Blessed by Bast

The old man peered up from his book as the door opened. He smiled as his wife crossed the threshold of their doorway, snuggling a scrawny black kitten. She had to squeeze through the front door, which wouldn’t quite open all the way, due to boxes from a pet food delivery stacked in front of the door. The other occupants of the home ran towards Lady to see what she had brought home. The little kitten mewed and the other cats meowed loudly. “Where you find that un?” the old man drawled. “Down the road, I think she’s hurt” Lady replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. The old man grimaced as if in pain himself. “Bring’er ‘ere Lady, lemme lookitter an see”

  Lady approached the old man and he placed his hands out, palms up, to accept the fragile gift. He examined the little black kitten, top to bottom, stroking her and whispering reassuring words. “She’ll be fine” he said as much to Lady as he did to the kitten and the audience of dozens of cats. “She’s just ‘ungry n skeered”. The old man set his book on the end table and gently stroked the kitten, speaking to her as an old friend or beloved relative would. The tiny kitten looked up at his grizzled bearded face and placed a paw on his cheek. The old man smiled and brought the kitten's nose up to his own. “What will we name her, Old Man?” Lady asked. “Kitty, of course” the Old man replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. All their cats were kitty. And all of them knew who he meant when he said “good kitty” or “bad kitty”. They were all just “the old man’s” kitties, and they loved him and he loved them. The Lady, of course, gave them all real names, and they always responded to the names she gave them. And Lady treated them with kindness and compassion,but more importantly, Lady took care of them physically. She would clean their ears, take them to the doctors when they needed to go to a doctor, feed them and clean their litter boxes. Lady loved them and they loved her.

 The old man got up from his chair, cradling the little black kitten in the crook of his arm, and walked towards the kitchen. He glanced down at the lottery ticket he bought the other day. A cacophony of cats followed him. He reached in the fridge and retrieved a small can of cat milk. His wife, the Lady, watched bemused at the spectacle of a train of cats following the old man, all yelling for his love and attention.  He retrieved a small bottle from the cupboard and ran hot water from the tap. He placed his hand under the flowing water until it was too hot to keep his hand under it. The old man opened the can of cat milk and poured it into the bottle, screwed the lid on and let the hot water run over it. He held the bottom of the bottle while the hot water ran across it. His hand turned red. He was used to mixing the warmth of the hot water around the outside of the bottle with the cold of the refrigerated milk on the inside. When he was satisfied it was warm throughout, he shut the water off and walked back to his chair, kitten still in the crook of his arm. He set back in his chair making audible,yet sincere, grunts of pain as he settled in. He placed the nipple of the milk bottle in the little kittens mouth and she began to nurse profusely. The old man smiled, first at the kitten, then at Lady. Lady returned his smile and blew him a kiss. She disappeared around the corner into their bedroom. The Old Man turned his complete attention to the little kitty. He spoke to her in pleasing tones, and petted her in a manner that was both gentle and reassuring. Kitty smiled at the old man in a manner that only kittens can. She stopped suckling on the bottle and the old man set the bottle on the table next to him and began to rub the kitties belly. This went on for a short span of time until both kitty and the old man fell asleep.

 Later, that night, kitty left her new home and went back home to her mother.

  “What is it, little one, why are you back so soon?”

“I died Mother”

A growl emanated from the tall anthropomorphic feline's throat. “Who did this to you?” Bast demanded. “No one, Mother. I was just born sick” kitty replied.

  Bast looked into her child's soul and saw that she spoke the truth. 

 “Surely you were mistreated” Bast queried while giving kitty a gentle nod of the head. “No mother, everyone treated me well” Kitty retold her entire life to the Goddess Bast, short as it was. “Please mother” kitty cried “Do not punish The old man and Lady, Bless them!”

 “And how would you have me bless them, little one?”

 “Give them their heart's desires, the both of them”

 Bast pondered this and in the moment she pondered she saw the extent of two lifetimes, and made her decision.

 “It is done.” her voice boomed out with a soft feline grace

  Old man and Lady passed that night in their sleep, a winning lottery ticket lay on the kitchen table.

  Lady woke up feeling young and refreshed, and every cat she had ever loved was waiting for her. They mewed at her and she mewed back. A young,black,slender tom approached her and she instantly knew it was old man. Her tail swished. He touched his nose to hers.

  A young man, fresh out of law school, reads the last will and testament of Lady and Old man.

Everything goes to the cats, and all future cats. When the will was written they had less than a thousand dollars to their names.

 It was the largest lottery payout in U.S history.

 And the cats got it all.