Henry David Thoreau: A Short Story

Henry David Thoreau once brilliantly recited, "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." When my cat ran away I began to apprehend what he meant. Last Monday Bob, my cat, ran away. I felt as if my heart was punching my gut. The incident took a large toll on my body. Losing Bob felt as if I left behind a past life and started anew.

It was a bizarre Monday morning when I woke up to the sight of my cat sitting on my bedroom windowsill. As I rolled out of bed, he became frightened and jumped out the window. I felt disoriented and befuddled at first, although I soon realized I needed to run after him. “Come back,” I yelped as I dressed quicker than I had previously thought possible. As soon as I came outside I didn’t spot him, thus I began to search. After frisking through my yard for twenty minutes, I still couldn’t find him. I’m usually a stolid boy, yet today I broke into tears.

“We need to leave for school or you might be late,” my mom yelled from the front porch.

My mom quickly sped off down the street and returned after what felt parallel to an eternity later with a can of tuna. She gently set it down outside the drainage pipe and as soon as Bob picked up the scent, he emanated from the pipe and attacked the food ferociously. Today was the first time I had seen Bob in several days. After he promptly devoured the food, I picked up to embrace the festive moment and consequently smelled the horrid stench he acquired from the dirty drainage pipe. When we returned home, I vowed to never let him escape again.

Last week was an immensely terrifying experience, however, I learned a meaningful lesson regarding responsibility. During the affair, I learned that I need to be extra careful and handle Bob and anyone else I encounter with greater care. My cat escaping and getting lost made for a remarkably humbling ordeal and I hope I will never face those troubles