Cougar Under Glass

By Kay Roy Jones

Oh, my head, what a dream? What? I cannot move…I looked around for help ....but my cries were going unheard. I could see out but I was frozen in a land of giants. Oh, what has happened…last I remember was lying on the rocks in the forest sunning myself. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my fur made me so sleepy. As I lay on the rock… I looked around and saw all the places I called my home…I stretched out, relaxed, I fell asleep and woke up here… But where am I? As I look out I see these strange surroundings…there are people all over and things that I had never seen before…oh, my! what has happened to me?

There was a human couple looking at me…and I could hear them talking. I heard as the woman said that I was alive, miniaturized, frozen in time…and that as long as the glass was over me … I would forever be frozen. The man decided that this would be a novelty to show his friends so he purchased me and took me home with him.

Once at his home he placed me on this shelf… Each day he came over and talked to me…and carefully dusted the glass off. One day the man started taking me with him on short trips. Then one day he placed me on the dashboard of his car while he was getting everything loaded and ready to leave for his trip.

When He placed me on the dash of his car the glass that held me captive…shifted ever so slightly…air…oh the smell of the sweet air. He quickly saw that the glass had shifted and moved to re-align it to correct position. Tears formed in my eyes…and I had this strange feeling coming over my body… it started at my tail…it moved… ever so little…and he saw it… he saw my tail move. He stared at me for several minutes and saw again that my tail moved and as he looked closer he saw the tears that were frozen in my eyes.

He sat back in his seat, tears formed in his eyes and streamed onto his cheeks…and to my utter surprise he reached over and removed the glass that had entombed me. As he sat and cried I heard him say how sorry he was….Oh God, I’m so sorry were his words…I never truly believed you were alive…Please forgive me, I did not know.

He took me off of the dashboard of his car…and removed the wooden base that I had been attached to with glue. He carefully peeled the glue away from my feet and wiped my tears from my eyes. There was so much tenderness in his touch..as he was wiping my eyes I nuzzled his hand to thank him…he placed me gently close to his heart and continue to cry and sob…suddenly I started purring…and he stopped crying and a smile came over his face. At that moment I knew that I was home and that he would protect me…as I would protect him from this day forward.

Just like the lady in the shop had warned him… I did indeed start growing… some days more than others. Each day he would comment on how big I was becoming…as his hands gently stroked my head. Each day he would stop his work and take me outside to sit, allowing me time to nap in the sun. He knew how I loved feeling the warmth of the sun on my fur.

As I continued to grow the people around us became nervous and afraid having a full grown cougar living in the area. I would hear him arguing with people when they would come to the door…and eventually he was afraid to leave the house without me. So he decided to sell his home and move to a safe location that allowed me to have freedom… to run and play….to be a cougar.

He found a cabin that was settled at the base of a small group of mountains with a stream that ran through it……there was a meadow with all these butterflies to chase…it was a wonderful feeling of freedom and joy for me.

Each day he would stop his writing and we would go outside for a long walk…exploring the area around us…and each day when we would return home, I would purr and nuzzle his leg to tell him thank you.

As fall approached and the cold was coming it was becoming painful for me to move. But we still went out for our walks together. There was a cave that I loved to venture to…I would lay on the warmth of the rocks while he would write in his journal. I wondered what he was saying…sometimes I saw tears in his eyes again…then he would look over and see me watching him and he’d say …he was ok… And they were tears of joy for our time together.

Each time we left the cave I would walk next to him… as his hand would rest on my back…we walked home. The walking helped to ease my pain and discomfort…then once we arrived home he would light a fire…and sit in the couch close to the fire…there he would motion for me to join him on the couch…so I would curl up next to him and place my head and paws on his lap…and purr…this was the happiest I had ever been…..

Each day it was becoming harder and harder for me to get up and walk… but each day we walked to the cave…but I noticed that he was leaving things at the cave…I could not understand why he was not returning home with it…but each day more and more was taken to the cave. Pretty soon we started staying at the cave…spring was in the air and it was wonderful lying there by the fire in our cave.

Time was passing fast for me and the pain was becoming intense. The time which I had been miniaturized it hurt my body and now the pain was harder and harder to hide from him. I no longer wanted to move away from the fire…or walk down to the stream to drink…so he brought food and water to me and stayed next to me..reading about the heavens and the stars above me…. As he would read I would look up into the stars and think how wonderful it would be … to have no more pain…why can we not go now, he and I on our walks …but he kept reading stroking my tired body, it was so comforting.

One day as we sat by the fire… he stopped and held my head in both his gentle hands. He looked deep in my eyes… I could see tears starting to run down his cheeks. I was thinking why are you crying…so I painfully nuzzled his cheek to make him smile…but this time he did not smile…only more tears came to his eyes…then I heard him talking to me…telling me thank you for the wonderful years we had had together…that our time would live on forever…..and that he knew that I was in immense pain and that each and every day was a struggle for me…and that he knew it was getting close to my time to leave him and go to the place he had read to me about…. A place of no pain…endless naps in the sun…adventures in the mountains… chasing butterflies……he was telling me that it was ok if I needed to leave and go to our special stars in the heavens. He said he would be ok…and that he would understand…that he would always walk with me…each day…but we would no longer be able to walk side by side.

We both knew my time had come…I nuzzled him and licked his tears…he knew this was my kiss good bye…I purred and then suddenly there was no pain…I felt this wonderous lightness all over my body…I was running and bouncing all over the mountains…so light…no pain, this is heaven. He told me it would be like this but I could never imagine the glorious, peaceful feeling.

One day I sensed a familiar feeling. The smell of the man I had come to live with for many years. I bolted down the mountains ever so lightly and swiftly… ran towards the cabin. As I approached the cabin I heard talking…mmmm I know that voice… he is here..BUT wait I do not know the other voice…it was different than his…more female…..

I approached the cabin with extreme caution.. ready to protect my friend…as I went through the door I saw him seated on the couch with her seated next to him. She was asking if this was where his books had started. He explained that yes this is where we had lived and where he wrote of my life…how much he had come to love me and protect me….we were friends for all time and throughout time. Again I saw the tears form in his eyes…he must have sensed me there…he placed his hand down for me to nuzzle against it…I moved to him…at first I felt him jolt a little like he was shocked…..then he continued to stroke my head… and I nuzzled his leg…and purred.

He explained to her that I was there next to him…and as he cried… she held him close…..then as if she could see me… she looked at me…and held her hand down to touch me…as I was watching the tears in her eyes I walked to her… and nuzzled her hand and purred. I knew that it was time now to finish my journey…that he was once again loved and not alone….

I reached up and licked his tears and I felt his arms around me one last time…he released me and I went to the woman with him…I licked her face to thank her for loving him…..and to take care of him…..

I moved and started to the door. The woman said wait…she explained that she loved this man…and would protect and take care of him until we all met again. Tears formed in my eyes again…..one last time I nuzzled their legs and accepted the hugs and kisses from each… knowing this would be the last time for me to see them…until we met again in the stars..

Walking through the door … suddenly I felt like running …chasing the butterflies…I felt like I wanted to fly…then I looked down … I was flying.. towards the stars…

©2013 Kay Roy Jones