27 The Cat Brain

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After jumping off the horse, Mina looked for the closest building she could hide in. Dodging all humans she met, she slipped inside one of the doors.

Mina felt a calming presence when she entered the room. A faint light streamed inside from a small window in the corner. Alert but curious, Mina observed the room which had a few pieces of furniture, the biggest of which was the large bed. She circled the room, marveling at how everything looked antique. The room looked and smelled clean from top to bottom.

Tired of discovering new things, Mina found herself drawn to the large bed. After making her way up to the soft mattress, she stretched her paws and curled up, burrowing into the sheets.

'This is the best place to rest a tired body.'

After finding the most comfortable position, Mina continued to run hundreds of scenarios and thoughts in her head. She still had a lot to learn about this world. She should be cautious of everything and everyone --even her human.

'Could this world be harsher than the world where she came from?' Mina wondered.

Nothing made sense to her at the moment and she looked up and stared at the sky to look for answers.

***

It was early evening when Mina woke up. She remembered looking at the sky before drifting off to a dreamless sleep. When she opened her eyes, the curtain which was originally at the side of the bed was closed halfway, covering the window.

'Did someone move the curtain?'

She had to walk a bit to look out the window, where she saw a full moon on its way to grace the evening sky. Mina looked at the scene outside curiously. She saw the leaves sway outside and felt the gentle as it wind blew through the open window, causing the drapes to move with it.

Mina's eyes focused on the curtains that captivated her attention, pushing all her other thoughts aside. She couldn't pull her eyes away from the moving cloth dancing along with the wind.

'Why? It's just a curtain? Why is it so alluring?' she thought, bewildered at how much power this thing had over her.

Mina tried to exercise control of her thoughts but the curtains continued to sway slowly, putting her in a trance. She felt her paws move on their own accord as the moving curtains beckoned her to come closer. Before she knew it, she rushed towards the drapes. Her paws clutched on the soft cloth. The next thing she knew, she was heaving her small body up while twirling along with the curtains. As a stronger breeze blew, Mina snapped out of her daze.

'What did I just do?'

Shocked by how she climbed halfway through the drapes, she loosed the paws holding her up. But when she felt herself slipping downward, she clutched on more curtain material trying to climb back up, afraid to fall down and get hurt. While she struggled to hang on to the curtain she couldn't help but scold herself.

'Stupid cat brain!'

With much effort, Mina was about to reach the edge of the curtain and climb into the bedpost when a strong gust of wind blew. As she continued to hold the curtain tightly, she couldn't help but promise herself something.

'If I survive this, I will not climb on another curtain in this life!'

After steadying herself, Mina tried to push herself upwards. But her tired paw loosened its hold and she fell back down.

Mina panicked as she twirled along with the curtain. Before she could think of what to do next, she heard a ripping sound. Unable to help herself, she voiced her frustration in a long meow filled with panic.

Just then the door was suddenly pushed open. Surprised, she loosened her hold on the curtain instinctively. At that moment, she stopped thinking and allowed her body to take over. Without knowing how she did something so extraordinary, Mina landed on the bed with her paws planted firmly on the mattress.

'It's true! Cats always land on their feet!' she thought, amazed at what her body could do and disappointed that she didn't figure it out sooner.

After her little episode with the curtains, Mina realized she was not alone and her eyes immediately focused on the intruder. She stared at the person who almost got her killed.

Studying the human, she realized that it was a young girl who seems to be dressed too poorly to be the owner of the bedroom. The girl clutched her chest and stood motionless while holding the door open.

Just then, Mina caught a whiff of something delicious from outside the room. At the scent, her tail twitched and she couldn't help but jump off the bed with extra care and grace. She was about to strut out of the door without a word to the young woman but she thought it would be rude not to dismiss her. Before taking a step out of the door, she caught the woman's gaze and meowed.

"Servant, you are dismissed."

When Mina disappeared in the darkness, the servant fell her knees buckled. For the rest of the night, the piercing gold eyes continued to haunt her.