Crunch!

The leaves beneath my feet give way to sneakers and I readjust my book bag on my shoulders. At least if nothing else in my repetitive life is fulfilling, the leaves I step on as I walk home through the forest will offer satisfaction.

A tired sigh rips from my lips and tell my feet to come to a stop on the cold pathway. I tilt my head back, closing my eyes and breathing in. ‘How do people find so much joy in life?’ I ask myself. ‘What the hell is so good about living in a world so boring?’ After a moment of pondering in frustration, I eventually continue walking.

Suddenly, a dash of something bolts across the path. I blink and quickly look from side to side, where I must have hallucinated some type of… strange dream-like substance.

I rub my eyes and once again, the strange sight is right in front of me. My eyes widen the size of saucers and my breath hitches. I take several steps back.

What is THAT?! I begin to panic, vibrating with sudden curiosity and fear.

‘It’s a cat’, my brain faintly supplies. Or an alien, because it’s glowing! Or… something. It’s fur is eliciting a strange hue. It’s not grey, black, or white. Somehow, it’s got the same shade of sunsets, traffic cones, oranges, and duck beaks. But it’s not grey. It’s very, very different.

It radiates a warmth, yet the temperature is the same as before. A sensation unlike anything i’ve ever felt before floats through my brain, and it almost tickles. Like an aroma of cinnamon, or citrusy juice after a summer swim.

As the initial fear fades away, I slowly inch towards the furry abnormality. It’s… breathtaking. I can’t rip my eyes away from this new sensation that’s dancing across my vision.

A smile spreads from ear to ear, and i crouch down to let the kitty sniff my hand. This is crazy. There’s no way this is real. And yet, the cat rumbles with a purr and I run my fingers through its soft—very real feeling—fur.

I giggle with excitement and scoop up my new discovery. My heart is racing with adrenaline at possibly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I sigh a breath of relief and tears well in my eyes.

As I continue my journey home, I answer my own question in my head: ‘Life is full of endless possibilities, and that’s what makes it so beautiful.’