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Spring • 5 • 4 Heavy Cream

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“...and now he is here, somehow. I have no idea how he got here - but if he really came all the way on foot, he was out in the rain for hours.” Josie finished her recollection.

This time, she had told Nan everything about the last two days. She had even included the business with the boys and getting called to the principal's office. For one, Josie was so beside herself with a mix of joy, excitement, wonder, and concern that she couldn't even begin to sort out which parts of the story to withhold; and also, she just didn't want to lie to Nan. Plain and simple.

The cat was lying next to the fireplace in a nest made out of Josie's blanket. He was purring with the front paws tucked in under his body, and his eyes were closed. His tail lay curled around him, the tip moving with a gentle twitch from time to time. Before Josie had started telling Nan the whole story, the woman had asked a few short and precise questions about how the cat had got into this state. Together they had rubbed him dry, after which Nan had warmed up some heavy cream. She had filled it into a small saucer, and the cat had lapped it up in a matter of seconds. His now familiar inquisitive twist of the head and pouty face had suggested to Josie that he would have liked more, but Nan had forbidden it. Milk and heavy cream were bad for cats, as it upset their stomachs and could give them the runs, she had told Josie. It had been an exception to get something warm and fatty into his belly, seeing as he was underfed and had been wet and cold for a considerable amount of time. Chicken broth would have been ideal, but, alas, they didn't have the ingredients at hand.

Remembering the contents of her backpack, Josie had retrieved the canned food and the remaining pack of kibbles. Because she was at home now and could handle the wet food better than outside with no tools, she had opened up a can and scooped out a portion with a fork onto the already used saucer. The cat had all but inhaled it, and had indeed eaten almost the entire can in one go. After this, Nan had once again stopped Josie. If she were to give him any more right now, he would be sick and the food would be wasted, Nan had explained. Josie had marvelled a bit at how much Nan knew about cats, and had complied without hesitation. Josie cleaned the saucer and put away everything they had used in their scramble to get the cat dry, warm, and fed. Then she went to sit beside him in front of the fireplace, making herself comfortable and sitting cross-legged. She didn't touch him, though. He looked peaceful and seemed to be resting.

Instead, Josie turned towards Nan and looked up at her.

“Nan, I want to ask you for an early birthday present, please,” she began, cautious yet determined.

“Let me stop you right there,” Nan interrupted, and Josie's heart sank. “I know you want to keep him, and I will allow it,” the woman continued, almost causing Josie to jump up with joy. “He is extraordinary. Not just because he came here all the way on his own. But we need to talk about why, Josie.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the reason I will allow him to stay. You did not tell me everything.” Nan said, her expression guarded.

Josie looked at her, confusion clouding her face.

“Of course I have. I even told you about Mr. Groveny!”

“That is not what I meant. At any time you were with him, did something happen?”

“Nan, I told you everything about the last two days. I promise!”

“You still do not understand, Josie. Think! Remember every single time when he was near. And now tell me again. Did you notice anything? Something strange, maybe?”

Josie, a tad irritated and nervous, picked at her trousers. What did Nan want to hear? Then something dawned on her. Her mouth agape, she looked at Nan incredulously.

“He… I mean, he did - I think, but you can't be serious.” Josie stammered, a deep line furrowing her forehead.

“Yes?” Nan asked, trying to nudge Josie on.

Josie took a deep breath to calm her thoughts. Nan had never asked her trick questions before, and she wouldn't have started now. She had never manoeuvred the girl into conversational corners like some adults did, and any question ever had been asked for these exact two reasons: To get honest answers, of course, or to motivate Josie to contemplate and think for herself.

Her trust in Nan was absolute and infinite.

“I think he talks to me.”

Nan smiled. It was not the reaction Josie had anticipated, confusing her even more.

“Yes, that is exactly what I meant, Josie.”

“Nan,” the girl huffed with an exasperated sigh. "Cats don't talk!"

“I know, but be patient. There is much to explain.”

The old woman's face glowed in the warm light of the fire, but for a moment her eyes lost focus, as if her thoughts were far away. Longing and a hint of sadness passed over her features, there and gone in an instant. She shook her head as if too clear it and looked straight into Josie's eyes.

“You learnt that animals do not talk - at least not like humans. Of course, they all have their own language, but that is not what we are here to discuss.” Nan paused, moving her cane sideways a few times while she picked her next words. “I believe this cat is not just a cat. But, if he does indeed talk, then right now you are the only one able to hear. I think he might be a Familiar.”

“He… what?”

“Your Familiar. It means that he is your companion and protector. Imagine a Familiar like the best friend you can ever have, but even that term is not close enough.” Nan thought for another moment, her hands gripping her cane. Her face lit up, and she tapped it on the ground as if to reinforce herself. “He is your soulmate. Yes. That fits best. But the depth of your bond is something only the two of you will ever know - no one else, not even me, will ever comprehend the connection between your souls and your hearts. Do you understand?” She looked at Josie with a very serious expression.

“Okay, sounds - great, I think... But - why? What does all this mean?"

“Well,” Nan began. “Ich glaube, ihr seid magisch,” but the woman immediately shook her head, as if to contradict her own words the second she said them out loud.

Josie hadn't caught the meaning of the sudden flow of German, and Nan continued talking.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“You have magic in you, Josie.”

The girl laughed out loud. Now she knew for sure that Nan was leading her on. But as she looked back at the old woman, Josie still found no evidence of mischief in her features, no sparkle of humour in her eyes.

“I - what? Nan, seriously, this can't be real. Why won't you just tell me what's going on?” Josie asked.

This was not the way Nan behaved, Josie almost didn't recognize the otherwise so grounded woman. What was she on about? The girl couldn't wrap her head around it all; it was too strange - and coming from Nan, of all people, too.

“Josie, I am not joking. You do not believe me? Let us test it,” Nan suggested.

“How?”

“Well, seeing as we are at the very beginning, we should start with something simple.” Nan seemed to contemplate options and nodded after a moment. “Try to talk to him,” she suggested and motioned to the cat.

Josie looked down to her side, where the small, purring form soaked in the warmth of the hearth fire. The dimples in his cheeks gave the cat a constant look of slight pouting. The frown had returned to Josie's forehead. She glanced back at Nan, who just nodded in encouragement. Taking heart, Josie reached down to stroke the cat's head. His fur was dry and soft. He turned a bit towards her, but his eyes remained closed, and he continued to purr. A good sign, she thought.

“Hey, you. How'd you get here? And why did you follow me?” she asked in a low voice, continuing to stroke his now dry fur.

She waited for a while, but when nothing else happened, she looked back at Nan and shook her head. Whatever the woman had expected to happen wasn't going to, Josie was sure of it, but kept on stroking the cat nonetheless.

image [https://i.imgur.com/4FvikqR.png] Josie heard suddenly and sat bolt upright. This time there could be no doubt.

In an instant, she was elsewhere.

She saw the landscape pass her by, but she was small

very small - way smaller than she already was

shrubs and bushes were higher than her

but she was fast - so very fast -

her body felt unbelievable - nimble, agile, and spry

with muscles so strong and lean and her breath seemed endless

the rush of movement was invigorating

and her swiftness reduced the world around her to distorted blurs

crisp smells and strange, loud sounds surrounded her

the longing in her spurred her on to even greater haste

and she flew on light steps over the wet ground

towards trees and through forests - all while it was raining

she wasn't cold, the sleet didn't reach her skin

her fur protected her and moving kept her warm

she felt as if she could run forever and ever -

but this time she didn't run for the joy of it

or because she had to flee

this time she had a destination

and she wanted to go…

image [https://i.imgur.com/jSXC8Tl.png]

Then, as if she had blinked her eyes, she saw her own face, like she must have looked in the park earlier today. The hood of her parka was pulled up, and she observed herself laughing.

image [https://i.imgur.com/1resqde.png] she heard, seeing yet another angle of herself.

Watching her own face from a different perspective was strange and a disorienting at first, but she knew out of whose eyes she was seeing the moment. It left her without words. Tears welled up in Josie's closed eyes, but she smiled.

Something new and unfamiliar awoke in her chest.

A feeling began to grow, opening up like a seed she hadn't known was even there at all. The glorious emotion unfolded and bloomed like the most beautiful flower, leaving her so peaceful and content, yet so hopeful and joyous, that it should have been confusing - but somehow everything fit together. It felt like a puzzle piece fell into its place without her ever being aware of its absence before. The sensation was so big, so vast and beyond anything Josie had ever known, that she thought her heart might just burst. She gripped the front of her jumper with both hands, breathless, and tried to swallow the lump in her constricted throat - all while she felt like screaming and laughing, crying and celebrating, sitting still and dancing at the same time. Nothing short of overwhelmed by the gravity of the moment, Josie remained silent and let herself be immersed by the weave of impressions. She almost felt like she was radiating like a small sun - but overall, the monumental complexity of connecting emotions was transcending words. There was an infinity of serene joy and content bliss, of profound completion in her chest, something she had never experienced before.

“Nan…” she whispered after a while, at last able to talk again, albeit with a hoarse voice. “You were right. He talks to me.”

Josie slowly opened her eyes, the world a bit blurry through the remaining tears of joy. While she tried to gather her jumbled thoughts, her limbs shaking with a slight tremble, she took a deep breath - and in a shower of sparkling lights, the sugar pot on the table cracked, and exploded.

Both girl and old woman jerked back in recoil, and watched, mouths agape, as the glowing sparks faded from existence while sugar dust settled all over the table.

“Oh, my,” Nan whispered, raising both hands to dust herself off.

“Did… did I do that?” Josie asked, shocked and with an unsteady voice.

“I believe so,” Nan nodded. “Do not worry yourself. I’ll clean this up later. But tell me, what were you thinking right now?”

“I wasn’t, really… I’m was just so happy, I thought I might burst - and then…”

“So, does the magic thing still seem so far-fetched to you?”

“Well, I guess not,” Josie admitted, her eyes hovering over the clay shards and the sugar mess on the table. “But what are we going to do? I mean, I can’t go around randomly exploding stuff just because I’m happy. Oh, no… what if I get angry?!” the girl exclaimed, realization causing a sudden onset of panic.

“Josie, calm down,” Nan said, her voice stern and a bit commanding to get the girl’s attention. “Better to try and get a hold of yourself, we do not want any more broken pottery,” the old woman chuckled at Josie’s bewildered expression. “Do not worry, we will find you some help. But not right now, it is too late to do much of anything. For now, you just need to breathe and calm down.”

The soothing words helped Josie to reign her fear in, and while she kept her eyes fixed on the old woman, she nodded. Nan would know what to do, she always did. The old woman regarded the girl and her cat with a warm smile of obvious affection, Josie’s feelings mirrored to a degree on the old woman's face. Maybe it had spread, Josie thought, turning towards the animal to bury her fingers in his soft fur, calming her frayed nerves even further.

“Now I know, and now you know,” Nan said, her face still lit up by the smile. “We will speak more tomorrow, I promise. There is still so much to talk about. But you both need to get some rest now, him most of all, after his journey today. There is one thing left to do for tonight, before you go to bed, though.”

“What's that?” Josie asked, wiped away the tears on her cheeks and sniffled a bit.

She couldn't help but stroke the cat, now that she knew. Knew that he was hers and she was his.

“You need to give him his name,” Nan stated and tapped her cane on the floor once more for reinforcement.

“No, I don't,” Josie said, her voice quiet and gentle, but her words finite. “He already has one.”

Nan raised her eyebrow as the smile on Josie's face turned into a little smirk. The girl had known from the moment she had first laid eyes on him.

“His name is Glubsch,” Josie stated to Nan's amusement.

image [https://i.imgur.com/P8vgAM6.png] the cat confirmed, and grunted.

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