Cat Transformation

Cat Transformation

Have you ever wished you could be a cat?  I have.  And my wish came true.

My name is Rachel.  I'm ten and I have two cats named Lyra and Thunder.  Lyra is an outdoor cat with flaming red fur.  She has serious amber eyes and paws as white as snow, while Thunder is a gray tabby tom with shining green eyes.

It all happened on a nice normal evening.  I was gazing at Lyra, thinking how lucky she was, to not do homework, and eat and sleep whenever she preferred.  Lyra was grooming her silky fur with her eyes closed, as if she didn’t care about anything else in the world.  I marveled at how she could seem so careless about everything else happening around her.  I turned back to my book.

At that exact moment, I saw the shooting star out of the corner of my eye.  Quickly, I made a wish.  Then I peered at the clock.  It was 10:30!

My mom must have noticed too, because she exclaimed, "Rachel!  It's so late already!  You must get to bed."

"Mom, can't I finish my book?   I'm almost done.  Look!"  I showed her my book.  

"No, honey," said my dad.  "Put it down and go to bed."

I glared at him and threw my book down angrily.  Lyra twitched her whiskers.  I scowled at her, too.  I tromped up the stairs to my room and slammed the door.  I turned off the lights and climbed into bed.  Then I remembered that I had homework!  My assignment was to write about what I want to be when I grow up!  Oh well, I thought.  I'll do it tomorrow morning.  Slowly, I fell asleep and began to dream.

* * *

I dreamed that I was Lyra, and I was watching.......me!  I watched myself sprout a tail and shrink down to Lyra's size.  I grew cat ears and tortoiseshell fur sprouted all over my body!  Suddenly, I realized I was awake.  I was nose to nose with Lyra, who was staring at me with her huge amber eyes!  Startled, I jumped back and wet my lips.  Why did they feel furry, and when was I able to lick my nose?  Finally, I looked at my body.  I couldn't believe it!  I was a cat!  How did this happen?    Then I remembered my wish: "I wish I could become a cat."  I shivered.  This was what happened in Animorphs!  I thought, moaning.  Am I stuck as a cat?
"Hello?"  I heard someone say.  I jumped again.

"Hello...Thunder?"

"Yep!  I'm Thunder!"

As my eyes adjusted, I saw that Thunder was bouncing on his paws, looking excited.

"How do I turn back into a human?"  I was very frightened.

"You don't have to," meowed Lyra.  "Not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?" I asked.

"We could show you how it’s like to be a cat first,"  answered Thunder.

"Okay!"  I agreed.

I followed Lyra and Thunder out the door.  I noticed many differences between being a human and being a cat.  The night seemed like day, and I could smell many new things.  We hopped down the stairs into the kitchen.  I was overwhelmed by the scents that welcomed me there.  There were the scents of food from last night’s dinner and the putrid smell of the litter box.  And the canned cat food...oh, the canned food was the best.  The scent of chicken and fish together.....it was all I could do to stop myself from devouring it all!

“Go on!”  meowed Lyra.

“We prepared the canned food specially for you!”  chimed Thunder.

“Thanks!”  I quickly gobbled down the canned food.

After that, Lyra and Thunder took me around the house.  I learned how to use the litter box and where the warmest place in the house was.  Soon, I became drowsy, and my cats led me back upstairs where I fell asleep again...

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, the only proof of my adventure was a tiny tuft of tortoiseshell cat hair.  Remembering my homework, I decided I want to be an author when I grow up.

Rachel is a fictional character. Just saying.