Honey

The sun broke through the clouds overhead, warming my back as I sat idle on the curb. How I had found myself here, I had no idea. There was no reason for me to be here, no words that I had to say. Though, somehow, as soon as the clock struck 1pm, there was something that led me wandering the streets of my hometown until I got to this point, at which my legs refused to take me any further. So it was now that I was sat outside Sephy's house in the late afternoon, still waiting for that something; waiting for my legs to decide to drag me from the ground and take me as far away from here as possible before something happened that probably shouldn't. Maybe a few spiteful words that I couldn't control. That's what I had predicted at least.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back into the sun rays, as they fought their way through the slightly overcast sky a little harder. I felt the warmth travel through every tip of my body, suddenly giving me the overwhelming feeling to stretch, though I managed to restrain myself and enjoyed the sensation instead. I loved the heat of the sun probably a little too much, but there was something in those rays of light that I hardly ever got to see, that held hope that this place wouldn't be dreary forever. I had felt the scorching rays of countless foreign cities, but none of those held the same warmth as one sun ray in Bridgend.

I sighed contently, and made the decision to get out of here. I couldn't just sit on the pavement and wait for a miracle to happen, or an argument, whichever way it decided to go. I'd call up my friends, or maybe even my parents. We'll go to the park, or go sit outside a pub, or just street prowl. Either choice seemed like a good idea.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke my thoughts and made me freeze for a moment. They held a certain weight in them that I could identify too well, one foot distinctly hitting harder than the other from where she carried her bag on her right side. I panicked for a moment; suddenly realising I had nothing to say as I felt her gaze burning into me. At a loss of anything else to do, my eyes opened and I turned my attention to her standing beside me, though when I looked upon her face it was distorted and slightly off-colour, as was everything else - probably from having the sun on my eyelids too long.

I was surprised, then, when an almost cheeky smile crossed her lips as she looked down at me with her hands on her hips. I didn't understand, but still tried to smile back, though I suddenly found it impossible to move my mouth in such a way.

"Honey, catching some rays, were we?" she giggled, before dropping down to crouch beside me. The closer she got, the larger she seemed to become, in some odd way. It made her feel like a giant as she appeared to tower over me, though I never remembered her getting any taller over the past few years. A few inches, perhaps, but nothing like this.

When my mouth opened to respond, no sound came out. I couldn't work my vocal chords at all. I didn't understand; my legs dragged me all this way just to stare at my old friend so blankly? Something in my head definitely wasn't working today.

Never the less, Sephy's smile seemed to widen, as an arm stretched out and patted me on the head. I frowned to myself, not knowing why she too was acting so oddly. It felt like I was in some bizarre dream, but I knew for a fact I wasn't sleeping.

"Come on, baby, let's get you some food, yeah?" she questioned again, both hands reaching out for me this time. I immediately found myself springing to life, the outstretched hands moving closer suddenly putting me on edge. I jumped to my feet and shifted backwards, only to find myself stumbling. I couldn't stand up properly; I could barely hold my own weight.

The next moment was one of the most surreal of my life. As any male of 6ft or taller will tell you, being picked up is not an experience you are familiar with, but that's exactly what happened. As though I was light as a feather, or Sephy was somehow a woman built of steel, I felt myself be lifted into the air and wrapped in her arms. It was comfortable, no mistake, but still so frighteningly odd. How was it that I could fit into her arms? Was I really dreaming?

My mind swimming in confusion, and also quite uncomfortable with the height I was from the floor, Sephy continued to carry me through the front gate of her house and up to the door. There she paused; shifting me in to just one arm and scaring me further in the process, before she unlocked the door and walked into the hall. I was positive of it then; I was dreaming. I was dreaming that I was tiny and that Sephy was carrying me around. That's what it was.

"Oh, it's been a long day," I heard Sephy sigh above me, not bothering to look as my ears seemed to catch the sound perfectly on their own. I watched the world silently as she shuffled through the hall and into the living room; which was when I seriously considered that I had gone insane, or that this dream was just being taken way too far. It was next, as she stopped in front of the large wall mirror, tweaking the strands of her hair that were in the wrong direction, that my eyes widened as I stared at the reflection. The image being sent back to me was one that I couldn't comprehend.

It was of Sephy, tweaking her hair in one hand, and with a Tortoiseshell cat dangling from the other. A Tortoiseshell cat with wide eyes, fur bristling and ears pressing themselves back against its skull. A cat scared out of its life at what it was seeing. It was me.

Before I had time to realise it, my body was hurtling towards the ground. I had missed the warning; missed the sensation of being tipped forward out of Sephy's arm as she started to go about her own life, and missed her voice telling me what it was she was off to do next. All I could see was the hard wood flooring, and white paws sprawled out below me, praying they hit the ground without breaking any bones.

I seemed to hit the floor with much more stability than I had imagined I would have. I felt the shock wave travel through my body from the impact, but it wasn't accompanied by any pain. It was as though my body had absorbed it and left my limbs unharmed. I blinked a few times in complete disbelief, before tossing my head back and forth to look at my surroundings.

I was definitely small; I could barely see the top of the sofa beside me, and the TV screen looked like it could swallow me up if it so desired. Everything looked slightly wrong, too; the colours were all drowned out though at the same time it seemed much sharper. I could see the smallest details on the material that covered the sofa, and the specks of dust in the air, yet I couldn't for the life of me tell you what colour the walls were.

So then, I was a cat. I was Sephy's pet cat. How on earth I had got here, I had no idea. I was still in Limbo between the idea of this being a dream or reality. It certainly felt real, the ground beneath my feet, or... paws, was solid. If I thought about it hard enough, I could grasp it tighter, claws extending from my fingertips and scratching the surface lightly. It was all too solid, too physical, to not be real. Though to not have my doubts would probably give me a one way ticket to an insane asylum... if animals were allowed there, anyway.

I felt my heart beat quicken, my ears pricking up and moving of their own accord, as I realised I could hear the faint sound of metal on metal. My body appeared to have natural instincts; I didn't need to tell it how to work, it just seemed to do it, although I was yet to move from the spot I had landed on. I assumed general movement was up to me, then.

Sighing in my mind, as apparently cat's weren't capable of such an action, I looked at my white-socked paws and willed them to move. They did with surprising ease, moving me forward a few centimetres, though I would be lying if I said it wasn't awkward. I was very uncoordinated, my body swaying uneasily and leaning slightly more one way than the other, making me probably look like I had some weird limp or that none of my legs matched in length. It would take practise, no doubt about that.

I started walking in some kind of circle, turning myself around to face the doorway that Sephy had disappeared through. I tried stalking across, slipping occasionally on the flooring, but generally getting myself into a good pace. It was all going pretty well, until a large crack of metal splintered the air and a scent caught my nose with such intensity I was certain I would pass out. I did quite the opposite. Before I could stop it, the instincts took control of the part of my mind I could think logically with, and my body started hurtling its way out of the door and down the hallway, claws digging into the carpet to keep me upright and push me along faster. I barely had time to wonder what was going on.

My body skidded to a halt in what I assumed was the kitchen, as it was hard to tell from where I was stood amongst the bottom of the cabinets and chair legs. My head tilted upwards, ears and nose twitching, fascinated by whatever it was Sephy was doing on the worktops above me. I heard her soft laughter as she glanced down at me with a smile, shaking her head before crouching down with a bowl in her hand.

"My, you're clumsy today, Honey," she cooed, placing the bowl down in front of me. My eyes darted to it instantly, the scent sparking recognition in my mind as I looked down at what filled the small plastic dish. It was tuna, fresh from the tin. A supper any cat would be more than happy to devour, and apparently I was no different as a strong hunger pang from somewhere in my torso drove me nose first into the dish. I felt Sephy's hand run through the fur on my head and scratch behind my ear, sending an odd wave of intense pleasure through my body, though it wasn't enough to distract me from my food. It did, however, set off a vibrating from deep in my chest, and I found myself purring happily.

How on earth it happened, I had no clue, but it seemed that for now I was a fully-functioning cat by the name of Honey. As the instinctual part of my head finished off the bowl of tuna in moments, and somehow told me to follow Sephy, the logical part of my brain let it take the steering for a while. I had too many things to think about without having to be someone’s pet; was I stuck like this forever? Could I just turn back whenever I wanted? Was it even real?

-

There was no turning back, now, I was certain of it. I was a cat, and I would be for the rest of my life. No amount of jumping up and down, chasing my tail or sheer will power seemed to be able to change it. If nothing else, it made me feel extremely regretful; depressed, even. All the things I wanted to do in my life flooded through my mind, and now I was a house pet with a predicted lifespan of 12. On top of that I was probably already about halfway through my life. Brilliant.

I looked up through the shadowed room and into Sephy's serene expression, watching the flickering TV screen across from us. My heart seemed to swell just slightly, suddenly making my anger for this fate fade away. This way, at the very least, I got to watch over my friend again. I got to make sure she was always happy, and safe, and had someone there for her. I could be that person, that's what I wanted in the first place, wasn't it? Wasn't that why I came by this morning?

Her eyes moved to meet mine, and I instantly turned away, resting my head on her lap. Sometimes I swore she could hear me thinking, or maybe I just wished that she could, hoping for a way out or some sanity. There was nothing sane about what I was experiencing, but I sure as hell knew it wasn't a dream. Skidding head first into a door frame gave me enough pain to know that for sure.

My whole body jolted as her phone started ringing loudly from the hall, quickly followed by Sephy's giggling at my reaction. She scratched my head briefly before picking me up and shifting me beside her on the bed. She then climbed out of the duvet and went to retrieve her phone, leaving me to curl up on my own.

Being a cat did have its upsides, I thought to myself. I got a lot of attention and could sleep all I wanted, but at the same time the world suddenly seemed like a much more exciting and challenging place. I was quite fond of having a tail, too, though I hadn't quite mastered how to use it effectively yet. I missed real colours, but it was interesting be able to see so much better, though I did find the dust in the air far too distracting at times. If I stayed at my friends’ side, I think I could make the most of this.

"Why do you always do this, Toby?"

My ear pricked up as Sephy's voice responded more elevated into the phone than it had previously. I jumped to my feet and stalked across the bed in seconds, falling gracefully to the ground and poking my head around the doorway. She was slouched against the wall, expression a mix of negative emotions, hand running stressfully through her hair.

"Yeah, fine, okay. Yes, I know. I know, stop telling me!" she returned hotly, as I settled myself down by the door to watch my half of the argument. I cocked my head thoughtfully as I watched her expression turn from anger to sorrow and back again, eyes glistening in the hallway light.

"Bye, Toby," she finally muttered in to the receiver, dropping the phone back onto the table beside her. I instantly hopped to my feet, trotting over to her and rubbing the side of my body against her ankles, wrapping my tail somewhat skilfully around her calf. I heard her sigh deeply before she looked down on me, and smiled faintly. "At least you don't care about stupid things like money, huh, Hon?" she asked sadly, before reaching down and scooping me in her arms, heading back towards the bedroom.

Yes, I thought as Sephy pulled the covers back over herself and set me down on her lap, this was definitely the best place for me. I had no doubts in my mind, that whatever was going on was for Sephy’s benefit; from some higher power, perhaps, who wanted a good life for her. Maybe it was the will of a great, great, great grandmother, who was now her guardian angel and had some unearthly powers at her disposal. Hell, at this point I was willing to believe in anything.

A shiver ran down my spine as the explanations whirled through my mind, almost as if to tell me to stop looking for an answer. It was a disturbing feeling, like someone had frozen the air in the room for just a couple of seconds, though Sephy appeared to not notice. I looked up at her as a sharp pain grew and dissolved through my entire body within moments, though her glassy eyes still remained fixed on the TV, while she desperately pushed away the tears with the back of her hands. The longing to reach forward to her and brush them away myself was overwhelming. I wanted to comfort her so much more than I could, with words and expression and action. All I could do was sit and purr and try and ignore the feeling of foreboding growing in my stomach. I wan’t enjoying this cat sense quite so much.

Another 10 minutes or so passed, Sephy giggling softly at the program on TV on occasion, with my head set on her lap while her fingers danced skillfully through my fur. A moment later my whole body jolted up onto it's paws, as a loud crash echoed through the small house, breaking our serene moment. Sephy turned to me and chuckled a little, before climbing back out of bed.

"I better go see what that was! I'll be right back," she told me with a slightly less teary smile, though I willed her with all my heart not to leave. I was petrified of what she would find; of what my senses were telling me laid in wait for her. The smell was unmistakable, even from this distance, and I had no idea what that meant for me - the mix of fur, grass dew and Sephy. It was Honey. The real Honey.

I glanced around the room, trying to think of a plan. Should I hide myself? It didn't seem like the smart idea, either way I doubted I could trick Sephy into believing I hadn't been here from the start at all. I shifted around on my paws as I felt panic swell in me, filling my body with warmth as if I was blushing furiously. In a minute, less than that, Sephy would reappear in the doorway, with a Tortoiseshell cat in her arms, and an identical one sitting amongst the sheets on her bed. This was making less sense than, well, anything.

I closed my eyes and tensed my body as I waited for the impact, upon hearing footsteps in the hallway just beyond the bedroom door. I wasn't sure what I was waiting for, a gasp, a scream or a series of confused curses or broken words. But then a few seconds later, as I waited for the hit, there was nothing. Silence. Perhaps an expression instead then, that I of course couldn't see.

Nervously I opened one eye, and then the other, still wincing slightly as I looked apprehensively up at Sephy in the door way, Honey in tow. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she watched me, her mouth slightly gaping at the air. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, then again, I wasn't expecting the first word to leave her mouth, either.

"... Matt?" she barely whispered, her breath sounding as though it was stuck in her throat.

My eyes widened considerably then, as my chin flew down and I glanced at myself. I was a foot higher off the bed than I had been before, and below me wasn't a mass of fur, but slightly tanned skin, tangled in bed sheets, but none the less leaving me feeling extremely exposed. My mouth started gaping, fighting for words as she was, as I tried to think of a decent excuse to why I was now sitting naked in my friends bed. Not a single thing made sense, no 'well, I heard some shouting...' would explain my lack of clothing, and 'I was a cat' still slightly blew my own mind. Had I made it all up? Was I so desperate to look after her that I followed her here and watched her off my own back? Did I possess such an obsessive nature?

And as we stared back at each other, Sephy’s expression completely unreadable, I did the only thing I could think of; the only thing that seemed to make sense in such a crazy and surreal moment. It stopped the questions, answered Sephy's expression, and was, after all, how I had found myself here to begin with.

I got to my feet, covered the floor in two strides, and kissed her with everything I had to offer.