Darting Through the Sunbeams

It darts through the house. It chases mice that can’t be caught. It sleeps in sunbeams that shine right through it.

It was once a cat, but it’s hard to tell what sort of puss it once was. Its edges are faded, its fur pattern blurry; only the eyes remain as bright as when it still lived. And the purr! The purr is as alive as any living cat’s.

The ghost cat chases the ghost mice and keeps the new homeowners–several generations away from the original–company

It purrs on the end of their beds at night. It tries and fails to steal pens, items it never had the pleasure of knowing in life.

It keeps a wary distance from the living cats. Cats can maintain territory in many planes of life. That’s the nature of cats.

Maybe one day it will fade completely.

But for right now the ghost of a cat long gone is sleeping at the end of the desk while a writer writes and both are happy.