Fugue

Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet.

Ethan suddenly came to his senses, startled by a cricket. The chirps irritated him enough to sit upright, but he couldn’t muster the energy to locate and squash the bug. A pulsing headache underlined the obnoxious noise. Eeeet. Eeeet. Eeeet.

After his attention refocused, Ethan surveyed his surroundings. Trees towered above him, letting orange rays of sunlight filter through. Grass, wildflowers, shrubs, and moss thrived as far as he could see. He was stationed beside a particularly dense patch of overgrowth, which he assumed served as the cricket’s base.

Unfamiliarity sent shivers down his spine. Ethan had no clue where he was, or how he ended up there. His eyes darted back-and-forth, searching for a landmark. He didn’t recognize anything, but he noticed a fresh trail of shoeprints that stopped at an exposed root. Ethan connected the dots; he must’ve tripped while running through the woods.

Ethan rubbed his sore ankle and took stock of himself. His shoes had seen better days. Navy blue pants adorned his lower body, tightened around the hip by a belt. To his horror, red stains marred his collared shirt. He clutched his abdomen, but didn’t feel any pain.

“Help,” he muttered. The cricket drowned out his voice. He raised his chin and cleared his throat. “HELP!” But it didn’t matter. Nobody else was nearby to hear his plea. Ethan considered tracing his shoeprints back to wherever he came from, but a sweeping depression caused him to lay down again. His defeated sobs harmonized with the cricket. 

Except the cricket had stopped chirping. Instead, another sound emanated from behind Ethan: a soft purr. He rolled over to witness a striped cat bounding over some rocks. “Meeeooowww. Moooowwww. Meeeee. Meeeeoowww.”

They quickly made acquaintances. Ethan watched the cat for awhile, and every time he sniffled, the cat rubbed against his shoulder. Gradually, the cat grew impatient and tucked its nose underneath Ethan’s downturned hand. Ethan hesitantly stroked the cat, then again, and again. When he shifted away, the cat gently nudged him.

“What’s your name?” asked Ethan. He searched for a tag, but the cat wasn’t wearing one.  “I’ll call you Meeko then.” The cat purred with affirmation. “So Meeko, why are you hanging out in the woods?”

“Meow.”

“Me and you both.” 

The new companions briefly locked gazes. One moment, Ethan was spellbound by Meeko’s deep green orbs. Then, without warning, a horrific memory triggered. Ethan was staring into the eyes of somebody he knew - perhaps a friend or classmate? Except the glimmer of life had faded recently. The person’s mouth was agape, caught in the act of sighing. Ethan reached toward her, but her body floated away…

Meeko meowed again. And just like that, Ethan awoke in the woods, albeit wracked with a sense of dread. His arm was outstretched, petting Meeko. He wanted to sit there for eternity, stowed away in the middle of nowhere, with no responsibilities except to scratch that fur.  Meeko, however, enacted another plan: he shied away from Ethan, started along the shoeprint trail, then pawed at the air, beckoning the boy to follow.

“Ugh, I don’t feel like it.”

“Meeeooowww.”

“Fine. Where are we going?” Ethan stood up and brushed off his clothes; the red spots on his shirt were still damp. His first step nearly caused him to topple over; he braced himself against a tree until his balance returned. Meanwhile, Meeko nonchalantly licked his furry side. “Humans aren’t as graceful as felines,” quipped Ethan.

They set off together. Meeko stayed a few yards ahead of Ethan, protectively leading the way forward. Ethan kept a steady pace, despite his flaring ankle. Even though he still didn’t understand his predicament, he recognized a unique sense of trust and peacefulness with Meeko.

The woods stretched farther than Ethan anticipated; he was surprised that he had sprinted so deep into them. Fortunately, he and Meeko didn’t encounter any trouble. The only animals that made appearances were curious birds and squirrels. Even the setting sun didn’t pose a risk, since Meeko was a cat, after all. So the two hikers leisurely strolled for quite awhile.

TCHTCHTCH!

A rustling branch abruptly disturbed their tranquility. Within a blink, Meeko lowered his tail and swiveled his head around. Ethan tensed up. Another nightmare presented itself; he couldn’t contain it. He was in the corner of a dark room, huddled with a group of people. Loud, accentuated noises encapsulated them. TCH! TCH! TCH! TCH! TCH! Ethan was helpless; all he could do was pray that the door’s lock was strong enough…

A doe trotted away in the opposite direction. Back to reality. Ethan shook his head to collect his senses. “Sorry Meeko. Let’s keep going.”

Not long afterwards, they reached the edge of the woods. The treeline transitioned into a suburban neighborhood. Instead of rocks and bushes, there were houses and vehicles. The streetlights flickered on just as Ethan and Meeko surfaced. It felt like they had entered another dimension.

They stopped to appreciate the change in scenery, but only for a minute. Meeko continued onward, so Ethan had no choice but to continue as well. Their journey finally came to an end about halfway down the street, when Meeko glided into a yard and perched next to a garden gnome.

The accompanying house seemed innocuous. But a police car was parked in the driveway. Ethan paused. “Why’d you bring me here?”

“Meow.”

“Whatever. I guess the officer can help me.” Ethan clambered up the front porch and knocked. He noticed a curtain ruffle in an adjacent window. Seconds later, the door flung open. A middle-aged woman embraced him so tightly, that he struggled to breathe.

“Oh, Danny! Danny! Danny! Thank goodness you’re alright, we were so worried about you! We saw the news and…your dad and I have been a mess all day. Hon, come here! Danny’s back! What’s that on your shirt? Oh, nevermind, I’m just so relieved that you’re here.”

It took an enormous amount of effort for Ethan to wriggle free. He peered through the doorway; a balding man and a police officer turned the corner. The man froze, apparently awestruck.

“What’s wrong, Danny?” asked the woman. Tears streamed down her face. “You must be traumatized.”

“Who’s Danny?” inquired Ethan.

Then it dawned on him. His actual name was Danny, not Ethan. These adults were his parents. And this house was where he lived, where he belonged. He collapsed into his mother’s arms, bawling. His dad joined too. 

“It’s okay baby. It’s okay. You’re safe now. Come here. I love you. I love you so much.”

The comforting could only last so long, however. Their hug dissipated eventually, and the officer found an opportunity to interject. “Danny, right? Let’s sit down and chat.”

“Sure. But first, can you tell me what’s going on? I’m having trouble thinking clearly.”

His parents exchanged sideways glances. “Something terrible happened at your school,” his mom responded. “My worst nightmare. I kept checking my phone, but you never texted, and I thought…”

"We’ll get to that later,” interrupted the police officer. “But first thing I want to know: where did you go after you escaped the school, and how’d you find your way back here?”

“Well…I was in the woods at the end of the street. I ran there, I think. Meeko found me and guided me back home.”

“Who’s Meeko?”

“Our cat!” Danny pointed behind him, but the puzzled look on his mother’s face caused him to second-guess himself. He craned his neck toward the front yard. 

Meeko wasn’t standing next to the garden gnome anymore. In fact, Meeko was nowhere to be seen.

“I'm thirsty,” said Danny. As the officer ushered him inside, he touched the red spots on his shirt again, then patted his heart. Even if he’d imagined it, deep down, he was grateful for Meeko, the stray cat who saved his life.