The sound of the bell rings harshly through the quiet school, noise filling the once-silent corridors with eager children and restless teenagers promising to see each other tomorrow with hurried goodbyes.

 

“Don’t be late tomorrow, Lorraine!” called out a distressed teacher to the young girl, who rushed out of the classroom like a flash of lightning.

 

“I won’t!” Lorraine yells over the packed halls, swatting her blonde hair away from her eyes. Giggles spilled from her lips as she ran to the back of the school, through the rain-covered oval track, and under the bleachers. 

 

She digs through her yellow backpack, impatiently reaching for the comic book she borrowed from her friend during class. The bleachers creak underneath the weight of the students walking across to get elsewhere, not wanting to sit atop wet metal—unaware of the excited girl intensely reading below them.

 

Meow!

 

The sound brings Lorraine out of her fixated state, hesitantly turning her focus towards the cat that had announced its presence. And there it sat, just a few inches away from her—a black cat with big green eyes, staring right into her icy blue ones.

 

“...Hi,” the blonde greets it with uncertainty. She is not too fond of cats—they are unpredictable in their actions, very unlike dogs. There is a cautious look in her eyes as she puts the comic book back into her backpack, not wanting to startle the ball of fluff. For a few minutes, the two remained silent as if in an unspoken staring contest to see which one would make the first move. 

 

“You know I’m not going to hurt you, yes?” A voice echoed in the young girl’s head, causing her to shriek and stumble backward towards a metal rod that held the bleachers up—a loud clang reverberating in the quiet space between the two. The black cat simply tilts its head at the sight of the startled student, its tail flicking about.

 

“W-Who? What?”

 

“In front of you, silly girl!” 

 

Lorraine’s panic-filled eyes flit to the cat moving closer, another frightened yell left her lips as the cat rests its paw on her foot as if willing her to calm down. “I would appreciate it if you would stop yelling too. I’ve got sensitive ears.”

 

“O-Of course, a talking… cat? I think I’ve hit my head too hard.” She comments as she gingerly rubs the back of her head.

 

“Actually, yes! What a smart girl!”

 

“.. No. Absolutely not—this has got to be a prank! Someone probably snuck a speaker into my bag or—”

 

“Trust me, I am as real as that rod you bumped into.”

 

An embarrassed flush graces the blonde’s cheeks as her head ached, letting out a small huff as she swats the cat’s paw from her foot. Her brows furrow as she examines the cat from a safe distance, tilting her head to the side—the cat doing the same, mimicking her actions. The stray approaches Lorraine once more, sitting in front of her and making a light chirping noise.

 

“Ask away, silly girl.”

 

“Uhm… Are you like, trapped in there?”

 

A chuckle seems to bounce around in Lorraine’s head as the black cat licks its paw before it hops onto her bag, sitting on it and leaving wet marks on the material. “Trapped? Oh, no, darling! It’s actually quite the opposite. I’d wished to become a cat! It was a good choice on my part, if  I do say so myself!”

 

“A choice? So, reincarnation is a thing?”

 

“Yes, it is—at least for me.”

 

“So, why don’t you come back as a dog? I do prefer dogs over cats. Was coming back as a human an option?”

 

“Well, I thought of coming back as a human, but I craved something new. Much like lazing away with all the pillows I want. I had quite the life when I was in a body like yours.” The cat settles on the young girl’s backpack, yawning as it tilts its head up to look at the student. Its pupils dilated and constricted, judging and sizing her up. “And, as for not reincarnating into a dog—it’s my decision and not yours, silly girl.”

 

“I’m sorry, ” Lorraine mutters as she tentatively reaches out to pet the cat, only to be met with it bumping its soft head against her palm. She visibly relaxes in its presence, growing accustomed to its company. “What was your life like?”

 

“I believe it was a much different time than yours, darling.”

 

“How different? Was it a long time ago? How many times have you reincarnated since—”

 

“Ah, so many questions!” The cat's ears fold backward, showing its annoyance with narrowed eyes followed by a soft hiss. An exasperated tone became evident in the voice that spoke to her. “I can recall certain reincarnations but not all of them. The most memorable one was when I was as young as you are. It was when everyone first had electricity. But it was quite a short-lived life—tuberculosis took me away by the 19th century.”

 

“Oh…” Lorraine falters with a soft frown, withdrawing her hand from the cat, her eyebrows furrowing with thought.

 

“I know, darling,” The voice says matter-of-factly as the cat beside her stretches once more, its back arching as it continues proudly. “There was also the time when I was a knight, a monarch, a starving poet, and even a singer in the ‘80s! And even more that I could tell you about but, I have somewhere else to be in a moment.”

 

“So, how do you feel about all of that?” 

 

“What do you mean by that, darling?”

 

“You must be tired of coming back over and over—living so many lives differently,” Lorraine explains. Sympathy lines her face as the cat approaches her, tilting its head to the side—a familiar and oddly comforting gesture throughout the conversation. “Must feel like a prison of sorts.”

 

“Prison? Oh, you truly are a silly girl!” The voice laughs in her head, getting softer and farther even. “I think when you’re much older, you’ll understand that this is an opportunity!" The cat strides against the soft grass and for such a small body, it moves with great purpose—acting like it had all the answers to every question in the girl’s head, which it probably did. 

 

“Being granted this many lives is a gift, darling. I get to witness the sunrise with each new lifetime, and admire its setting at the end of the day.” And in that moment, Lorraine could almost see what they truly looked like—a glimpse of humanity even in the body of an animal well-acquainted with Death. 

 

“Now that, silly girl, is a taste of freedom.”