A man and His Cat

very short story about a lonely man in a dying world, trying to save a cat

A man, twenty-some years old, was sitting on his balcony, reading the morning news and watching the sunset. The city is falling apart. A small movement caught his eye. He got up and leaned over the railings just in time to see a small, mangy cat disappear under the platform. A cat he dreamed of some-teen years ago.

 

The man the man looked out over the empty houses all around, for months now it’s just been him and the paper boy. He could not pass up a chance for company, and ran out the door, quickly grabbing the cat and letting him inside.

 

He remembered that dream fondly.Playing cards one night with his sister, and the woman that he would love, and then lose.

 

The man sat at the table in his formal dining room. With the cat. He didn’t know much about medicine, but he knew he had to save this cat. He went to his broken refrigerator, and pulled a jar of water, and watched the cat drink.

 

He remembered feeding the baby found on the doorstep of his parents manor.

 

The man spent months watching the yellow hair replace the bald patched, as the cat regained its strength. It spent most of the days exploring the empty halls and countless spare rooms. All of those days drinking tea by himself, and sitting on the porch until the paper boy rides by, so he has someone to say hello to.

 

On his way back from the slowly emptying well one day, he saw a girl on the sidewalk. She mumbled a thank you as they passed, and The man was alone again.