The Magic Behind Her Eyes

Chapter 4: Cries From The Lake

Reina rummaged through her bag on the way home. After a few more minutes of looking, she sighed in defeat. She couldn't find her bus card anywhere. With a slight disappointed look, she walked home quietly, a walk which would have been shorter had she been able to take the bus. To make matters worse, she also seemed to have forgotten her umbrella at home. She quickly took shelter under a big tree near the bridge and decided to wait for a while in the hope that the rain would lighten. Time passed by slowly.

Reina couldn't help but smile when she noticed a rainbow far off among the weeping clouds. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wonder. Everything just seemed so much more interesting in her mind. She carefully placed the pictures, deep into her memory. She could play with them later. The rainbow. The music from the raindrops. The trees. The flowing water under the bridge. The way water splashed through the rocks. Then a small crying sound into the distance...

"Ana, not now," Reina whispered.

Another cry.

The pictures in her mind slowly altered.

"Help me! Please!"

There was no one there when she opened her eyes. Who was that? It took her a moment to realise that Ana wasn't the one making those noises. It was coming from the lake. She slowly walked towards it, half curious and half fearful. A little grey cat seemed to be stuck. She could only make out its head which was sticking out from the water. Reina watched the cat flail its legs, letting out another desperate meow. Then reality struck her out of her dreamlike state. It was drowning.

"Come on, little one," she let out her arms to reach out for it.

In response, the cat only floated further away from her reach. Sinking deeper. She dropped her bag and jumped into the lake, ignoring the ice-cold water pierce her skin. The cat gave another loud meow as she picked it up from the water and took it into dry land. At least, as dry as it could be in this rain. Reina noticed that the water wasn't too deep. But to a tiny cat, it must have been terrifying.

"How did you get in there?" she asked.

Reina wondered if there was anyone else in the lake because she was sure she heard someone else shout out for help. Although, she couldn't be sure if that was just her mind playing tricks. She stared at the water, but there was nothing there.

She diverted her attention back to the cat, staring at it awkwardly. It wasn't until she came closer to it, did she notice there was something in his mouth.

"What is that?"

Reina tried to come closer but the cat didn't seem to like her touch and backed away. For a few minutes she watched as it tried to shake off the excess water from its fur. She couldn't find a collar around its neck. Could it be a stray? Maybe she should take it home. Give it some food and keep it home for the night. Or at least until the rain had stopped. But it seemed the cat had other plans. It had long forgotten Reina was there and took off into the streets. Surprised, Reina dashed after it.

"W...Wait!"

She didn't know what she was thinking. Maybe it was plain curiosity, but there was something about that cat. Something seemed so fascinating about it. For the first time in her life, a strange feeling stirred inside her. It was excitement. It did not matter where it was coming from, but she desperately wanted to find out where it was going. 

Reina gasped when she noticed that the cat was leaving a trail of blood, seemed like it was coming from its legs. For a cat that almost drowned and seemingly injured, it had the capacity to run incredibly fast. Its legs sprang as if it was chasing something.

She passed a few streets and could only hope no cars were nearby. Her heartbeat quickened. What if she gets lost? What would she tell her mother when she gets home? She was late enough as it was. Her mind raced with thoughts and she didn't even realise that the cat had stopped running. 

They seemed to be in a strange little part of the town where she didn't visit often. It was the same boring old place she would sometimes walk through when she wanted to kill some time. But today, there was something strange about it. Something was different. In the corner of the street, there was a little shop she had never seen before. The cat was looking at the same direction, awkwardly sitting down and staring at it. Reina tried to catch her breath back as she walked towards the cat.

"Is that where you were going?"

The cat looked at Reina with its golden eyes, shining bright. Its fur was dripping wet and its legs had a mixture of mud and blood scattered across it. It looked like a mess but it looked beautiful still. Among the black fur, there was little scar in its neck, visible only if looked carefully. It was the first time it had made any eye contact with Reina, finally acknowledging its presence.

"You're bleeding, poor cat," Reina picked up the cat and wrapped it around her arms. Its fur was soft but it was freezing. She wasn't surprised.

She entered the shop, a strange yet familiar smell of biscuits filled the room. Looking around the room she spotted a blond haired woman sitting by the till who gave her a welcoming smile the moment their eyes met.

"What do we have here?" Her voice was warm and friendly.

Reina wondered where to start. The more she thought about her situation, the more ridiculous it turned out. She followed a cat to a stranger's shop and now she was going to ask if she was the owner. She shyly stepped forward but the moment she opened her mouth to say something, the cat jumped out from her lap and seemed to give a loud shriek of excitement.

"Oh Arthur!" the lady picked up her cat and gave him a big kiss, "I've been looking for you everywhere."

She gave another thankful smile to Reina and placed a towel over him.

"I found him in the lake," Reina explained, "He seems to be hurt."

At that, the lady looked at his paw, closely examining it. She got up to get a box of first aid kit and started to wrap his paws carefully.

"Did you get into a fight again? Naughty cat..."

Reina watched her fix his wound and when she was finished, the cat bounced out of the table and landed perfectly into his comfy basket. His name written neatly in the side.

"Arthur Rayland," Reina muttered to herself. Now that she looked around, it seemed to be a toyshop. It had a pretty collection of dolls on the side shelves and a pack of books on the other.

 Stacks of teddy bears of all sorts of colours and sizes were out on display. Her favourite one was a small one sitting by the side, about half the size of her arm. It wore a beautiful red hat, decorated with feathers and ribbons, a dress embroidered with such detail its fashion sense was better than her own. There was a large horse by the till that was so carefully made, it almost looked real. She admired the time it must have taken to make it.

"Thank you so much for bringing him here."

"It was no trouble," Reina sounded more pleased than she was.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Reina."

"Lovely to meet you, I am Gloria."

Reina let out her hand for an awkward handshake but Gloria welcomed her into her arms and gave her a hug instead.