The Cat Who Saved the World

By B. R. R. Cannon

October 29. National Cat Day. Once a holiday for sharing feline photos on social media but now a day of remembrance. The day I singlehandedly averted an interplanetary crisis and the world changed forever.

It started out as a normal autumn morning. Felix and I had just finished breakfast on the patio. He sipped his coffee and checked his work email while I lounged in the sun. The weather was perfect. The sky was clear, and I soaked in the unseasonably warm rays.

Then, a shadow passed over me. I opened my eyes to glare at the intrusion but found myself engulfed in a flurry of chaos. Felix’s phone and the nearby tornado sirens blared. Shouts echoed off the surrounding houses in our neighborhood. My hair stood on end. As I leapt, Felix scooped me into his arms, knocking over his coffee in the process. He left it behind as he pulled me inside and slammed the door.

I peeked between the curtains as he turned on the TV.

“Ships of unknown origin have surrounded the entire planet,” the panicked news anchor yelled. “Officials are calling for everyone to remain indoors while they assess the situation. I repeat. Remain indoors.”

Slow, dark shapes crowded the sky, and my heart raced as fast as the military jets that zoomed overhead.

Felix stood in front of the TV with his hand over his mouth, frozen. I wanted to comfort him but couldn’t pull myself away from the window.

A red dot appeared on the carved pumpkin on the patio. My eyes widened as the dot began to move, tracing the side of the pumpkin before reaching the ground. It twitched a few inches in one direction then a few in the other. A second dot appeared, mimicking the first. I leaned with each movement, limbs tingling in anticipation.

The street reporter on TV gasped, and I peered over my shoulder. “It appears we are being targeted!” she shouted. “Get inside! Get inside!”

The camera swung and jerked while bystanders screamed. My ears flattened to block the noise.

I turned back to the window. Those red dots. Three stalked the patio now. My tail flicked back and forth. I had to get out there. I had to protect Felix.

In a flash, I leapt from the couch and ran to the door. Before slipping out, I glanced back at Felix. He hadn’t moved. Had he even blinked? I didn’t know, but he was safe here. I would handle the threat.

I pushed through my door. After it flipped closed behind me, Felix shouted my name. But I didn’t look back. Instinct overrode everything else.

Crouching under the patio table, I eyed the nearest red dot dancing back and forth. My limbs filled with adrenaline. My tail shifted, ready to steady my feet. I breathed in, let it out slowly, and then pounced.

Claws out, I grabbed at the dot, but no! It escaped my grip. It zigzagged away and I chased, swiping with all my might.

Finally, it stopped, and I dug my claws into the ground.

When I checked beneath my foot, the laser was gone and someone was in front of me. I expected it to be Felix, but I wasn’t even in my yard anymore. This was the field next to Muffin’s house. Instead, I was met with two long, gray legs and a small, toothless smile. The creature knelt and purred a cordial hello.

A purr? Perhaps this was a friend. I rubbed against its leg, and it stooped to rub its cheek against mine.

As quickly as the creature had appeared, so did hundreds of armed military personnel, camera crews, and stunned onlookers. The roaring, shifting tide of humanity was overwhelming. I bristled, searching for an escape. Searching for Felix.

Somewhere in the growing crowd, I heard him. “Leona!”

I wanted to run to him, but where was he? His scent and voice were impossible to pinpoint in the chaos. With no other options, I hissed and pressed against the creature’s legs.

To my surprise, the creature understood. It bent down, cradled me in its arms, and purred. My heart was still pounding, but the gentle vibrations brought ripples of relief.

Finally, Felix shoved his way through the throng and ran to us. “No! My cat!”

Everything fell silent. No one seemed to know what to do for a moment. Not until the creature rubbed its head against mine one more time and handed me to Felix.

I don’t want to take too much credit for the hours that followed, but they were peaceful thanks to me. The military stood down as a local cat specialist and his team worked with the FBI to translate the alien’s perfect feline communication into English. Poor, stunned Felix stood by while I kept everyone calm. I lay on the creature’s lap, swishing my tail as I assisted with the occasional meow.

Soon, the truth came out. A few years before, the Leonians—guess who they’re named after—had received the test broadcast from NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. The most glorious creature they had ever seen chased a red laser around a gray seat while data about the spacecraft and transmission danced across on the screen. Since that day, the Leonians wanted to meet the majestic orange creature and its kind. They had done everything possible to track down the signal, and when they did, they brought all their red lasers to appease the planet’s inhabitants.

Appeased we were. And still are.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

B. R. R. Cannon has always loved writing and storytelling. While fantasy and sci-fi are her staples, she also dabbles in other genres including poetry and nonfiction. She has previously published stories with Spark Flash Fiction, Havok, Nightshade Publishing, and Twenty Hills Publishing. Currently, she’s working on her debut speculative fiction novel. When she’s not creating imaginary worlds, she enjoys drinking Darjeeling, finding excuses to wear costumes, and spending time with her husband, children, and cat.

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