Gratitude

The emotional connect was awesome.

Maggie’s parents prayed for her health in the morning, and were pleasantly surprised to see both Tommy and Kitty seated behind them. The lazy duo had dragged themselves out of bed to join the morning ritual. They were unhappy with Maggie’s convalescence, and longed for her to join their games. They did their best to keep her amused. Tommy untiringly fetched the ball, every time she threw it out of the room. Kitty would snuggle in her lap, to provide warmth. They would wait for her to wake up in the morning, and sleep only after she was tucked in bed. They were the only companions she had, as people, other than her parents and doctor, stayed away for fear of catching infection. They were playing the role of therapy animals for Maggie, without being trained to do so.

It was just that they cared.

Maggie had developed her own little ritual to express gratitude. Her breakfast tray had Tommy’s favorite ice-cream on the left, and Kitty’s cup of milk on the right, with her toast in the center. The duo  waited patiently for her to finish praying, before they could devour their breakfast together.

(200 words)

 

In gratitude to Jane Dougherty for posing a very touching challenge. I have had pets who stayed with any sick person in the family, and I could perfectly relate to this.

https://janedougherty.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/sunday-strange-microfiction-challenge-8/