April 14, 2009149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXTmpTUjCN
To the outside world,149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4P7bppt0WD
My parents once surprised me with a cat, claiming she was a Bengal or something similar. She had beautiful leopard-like fur and was full of energy. When they brought her home, she already had a name—Meeko. From the moment I met her, she seemed really attached to me.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2LUzRr9h9
I couldn't understand why she loved me so much. I wasn't playful back then, but perhaps it was because I was just as tiny as she was. My parents took care of her for the most part, but just like me, she wasn't allowed outside.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3PoYN0PiU
There were times when she would leap at the door, scramble up to the window, and press her face against the glass. I thought it was adorable, but my parents would smack her off, saying it was giving me the wrong ideas.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6SQWI4gUk
I had her for about a year, and every day I felt more sorry for her, so one day I did what had to be done. I crept downstairs, and Meeko stared into my soul with her beautiful piercing eyes.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tLQ0KohrD
"Come with me, Meeko!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLfaqj7SET
She watched as I dragged a chair near the front door, and with a click, it unlocked. I pulled the door open and Meeko stepped onto the front porch, looking back at me. "Sorry Meeko, I can't go with you. You need to get out of here."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7kEX1md9b
She felt a pang of uncertainty about leaving me, her gaze lingering on me as a tear rolled down my cheek. "I'll come back for you someday, when I'm old enough to live on my own. Stay healthy for me, okay!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM98VNzorFj
I softly stroked her head, while hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. "Saira!" my mother shouted. She grabbed me and pulled me back inside. "Honey, get the cat!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBkwUZQVjd
"Run, Meeko! Run!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KuXhEledC
My father hurried after Meeko, but she sprang over the railing and disappeared from view. He turned towards me with anger in his eyes, and smacked me across the face. "What the hell were you thinking, letting that cat run wild!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe34btULE8e
"She was sad and miserable being locked up for so long. She had to be set free."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuqWBlo8mV
