"Cats and Cradles"
By John McGondel c. 2003

The car barely slowed down as the driver's door opened and a small bag was tossed out; the bag made no noise as it tumbled across the wet pavement and came to rest against a dumpster. The dumpster was at the entrance to an alley, and the alley was strewn with debris and garbage which had accumulated over the previous few weeks.

As the car accelerated and sped off, the bag began to slowly move, as if it had a life of its own. The confused wino, who had been half asleep near the dumpster, looked at the bag and wetted his lips, in silent anticipation of the prospect of a free drink. He began to reach for the bag and quickly pulled his hand back as a furry little head poked itself out from the bag. The furry little head was followed by the body of a small, fuzzy kitten, and the wino rose to his feet and stumbled off down toward the back of the alley.

The tiny little kitten looked around, and began mewing in a sad, mournful voice. She had never been away from her mother and had never been this cold and hungry before. But there was no one to comfort the small furry kitten, so she began walking in her awkward fashion toward the light of the street. About ten feet from the dumpster, a large, mangy old alley cat was ready to pounce upon the poor unsuspecting kitten, but was scared away by two young people who were walking by holding hands and laughing. The kitten recognized the sound of laughter and was drawn to it, tripping and crawling behind the couple, oblivious to its escaped danger. The couple walked too quickly and the kitten was unable to keep up, until she finally had to pause for a rest on the cold, wet, windy, dark, and menacing streets of the large city.

Cars roared by, scaring the kitten. People walked by hurriedly, and ignored the little creature's plaintive cries for comfort. The streets of the world were unfriendly and scary to such a small fuzzy kitten, and the kitten began walking again, with no idea of where to find safety and warmth. As the kitten passed a store's doorway, it heard gales of laughter, and paused to peer in through the smoke-stained glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows. People were inside, and a bright, warm fire was in the corner. But not for the poor, little, frightened, and half-frozen kitten.

The kitten walked on. As she passed another alley, a huge and fierce barking dog lunged at it, but the kitten escaped when another ferocious dog attacked the first one. Tired, hungry, and terrified, the kitten stepped out into the street, and heard a most horrifying noise as a car screamed to a braking halt beside it. The door to the car opened and a large man got out and approached the kitten, who began to run as she had never run before in her short young life. As it grew darker and colder, the little kitten became less and less hopeful of ever finding comfort, until she finally just sat on the sidewalk and mewed her unhappiness to the world around her. She had picked a piece of stair to sit against, and there were more stairs above the one she sat at. Suddenly she heard voices coming from up above the stairs, and a light shined down upon her.

The kitten summoned all of her strength and climbed up over that bottom step. The voices were louder, and she climbed up over another step. Then, with every ounce of energy left in her poor, exhausted, half-frozen body, she climbed over the top step and looked toward the light. She saw a lot of people, more than she had ever seen before, all looking away from the kitten. What they were looking at she could not see, so she began to walk toward where they were all facing. As the kitten walked past the first rows of people, they turned and sang less loudly, staring at the tiny little half-dead animal walking past them. Row after row watched and fell silent as the kitten made its way toward the altar in the front of the church.

Once at the front of the aisles, the little kitten sat down, feeling for the first time that evening warm and safe. The minister looked down at the kitten and stopped his Christmas Eve sermon. Everyone was silent, as the kitten curled up and went to sleep, purring contentedly. The minister looked at his flock, and had no words, as the scene spoke volumes by itself. Then a little girl with long brown curls got up and walked slowly to where the kitten lay sleeping peacefully. The girl tool her bonnet from her head and lifted the dozing kitten, putting it gently into the hat. Everyone stayed silent, as the girl walked back to her father and asked him if she could keep the little kitten for a pet.

Before all the watering eyes of the community, the father wept and said yes. The minister wiped the tears from his eyes and spoke to his flock, and these were the words he said: "In a town on the other side of the world, over two thousand years ago, on this same night, there were two people seeking comfort from the elements, but no comfort was to be found. Tonight, we have been blessed with being able to watch a repeat of that same miracle, right here before our eyes. This, my friends, is what Christmas is really about. This is the miracle of which we have studied."

He then went on to ask of the young girl's father: "What is you child's name, that we may thank her for delivering this timely message to us?" The father replied: "Eileen", to which the minister proclaimed: "Eileen, I have been trying to bring the spirit of the Lord to you all, but it is you who have brought Him to me."

The minister then led his flock in a hymn, after which they all began to file joyously out. Little Eileen had tucked the small, little fuzzy kitten into a doll carriage she had been allowed to push to the church, and with her arm held by her eight year old friend Tommy, she walked through the churchgoers out into the darkness, knowing that both she and the kitten would never be afraid of the darkness again.

Happy Holidays, all...