Whisper

11

"I won't hurt them."

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I smiled.

"That is good, because they seem to like you."

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"What are their names?"

The voice was so sweet and gentle. The two kittens had once again turned their attention back to their food, both fighting for food from the same dish.

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"I haven't named them yet," I informed her, as I separated the two, so each had their own bowl.

"I haven't really thought about it. What do you think would be good names?"

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"The white one; she is female. I think a good name would be Ghost."

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"That sounds like a cool name," I agreed.

"But, how do you know it is female?"

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I had not bothered to ask Kim what the sexes were. I just figured that at some point I would find out.

I was going to get both of them fixed anyway, as soon as they were old enough. I had decided to keep them as house pets, especially considering that I had high cliffs at the edge of my front garden and I wasn't one hundred percent sure what wild animals lurked in the forest that surrounded my property.

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"I don't know how I know," she answered, a puzzled sound to her voice.

"I just know. So do you like the name Ghost?"

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I had to smile. The voice spoke as though we were something special, almost family like.

"Ghost is a wonderful name. What about the black kitten?"

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"He is a male. We should call him Spirit."

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At that moment I could have sworn I saw the outline of something near the cats. It was but a brief moment, but it looked like a child.

But it was just a moment and it was gone again. There wasn't enough time to make out any features.

I took a deep breath, sad that I had not seen more.

"Spirit is a wonderful name. Do you like cats?"

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"I do, but I was never allowed to have a cat. Daddy said it was just another mouth to feed."

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It was the first time I had heard her mention either of her parents.

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She continued. "But there was a tabby cat that used to hang around our house. I called her Pumpkin and sometimes Mommy would give me some scraps to feed her."

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"So what happened to Pumpkin?"

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"I don't know," she answered, sadly.

"I don't even know why I remember that."

Her voice was so sad and confused.

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I fought to hold back the tears.

"I am sorry about Pumpkin," I sighed.

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"What is your name?" she asked quickly, changing the subject.

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"I don't know if I should tell you," I said quickly.

"You might still have your knife."

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I heard her giggle again. It sounded so sweet, almost like a melody. It seemed to resonate all around me, yet it was so soft, so soothing.

The little entity had stolen my heart, already.

"My name is William Templeton. You can call me Will, if you want."

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There was a moment of silence and then she whispered, "i have to tell you something, Will."

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"And what would that be?" I whispered back.

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"I really don't have a knife, Will. I was just pretending," she confessed, seriously.

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Again, I heard the soft giggle. I had to smile.

"I am glad you don't. I was really beginning to worry."

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Again the giggle.

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"What is your name?" I asked.

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There was a long silence.

"Are you still here?"

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"I am," she answered, quietly.

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"You don't want to tell me your name?"

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"I do Will, but ..."

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"But what? You are not comfortable around me yet?

Its okay if ..."

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She cut me off.

"No. No. Its not that Will."

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"Then what is it?"

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"I don't know my name, Will. I don't remember. I have tried to, but it just doesn't come to me."

Her voice was so soft.

A mere ..

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My heart was breaking for this little girl. Her sweet voice sounded so sad. A tear came to my eye.

Then something came to me.

"Whisper."

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"You want me to whisper, Will?"

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I shook my head.

"No. What if I call you Whisper?"

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She let out a little shriek.

"Whisper? I love it, Will."

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I smiled and nodded, wiping the tear from my cheek.

"Then Whisper you shall be. Welcome to your new home, Whisper."

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"My home? You mean I can stay here with you, Will?"

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The tears were filling my eyes again.

"Yes, Whisper. You can stay. For as long as you want."

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There was silence, then the gentle sound of a child sobbing.

"Thank you, Will."

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I wanted to reach out and hug her, but I did not know where she was.