April 14, 200914Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cBAhRV1JG
To the outside world,14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkFa7BdgYV
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.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirs3QGEOJl
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.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4zT8ieWzJ
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.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIkenVZeFM
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.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzg1wZ31WM
"Come with me, Meeko!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATx7jcUa0H
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."14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98FjhTklh5
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!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZsdHnSgke
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!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnYvoaul91
"Run, Meeko! Run!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd24dtH0zIL
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!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhZeLLU2af
"She was sad and miserable being locked up for so long. She had to be set free."14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJdYspUc1U
