Lizzy and the Open Door
The night was dark and frightening… Her heart ached, and she couldnt understand why this was happening to her. Lizzy sat quietly in the shadow of a tree in the back garden. A gusty wind cut through her fur, and her tears turned to icy droplets in the autumn chill. She tucked her frozen paws close to her belly and remembered…
How lovely it had been nestled against her mothers warm side, curled up in a soft pile of her siblings. Her mother would groom them one by one, purring a gentle lullaby. It was safe and comforting… Then her little paws grew stronger, and she began venturing beyond that warm cocoon into the bright rooms of the house.
One by one, her brothers and sisters were taken away, until at last, it was Lizzys turn. A man and woman cooed at her, cuddled her, even kissed her. But Lizzy didnt like itshe wanted to run! They brought her to a new home, and she explored every room, every hidden corner.
Everyone adored playing with the little kitten. She had so many toysmice, balls, fluffy feathers. Her favourite game was chasing the red dot from the laser pointer, though it always danced just out of reach.
As Lizzy grew into a dignified lady, she lost interest in most games. Only the jingle of the laser pointers chain could still send her darting after that elusive red dot. In the evenings, she sat in the kitchen, “helping” her mistress cook. In the mornings, she saw her master off to work. Lizzy was happy!
Then it all ended… Her owners packed suitcases and bags. Lizzy jumped on them, delighted by the new game. But her owners avoided her gaze, their faces grim. A sour-faced woman with thin, pinched lips arrived in the half-empty house.
From their conversation, Lizzy gathered this was the masters sister, who would look after her and the flat while her beloved humans were away. The cat sat by the door for hours, listening for footsteps in the hall… but the ones she longed for never came.
The house grew cold and unwelcoming. Lizzy was often forgotten at mealtimes, too timid to ask. She would sit by her empty bowl, waiting for the woman to remember her. Only when she nearly tripped over the cat did she grudgingly fill the dirty dish with food.
Now Lizzy was forbidden from the sofa (“covered in fur!”) or the windowsill (“the plants!”). She spent her days on a sandy doormat in the hallway. The warmth of human hands was a distant memorythe woman recoiled from touching her. Though Lizzy groomed herself diligently, her efforts went unnoticed.
One day, the woman shrieked when she found Lizzys fur on her suede boots, brandishing a tea towel at her. Lizzy flattened herself against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. No one had ever yelled at her like that before. Still, her owners didnt return…
Then she saw the door ajarand left. Glancing back one last time, she darted downstairs and away from the house, hurrying as far as she could.
Now she was alone in the cold, exposed and vulnerable. There was nowhere to hide, and somewhere nearby, a pack of dogs roamed. For a moment, she regretted leaving… But she couldnt bear another day in that house with the tight-lipped woman. Perhaps the open door hadnt been an accident.
Meanwhile, the woman stalked through the flat with a bin bag, stuffing Lizzys toys inside. After sweeping up the last traces, she dumped the leftover food and bowls into the bag.
Hearing barking nearby, Lizzy hunched low and crept onward. She didnt know where she was going, but one thing was certainshe would never be happy again…
She wandered through the city, growing weaker. At the sound of stumbling drunks or snarling dogs, she pressed herself to the ground until the danger passed. By luck, she found shelter near a bakery gate where the guards tolerated stray cats. They noticed the shy, neatly groomed cat but couldnt coax her close.
No matter how they tempted her with treats, Lizzy refused to eat. If she had wanted to live, she would have stayed where there was at least some food. But thirst forced her to drink from filthy puddles, leaving her belly aching. Her once-plump cheeks hollowed, her fur dulledonly her wide, innocent eyes still drew pity. The bakers even tried catching her in a net, but she twisted free and fled.
Her paws led her back to the house. The front door was open…
She stared into the dark hallway before creeping inside. The climb to the second floor took an age. At last, her old front door stood before herlocked tight. She didnt know why shed returned… Perhaps to see it one last time?
Behind the door, a furious argument raged. Her owners had come home to find her gone. The mistress was interrogating her sister-in-law, who shrugged. “Ran off, didnt she? Was I supposed to babysit a cat?”
“Ran off?” The mistresss voice shook. “Then where are her toys? Her bowls?”
“You should be thanking me for watching your flat and your flea-ridden cat! Colin, tell her!” But her brother, restraining his livid wife, only glared. Hed expected many things from his sisterbut not this.
A neighbour stepped out. “Lizzy, love! Oh, youre so thin! Hang on” She rang the bell.
The door flew open, and the pinched-lipped woman stormed out. “Ill never set foot here again!”
Then the mistress appeared… Lizzy yowled and threw herself at her, claws catching her trousers as she scrambled up.
“You came back…” whispered the mistress, blinking back tears. Lizzy rubbed against her, coating her clean clothes in fur. For the first time in six days, she felt hunger…
That night, curled between her beloved owners, Lizzy realised shed been wrong. She was happy again.
Sometimes, the bravest thing is not running awaybut trusting that love will find you.
