A Paw
I opened my eyes and blinked at the glaring table lamp. I wondered how I could have fallen asleep while studying with that glaring lamp infront of my face. I stretched my paws and reached out to switch off the light. Wait a minute! Since when did i have paws? I placed my two limbs in front of me and all i saw were two snowy white paws. I attempted to twist my head to look at the rest of my body. I was shocked to see that i had a body of a cat somplete with a fluffy tail! What on Earth had happened?
I tried to call out for anyone to help me change back to my original form. But no matter how i tired, all i could manage was a barely audible meow that could only be heard by myself. Not giving up hope, I decided to explore my surroundings to see if there was anything that I could use to change back to my original form. The first thing i noticed was my pencilbox which was slightly smaller than me. My mind immediately crossed out the possibility that a couple of pens, a ruler and a scissors would be of any help. Thinking of getting a better look of my room, I jumped on top of a stack of books. However, my momentum caused the stack of books to cant forward and before I knew it, i was sprawled on my bed with books landing around me. I got to my feet and walked to the edge if the bed with great care.
I surveyed the room carefully. Almost everything seemed to be unhelpful in my quest. I went back to the now huge pillow and lay against it. My eyes darted around the room, not willing to give in, while my body lay immovable against the fluffy material. Then an idea struck me. Perhaps I was in a dream and by really hurting myself, I would awake from this nightmare. So i tried biting my paw. Although it was painful, it did not seem to work. Perhaps this was not painful enough, i thought. Hence I leaped off the bed and landed on the floor noiselessly. I looked at the nearest wall, closed my eyes tightly and ran as if all hell had broken loose. Although I managed to hit my target successfully, all I managed to achieve was to bruise myself very badly as it fell backwards from a head-first collision with the wall.
I lay on the floor wincing at the pain as i slowly regained control of my limbs that had suddenly gone numb. Perhaps my original plan of hurting myself until i awoke did not work in this case. Surrending to my fate for the time being, I decided to take a walk around the house and experience it first hand as a cat. The towering tables, chairs and even plants made me uncomfortable. It seemed as if everything had been blown out of proportion. After a tour around the house, i realised that it was totally empty save for myself.
A sudden impulse made me jump onto the sofa and continue to the next piece of funiture nearest to it. My sudden outburst left me breatheless at the entrance to my room. The sudden despair of being unable to revert back to my original form made me climb back onto my bed and lie against my pillow again.
Perhaps this change in form was irrversible and no matter whether i liked it or not, i had to accept it. I stretched fully on my bed as i resigned to my destiny. Although i was a cat, surely this bed still belonged to me and that i was entitled to a sleep on it. My breathing slowed as my eyes drooped downwards. Being a cat did have its advantages though. Being able to sleep all day and not study anything was a good example. A wide yawn caused my vision to blur before I sunk into slumber.
A sudden push behind my head caused me to wake and look around. I was in an empty classroom which was dyed orange by the setting sun. I straightened and stretched myself. I must have fallen asleep after school. I lifted my hand to block the glare from the sun. Something about my hand reminded me about the dream i had just now. Was it a claw? or a paw? The more i tried to recall, the more the details slipped away. Was my dream about a paw?
Shrugging my shoulders, i slung my bag onto my shoulder and left the school quickly as the 6pm bell escorted me out. Something about the dream i had made me feel contented and rejuvenated. A smile spread across my face and remained there throughout my journey home.
