Jackson, for all his life, wished for a furry companion. He was an only child, he only had his parents and the rare visit from his cousins. He felt the upcoming Christmas had something special to it.

Dear Santa,

This year I want a cat. Make her really cute please.

From, Jackson

That Christmas, Jackson received a Russian blue from his parents named Noel. Noel was the sweetest cat he could have ever wanted. Noel was affectionate and loved to lie near the fireplace and the Christmas tree. Every year, Jackson would hang a small stocking with Noel’s name to make her feel included.

Jackson trained Noel to be an indoor cat, but she was inquisitive with the snow outdoors. Jackson noticed Noel’s interest and they explored their backyard together. They played in the snow and caught snowflakes all evening before coming back inside to a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace.

A few months later, Noel’s admiration of the outdoors continued. When the days got warmer, Jackson put a leash on Noel and walked her around the neighbourhood. Jackson got comfortable with Noel’s intellect over the weeks and let her stroll around the neighbourhood and return home when she chose.

Everything went well until it had been hours since Jackson had seen Noel when she went on her daily walk. Jackson’s parents reassured Jackson of Noel’s knowledge. Jackson struggled to assure himself Noel would arrive home, but it had been days.

Jackson walked door to door asking if anybody had seen a Russian blue. No one noticed her. This crushed Jackson’s heart. He was hopeless. He made missing posters and placed them on every post he could spot.

 It had been weeks, months, then years. Christmas did not feel the same to Jackson. He continued to hang Noel’s stocking every Christmas hoping for a miracle, but nothing came. The holidays felt dim through all the presents because all he wanted was his furry companion.

Over the years, his missing posters eroded, and the words faded, making them unrecognizable. Jackson came to terms that Noel was gone. He could merely try so hard to find Noel.

6 years later in December, Jackson noticed his neighbour acting strange. For a week or so, she looked much happier but obscure, Jackson couldn’t fathom why.