The autumn wind swept through the park, scattering crisp, brown leaves across the pavement, but I stopped mid stride. Something small and silent had demanded my attention.
I looked down, past the scuffed toe of my white sneaker, and found myself staring into the strangest, most beautiful face I had ever seen.
He sat perfectly still on the cold slate tiles, wrapped in a coat of snowy white interrupted only by a mask of tabby stripes. But it wasn’t his fur that held me captive, it was his eyes. They were a biological miracle, a genetic riddle waiting to be solved. The left eye was a warm, earthy hazel, reflecting the fallen leaves and the grounding reality of the park. The right eye was a shock of glacial blue, as if a piece of the winter sky had been cut out and placed there.
He looked up at me with whiskers fanned forward, not begging, but waiting. It was an expectant look, the kind that says, I have been waiting for you to notice.
I didn’t have food, only a moment to spare, but apparently, that was enough.
As if sensing my willingness to engage, he broke the spell. With a soft chirp, he trotted over to the wooden park bench nearby. The afternoon sun was hitting the reddish brown slats perfectly, warming the wood. With an effortless leap, he ascended.
He didn’t curl up to sleep. Instead, he stood tall on the bench, his tail held high with a confident hook at the tip a flag of friendship. The sunlight filtered through the trees, catching the fuzz on his ears and turning them translucent.
I sat down next to him, careful to leave him space. He bridged the gap immediately, head butting my hand with a force that surprised me. Up here, on the bench, we were equals. He was no longer a small creature at my feet, he was a companion sharing the view.
For a long time, we just sat there watching the world rush by beyond the green railings. He purred, a deep, rhythmic rumble that vibrated through the wood of the bench. In that quiet hour, I realized he wasn’t just a stray looking for a handout. He was the keeper of this park, a guardian with one eye on the earth and one eye on the heavens, granting moments of peace to anyone who took the time to look down.
Shannon Willis can usually be found in the company of furry friends. A passionate animal enthusiast, her work is often inspired by her deep love for cats, dogs, and the animal kingdom as a whole.
