The Ice Patch

Tiny white flakes brushed against the ground as Rosie silently watched the fresh, new blanket form over the brittle grass. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Rupert should have been there to experience this magical night with her. Sure, the kittens were there, but they were young. None of them understood what she was going through. Rosie was so stuck in her own spiraling thoughts that she barely noticed the way the kittens frolicked through the fresh powder on the ground.

“Rosie! Rosie!” two of the youngest kittens mewed, “Come play with us in the snow!”

“Not right now. I’ll be there in a little bit,” Rosie replied. She didn’t quite feel ready to have fun yet.

Katie, the wisest cat in the barn, sauntered up to Rosie and softly purred, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just missing Rupert.”

“I understand, but there was nothing we could do. When your brother got sick, he went downhill too fast. The doctor couldn’t save him no matter how much he tried.”

“I still wish he was here. Rupert would have loved to frolic with the kittens.”

“You can go out there for him. Be a good sister and have some fun.”

“I guess that I can try. But as soon as I fall, I’m coming back in.” With that statement, Rosie trotted outside. She was immediately blown about by the wind as she tried to find solid footing on the quickly forming layer of ice.

“Rosie! Rosie!” the kittens screamed in delight, “You can be ‘it!’” They dashed off in a million different directions, giggling the whole time.

“What are we playing?” Rosie struggled to be heard over the wind that drowned out her voice.

“What else? Tag!”

Rosie started to chase the little kittens, but she soon found herself sliding across the nearest ice patch. She struggled to slow down, and she felt her legs sprawl out in front of her and landed on her bright pink nose.

“Ha, ha! Look at Rosie! She fell down!” taunted the young kittens.

Rosie struggled to make her way back to Katie. “I am never going to play tag in the snow ever again,” she grumbled.

“Rosie, life doesn’t always go our way. Whenever we think we’ve got everything figured out, something comes along and messes it all up. I’ve witnessed many things that I wish had never happened.”

“Like what? Life seems to be good to you.”

“I’ve seen kittens get hurt before their eyes are open. There have been cats that get horrible injuries, yet they never learn what to avoid. Sometimes a mother cat will have a litter of kittens but leave them alone and not take care of them. There was one time when I thought life had very few good things to offer, so I stayed away from everyone and everything. When I did face the world, I took my anger out on innocent cats and would not let anyone into my life. Not that long ago, on a night like this, I learned an extremely important lesson. Everything has a season. There is a time to mourn, such as when Rupert passed away. But there is also a time to be joyful. You can’t go through life without having some fun, Rosie. Don’t let a couple of little falls keep you down. What did you do when you fell out on that ice?”

“I got up and came back to you, where it is safe.”

“Exactly. You need to get up from your sadness and loneliness and look on the bright side. Rupert was in a lot of pain, but he doesn’t have to experience that anymore. The memories you made with him will always be with you. They will never leave you.”

“I guess you’re right. But it’s still hard. He was my only brother.”

“Although you’ll never stop missing him, it will get easier to handle with time. You will have bad days, but you will have good days too. Don’t forget to look around you once in a while. You have so many opportunities right outside. Even though Rupert’s gone, you can still live life. Those young kittens playing out there could use some love, and you have love to give.”

“I have just one question for you, Katie. What made you see that there were more good things ahead?”

“I had a situation much like yours. Only I didn’t lose my sibling, I lost my best friend. We had known each other since birth. After she was gone, I lost myself in my grief and sadness. I felt like I would betray my best friend if I had any fun without her. I didn’t want to replace her with someone else, either. That’s when the wisest cat in the barn at that time pulled me aside and told me what I am now passing onto you. That lesson has changed my life as I hope it changes yours. I learned that life will not wait for us. It will move on without us. Our job is to keep up with it and not dwell on those things that we cannot control.”

Rosie turned to look outside again. This time, instead of feeling lonely and sad, she felt peace. Rupert wasn’t suffering anymore, and he had left her some precious memories that she could treasure forever. She felt like she could take on anything with the memory of her brother warming her insides and comforting her. As the tiny white flakes gently added to the steadily growing blanket on the ground, Rosie thanked Katie for her advice and ran to join the kittens in their lively game of tag. This time around, she got up and dusted herself off after each fall before continuing to play with the kittens.

—Sara