April 14, 200949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6V1VeP9v9U
To the outside world,49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRO6VBBEya
My parents once surprised me with a cat, claiming she was a Bengal or something similar. She had beautiful leopard-like fur and was full of energy. When they brought her home, she already had a name—Meeko. From the moment I met her, she seemed really attached to me.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlCIzvbF7D
I couldn't understand why she loved me so much. I wasn't playful back then, but perhaps it was because I was just as tiny as she was. My parents took care of her for the most part, but just like me, she wasn't allowed outside.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpQv1UFH5Y
There were times when she would leap at the door, scramble up to the window, and press her face against the glass. I thought it was adorable, but my parents would smack her off, saying it was giving me the wrong ideas.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnzTVncktY
I had her for about a year, and every day I felt more sorry for her, so one day I did what had to be done. I crept downstairs, and Meeko stared into my soul with her beautiful piercing eyes.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaIRhgzHoz
"Come with me, Meeko!"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuyGxynDcJ
She watched as I dragged a chair near the front door, and with a click, it unlocked. I pulled the door open and Meeko stepped onto the front porch, looking back at me. "Sorry Meeko, I can't go with you. You need to get out of here."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghEgLcvtI1
She felt a pang of uncertainty about leaving me, her gaze lingering on me as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I'll come back for you someday, when I'm old enough to live on my own. Stay healthy for me, okay!"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm30CdoazEn
I softly stroked her head, while hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. "Saira!" my mother shouted. She grabbed me and pulled me back inside. "Honey, get the cat!"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zj5Vo2HXZ
"Run, Meeko! Run!"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTA5F76gmC2
My father hurried after Meeko, but she sprang over the railing and disappeared from view. He turned towards me with anger in his eyes, and smacked me across the face. "What the hell were you thinking, letting that cat run wild!"49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iTMoitlSF
"She was sad and miserable being locked up for so long. She had to be set free."49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoxI54ViqE
