the earth. One thrust of the shovel after another dismantled the garden’s neat rows. “Angel will like it here. She loved to lie in the garden and watch the birds flit about the feeder.” Lucifer meowed in answer approvingly. Settling the shovel against the tree, mistress lifted the towel wrapped package and settled her into the fresh dirt. Lucifer worried back and forth. As mistress reached for the shovel, he jumped into the hole and wrapped himself around Angel once more.
“Oh, Luce! I know it is hard. But we have to let her go. Everyone has a certain amount of time in this world. It is cruel to hold onto them any longer.” Lifting the cat out, she began to scoop the soil over the shroud. Lucifer wandered back and forth before curling up among the daisies to watch mistress’s workings. Finally, she patted the earth down and began to reset some of the flowers that had been displaced. “There! I’ll look for a marker tomorrow but for now, at least she will rest.”
Mistress reentered the shed to return her tools. Lucifer rose tentatively from his perch and slowly approached the grave. Pawing the earth at first, he began to sniff the disturbed ground. Finally, he stretched out across the grave.
For days, mistress would come home and find him across the grave. Then, less than a week later, she come home to find that he had decided to follow Angel home. “Oh, Lucifer. You just couldn’t make it without your Angel!”
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Denise finds herself lost in a field of dandelions. With one blow, her dandelion dreams transform into the words on a page. Some of those dreams have found their way to her website: https://lostinafieldofdandelions.wordpress.com/
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OH... that is so touching. I adore it.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that it affected you. :)
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