Presently the dawn shall find us

The cat lay curled up in the moonlight, breathing ever so lightly; not even a whisker twitched as she slept.

The crane sat watching her and tried to time his breathing with hers, slow his heartbeat down and in this way feel a little of where she was.

As she slept and as he shared her breathing he looked up, out the window and toward the stars.

‘I love you so very much’ he said to them in his mind, ‘I love you more than I love myself and each night when I see you I miss you all terribly’.

The stars looked down on him, silent and twinkling in the night sky.

‘I love you all, I truly do’ he said, but this time he sent the words out from his chest.

The stars looked down on him, beside the cat and silently twinkled in the night sky.

‘I love each and everyone one of you and it feels like an ache’ he said and he felt his chest rise and his heart pour out.

The stars looked down on him, small and distant from them in the night sky as they sat silently.

‘As much as I love you and as much as I miss you’ he began, ‘I love this creature beside me in a way that makes me feel outside of myself’ he continued as he looked down at the cat.

‘I love this girl here more than I could ever say and when I feel this love I don’t think I am myself anymore’ he said, watching the cat breathe; ‘I feel like I am up there with you, like I am a star’ he said and bent down to kiss the sleeping cat.

The cat felt him brush against her and stirred a little, opening her eyes she saw the crane with the night sky behind him and she smiled a wide and kindly smile.

“oh I love you crane’ she said, ‘you look so beautiful with the stars behind you, just like a dream I was having’.

The cat rose herself up a little and kissed the crane softly

“Come lay with me” she whispered, “see if we can’t fall into the same dream’

The crane lay down beside the cat and they curled up with each other, soon enough they fell asleep and soon enough they both began to dream.

The stars looked down upon them, silent and distant in the night sky as the cat and the crane slept, both breathing in time with each other… both twinkling……

and their beauty caused the stars to ache and whisper to each other how wonderful they felt when they thought of how much they loved that boy and that girl.