Snow continued to drift in waves, blotting out any semblance of a landscape. It was those tiny puffs of frozen water landing gently on her cheeks and forehead which forced six year old Lucy to slowly open her eyes.
She lay there in a small mound of the white powdery snow, staring up at the heavens in wonder. It was the first time she could recall actually being outside to feel it and see it at the same time.
Normally her mother would forbid her from going out in the cold weather because, according to her, Lucy could get very ill very quickly if she was outside for too long.
As she lay there she wondered if her mother was watching. She always watched from the window, a worried expression on her face as her daughter played gleefully in the freezing temperatures.
Then a thought occurred to Lucy as she pushed herself up right. Was this a dream, all these beautiful pristine flakes of snow? Far more than a small child would need all for herself.
She was sure it was since the last expression she remembered on her mother’s face was one of happiness and a smile. Which was out of character for her since Lucy could never remember a time when her mother would smile before she went out to play.
And she was certainly never happy about her being out in the cold.
But here she was, scooping up the brilliant white snow and letting it run through her fingers. As she did that she noticed something that proved once and for all that she was dreaming.
She had no jacket on, or scarf gloves and hat either. All she wore was the pretty pink dress her mother had got her for her birthday and a pair of white socks with frills around the tops of them.
Lucy could feel her brow furrow as she looked at her feet and realised she had no shoes on. Now that was strange even if she was only dreaming about playing in the snow.
And then to add to that strangeness she could feel her whole body ache like it did if she fell from the jungle gym, which she had done on numerous occasions while playing with her friends.
Are you supposed to feel sore in a dream? Lucy did not know and yet as she scanned the landscape before her there was no rising fear or worry.
Instead there was curiosity. There was no familiar buildings, people or any other objects that her six year old mind could instantly identify, and despite that she still felt happy sitting in among the snow like it was her camouflage.
Still wearing that soft smile which her mother always associated with mischief Lucy began to draw a cat in the snow.
Even in her dreams she could always remember Cruiser, the grey tabby cat her mother had kept at home. He had been so soft and cuddly, he always made Lucy feel better when she felt poorly.
She had almost completed Cruisers’ ears when she could feel something trickle from her right ear. At first she was certain it was just the snow melting and running down her skin. However, when she rubbed the annoyance away and inspected the back of her hand she noticed that it was smeared red. The only thing that Lucy knew was red and also came from her body was blood.
But should she be worried about it? Her ear didn't feel sore so she supposed it was no biggie, probably just a scratch as her mother would say.
Her rendition of Cruiser the loveable tabby cat was almost complete, he just needed whiskers and a set of eyes. Lucy decided to start with his whiskers but as she pushed the tip of her finger into the white blanket of snow, she noticed that the blood dripping from her ear had stained the snow near her a deep crimson red.
Lucy could feel hot salty tears well in her eyes at the site of the stained snow and her heart began to beat a little faster than it normally did.
She looked around in all directions, searching for the one person who would make it all better. The only person she knew who could stop her from sobbing with nothing more than a simple kiss on the cheek.
Soft whimpers escaped from her lips as tears dripped from her blue eyes and created hot streaks down her freezing cold cheeks.
Where was she? Where was her mother when she needed her most?
All Lucy could see through blurry eyes was nothing but a vast expanse of white like the snow had covered her entire world.
Feeling hurt and alone she looked down at the picture of Cruiser, hoping to find some comfort in what she had created, but the only thing she could feel was a fresh wave of tears.
‘Is that your cat?’ came the deep and soothing voice of a man.
It wasn't her mother but Lucy couldn't stop the smile from growing across her face at the thought of having a grown-up with her.
Her smile quickly changed to a look of puzzlement as she saw the big black cat standing in-front of her. His coat was silky smooth and seemed to be impossibly black. He was easily three times her size and yet there was something very strange about him.
It took Lucy a few moments to figure it out, but a closer look at his feline face revealed what was bothering her.
His eyebrows. They weren't simply black like the rest of his coat. No they looked like they were stuck on and even stranger than that looked like they were made of that strange greyish white material she had seen on work men's jackets. Reflective is a word she couldn't pronounce but she did remember her mother explaining why light was so bright when it hit that kind of material. It helped others see the work men where there.
A big cat with reflective eyebrows. What a great idea she thought and her smile returned.
‘That's cruiser. He used to be my cat but he ran away mummy said,’ said Lucy, wiping her tears away.
The big cat looked down at the eyeless snow cat and then back at Lucy.
‘That's a shame,’ he said, his attention turning to the crimson stain in the snow near the little blonde girl. He noticed that her dress was tattered and just covering her small frame.
‘What's your name?’ asked Lucy cutting the big cat off before he could speak.
‘My name is Malcom. What's your name little one?’
Lucy stated her name, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment as if she was being cheeky for even saying her own name.
‘That's a lovely name Lucy. Are you cold?’ Lucy recognised the tone of Malcolm's voice. It was the same one she heard in her mother’s voice when she would come in from playing outside.
‘No I'm fine thank you. Did mum send you to take me home?’
The big cat seemed to hesitate as if he was unsure how to answer her question.
‘I'm afraid so, yes. It's very cold and you have no jacket to keep you warm,’ Malcom tried not to stare at the blood oozing from the girls ear but it was a very worrying site.
‘Where is my mummy?’ Asked the little girl as she divided her attention between the real cat before her and the one she had been drawing on the ground.
‘She's waiting for you back home,’ said Malcom hoping the girl would not challenge him any further.
‘Well I guess I better go home then. Mummy gets upset if I keep her waiting too long,’ said Lucy.
‘Jump on my back and I'll get you home safely,’ said the big cat, feeling relieved that Lucy wasn't going to dig her heels in and make a fuss.
Lucy could feel that numbing pain throughout her body as she tried to push herself up and on to her feet and she suddenly let out a scream as the air filled with a soft crack.
Malcom followed the girl’s horrified gaze as she looked down at her twisted wrist. He could see the skin around it turning black with bruises.
Lucy gripped her damaged wrist rocking herself back and forth as she sobbed for the comfort of her mother. Malcom the big black cat could feel his heart step up into a faster gear. He could sense that time was not on their side and he had to act quickly.
‘Lucy I know you’re in a lot of pain baby. I'm going to take you back home to your mother where we can get you fixed up and feeling better.’
‘Okay,’ sobbed the little girl with all the resolve she could muster.
Malcom let out a soft purr as he lowered himself down enough for Lucy to haul herself up and on to his back.
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