The cat woke up, rubbing its eyes with its paws before looking straight out the window to see the tree in the distance. The person from the cottage, sitting in their wooden chair, was also staring at the tree off in the distance before turning and seeing the cat awake.

The person got off their chair and moved it close to the window before picking up the cat and putting it on the window sill. Then, the person started to speak.

“I shall continue my story where we left off yesterday. Although, I don’t think my story is all that interesting.”

The person laughed, looked directly out at the tree and continued.

“I searched for the girl the day after I first met her. By using all my resources available, I was finally able to find her in a huge mansion in the city near here. To be honest, she never struck me as the rich type. I guess looks really aren’t everything. For every day following that, I went to the mansion to try to meet with her, but she always ignored me.”

The person sighed and closed their eyes.

“One day, I went back to that tree over there. The flowers were in full bloom that day. I think I went right under that tree before submitting to my dreams. The moment I woke up, I saw her lying right beside me. She was looking directly at me with those sparkling blue eyes of hers. I don’t know exactly what I said to her back then, but we have been close ever since but not quite friends.”

The person opened their eyes with a warm look in them.

“Everyday, we met up under that tree and talked for maybe an hour each day. We talked about anything from our daily lives to the sciences. That hour was probably the thing I looked forward to each day. Nevertheless, all happiness will come to an end eventually. One year after our first meeting, she just stopped coming.”

The cat froze as it turned and saw the icy glare coming from the eyes of the person.

“I went to the mansion where she lived and asked around. I found out that she was going to be married for her household. So, I did what I thought was the most reasonable thing to do back then. Kidnap her and hide out here in our secret place.”

The person then laughed.

“However, that didn’t take kindly with her. After finding out where she was, the first thing she did was scold me for acting recklessly. Then she looked right into my eyes, picked up a sharp rock, and started carving something into the tree. She then told me that when she died to bury her right here and left without looking back.”

The person sighed and moved the chair back to where it was previously. The cat jumped from the window sill and walked with the person.

“After that, I built myself a cottage on these plains ever watching the tree as it blooms each year. After maybe 50 years, I finally met with the man she married. The only reason I even went there was to meet her again. They seemed surprised to see me there. I heard that she died to illness only a few days prior to my visit and according to her will, she wanted me to see her body. I saw her body. Now I can’t remember how it looked however there is one thing I am certain of.”

The person sat down, with tears in their eyes. The person covered both eyes with their hands and slouched on the chair.

“She was smiling.”

The person wiped the tears from their eyes and looked back at the tree through the window.

“After seeing her body, her husband gave me multiple letters saying that they were to be given to me after she had died. It looked like she wrote out everything that happened in her life in these letters. It seemed that she had a very happy life living with her husband all the way up until her death. At the very end of these letters, she wrote one thing. ‘I want my best friend to honor his promise from back then’.”

The cat stared at the person and saw that their eyes were full of anger. The person then slammed their fist onto the arm of the chair.

“If only I met her earlier! I wouldn’t have these regrets that would be gnawing away at me for the rest of my life!”

After a couple of moments, the person calmed down and picked up the cat and put it onto their lap. Then they stroked the cat and spoke.

“Thank you, Mr. Cat, for listening to my story. I hope you wouldn’t have any regrets like I did.”

The cat lied down and purred in response. As its eyes were closing, knocking sounds came from the door. The person laid the cat down onto the floor before opening the door. On the other side of the door, there was a familiar face to the cat.

“Thank you for finding my cat, sir. I lost it out on one of my…excursions. I was afraid I wouldn’t see it again.”

The person on the opposite side of the door looked towards the cat and called out to it. The cat got up and ran to the person as they then picked it up.

“Thank you, sir. I hope you will have a nice day.”

Following that, the person turned around and walked away. After walking a couple seconds, they heard a yell from behind.

“I should thank you instead! You allowed me to meet such a great listener! May we meet again someday Mr. Cat!”

The cat meowed and raised its paw as if to signal a goodbye to the person in the cottage before turning to look at the tree off in the distance. In the shadow of the tree, it looked like there was a shadowy figure standing there. The cat rubbed its eyes and then it disappeared as if it was never there in the first place.

Research Notes

Code #12: 01111100100000101000000010000000100000001000001001111100

6"-- S

6"-6 S

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