Ghost of You

My heart sped up a few beats as I turned slowly to look at the cat, its orange eyes gleaming at me, a smile wrapped around its face.

“Did you just... oh my God,” I whispered, taking a step back.

The cat licked at his paw. “You seemed surprised,” he said, wagging his tail back and forth.

“What the... I've lost it. I'm officially headed for the nut house.”

“Well, we shouldn't be that extreme.”

“You're a talking cat!” I hissed, lowering my voice so the librarian wouldn't hear me.

The cat licked his paw again. “The name's Lou.” The cat sighed as it saw my wide-eyed expression. He tilted his head towards the desk. “That's Jesse. She was my wife.”

I blinked my eyes. “I'm sorry?”

The cat smiled. “I died years ago.”

“And now you're a... cat?”

“That's right.”

“H-how did you know about the heart?”

“I've been around.”

I furrowed my brow. The cat let his paw dangle down from the shelf. “That book will tell you everything you're looking for.”

“Can't you just tell me?”

“Too much to tell. I'd start around chapter eight, that's what you should really try to understand.” The cat hopped down, sitting next to the book, his orange tail wrapping around his body. “Well, let's not wait for the grass to grow.”

Slowly, I sat down, sitting up against the bookshelf, placing the book in my lap, looking it over. Belief, in big letters, glimmered at me. The cat climbed into my lap, purring gently, watching as I flipped through the book to chapter eight.

“Here we go,” I said, letting out a breath. “Chapter eight.”