A Million Years

Aisyah hunted for the stray cat that hung around near her block. She had always seen the calico cat and petted it whenever she went home from school. The seven year old paused as she spied it cleaning itself near the lift.

“Come here kitty,” she whispered as she crept towards it.

The calico cat meowed as she took a firm hold on it and carried it in her arms.

*

It’s not difficult to hide a cat in a backpack, thought Aisyah. In fact, it had been very easy as she was hustled away by her father, her aunty, her older cousins and even her grandparents in the minivan. They were fretting, muttering prayers under their breath, lost in their own thoughts as her father drove.

They did not even notice her talking into her bag or the strange sounds that came within. It was alright though, Aisyah would fix it all and everyone would be happy once more.

When they had arrived, the nurses did not stop them, merely rushed them towards the small room where she had visited the day earlier. There was a sense of urgency and Aisyah had to wait outside in the sterile corridors for her turn.

One by one as her family members took turns to go in, it was finally hers and she entered the dimly lit room. Her father stepped outside as she saw her mother on the bed urging her to get closer.

“Ma, I brought you something!” said Aisyah.

She lifted the top of her bag for the cat’s head to peek out.

“It’s a cat,” said her mother confusedly.

“I saw on TV, they said petting cats will make you live longer! So if you pet it a lot, you’ll live a million years!” said Aisyah happily.

Her mother smiled at her and reached out to stroke its head even if the beeps of the heart monitor grew fainter and slower.