Simba: The Beginning

Simba: The Beginning

I know it has been a very long time since I posted anything. Well, here I am now, ready to fix that. I did wonder, at first, about what I should post or how I should reactivate the blog and give it life, and after a great deal of thought, I realized that I knew not what to do. 

Since good ideas occur to those who are not searching for them, I pushed my blog thoughts to the darkest part of my brain, where even a dozen flashlights cannot help me find the "stuff" stored there, and I went on with my life. True to the adage, the moment I got enmeshed in the real-life drama of being a farmer, I received a flash of inspiration: I remembered a story I had written a few years ago, a true story about a kitten named Simba. 

I may have fictionalized the human characters in the story, but since they are not crucial to the storyline, I feel certain that the story has not been disadvantaged in any way. Without further ado, I present to you now, the story of Simba.

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This story is dedicated to all the little kittens out there

My name is Simba. My story begins on a dark, stormy, windy night.  That night, the wind in the tall trees howled like a lonely wolf. The rain drummed loudly all around me.

Each raindrop hurt and I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. I wanted my mommy. I called and called, but she didn’t come. I tried looking for a safe place, but I could hardly see anything, so I kept on walking.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel the rain. I could still hear it, but I was no longer being pelted with it. I was too tired to see how this miracle came about. I just lay down on the cold stone tiles, shivering. My fur was all wet, and I was very hungry.

Where could my mommy have gone?

I called out again and then listened for an answer. I heard nothing. There was nobody there. No cat, no human. I was so lonely. Every few minutes I cried out, hoping that someone might hear me. But no one came.

My body was numb with the cold. The continuous noise of the rain made my head hurt. I curled up into a ball and covered my ears with my paws.

To feel less lonely, I started thinking about nice things. I remembered my mommy and how she licked my fur every night before she tucked me into bed. I remembered romping around with my sister, and I wondered where she was.

Was she with mommy, or did she get lost too?

I hoped she was safe. Slowly, everything started going black, and then, I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

I must have slept for a long time because when I suddenly woke up, there was a bright light all around. It hurt my eyes at first, so I kept them closed. I couldn’t remember why I woke up. It had sounded like there were voices close by. I thought I was dreaming, so I strained my ears and waited to see if I would hear the sounds again.

To my surprise, I actually heard someone talking! I listened harder, and I heard a soft voice say,

“Poor thing, he must have gotten lost from his mother. It was during the terrible rainstorm, wasn’t it?”

Then another voice said, “He was here all night, and it must have been very cold. He might not make it.”

As I listened to these human voices, I realized that I didn’t feel cold anymore. My body was still sore and I was still hungry, but I wasn’t shivering. I opened my eyes slowly. Everything was blurry at first and I couldn’t see anything. I poked my nose out of what seemed to be a blanket and felt the nip of a chilly breeze. I pulled my nose back in. It was warm and cozy in this soft blanket, and it felt just like when mommy used to tuck me into bed.

A quick movement made me look up, and I saw the kind faces of a boy and a girl watching me. I tried to meow, but I only managed a whimper.

“He’s awake, Jack,” the girl said, “And he’s trying to say something!”

She was the loveliest girl I ever saw. Her hair was the colour of the sun, when it sets after a fine day, and her clear grey eyes were like the clouds on a rainy day. She looked straight into my eyes, and I knew that we would be friends for life.

The boy’s voice cut into my thoughts. “I think he’s hungry Meg.”

The boy was big. His eyes were the same colour as the girl’s, but his hair was much lighter.

“Let’s take him inside,” I heard the girl say. “We’ll give him some warm milk.”

Milk! Oh, it made my tummy rumble to hear her say that, and I remembered how hungry I was.

I stayed still as the girl named Meg picked me up with both her hands. She wrapped the blanket more tightly around me and held me close. We went to a big room. I heard a crackling sound and turned my head. I saw a huge fire blazing cheerily in a stone hearth and near it, there lay a big grey cat with its eyes closed.

“I’ll get the milk Meg. You make him comfortable.”

Meg unwrapped the blanket and laid me gently by the fire. She then sat back, probably to watch what I would do. The fire was very pleasant and I felt much better. Slowly and unsteadily, I tested my legs. They were very weak and at my first try, I plopped right back down on the blanket.

I tried again, and this time I managed to stay up for a few minutes. Then, I saw the grey cat looking at me with its big green eyes and my legs gave away under me. I dropped down again. I heard a sweet, low laugh and I saw Meg watching me. I was determined to try to stand up again but just then Jack came back.

The smell of delicious, warm milk made my mouth water and I couldn’t wait to taste it. Meg poured it into a small bottle-like thingy and took me in her lap. I grabbed it with my paws and started sucking on it. It didn’t feel right but I was too hungry to think. The milk was sweet and warm and for a few seconds, I didn’t notice that the bottle poked the top of my mouth.

I pulled it out and examined it. Well, it certainly looked funny but at least milk came out of it. I drank until I could drink no more, and all the while Meg was scratching my head. I felt comfy and happy. My tummy was full. I was warm and cozy.

I listened lazily to the hum of Meg’s voice as she talked with her brother. There seemed to be a new voice that I couldn’t place, but sleep was stealing over me. The last thing I remembered seeing before I slipped back into sleep was the big grey cat, licking its paws contentedly and watching me.

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to be continued

 Simba sleeps deeply after his rescue.

 

Yours apologetically,

Ellen Hamilton 💖