Last Rites for Mr. Merryweather (4)

From STORIES FROM JONES FARM
Copyright December 1986

[part 4]

In the middle of the night, Alice suddenly woke up.

"Mother, I had a dream!" she said. "Cat was running all the way home from the Vet's office. He got to Grandmother's house, and she hugged him. Then he came here, first to the garden, then up to me in the carport. He looked at my face, and said, 'Alice! Meow, Alice!' Then he jumped up, and I was holding him in my arms!"

"That is a very special dream," said Mother sleepily. "Maybe God sent you that special dream." Alice quieted down, and Mother put her hand out to Alice's foot, so that Alice would know Mother was there as she fell asleep. Then Mother, too, had a special dream.

"Alice! Meow, Alice!" Cat was saying, and he seemed to be looking for her. He was in a beautiful garden with all sorts of flowers and trees everywhere, and he was very big--almost as big as a young lion--with bright new fur just like his own, only even more beautiful.

"Why am I so big?" Cat said to himself loudly.

Someone was working nearby, replanting a myrtle bush. He was on his knees in khaki overalls, and had several gardening tools on the ground beside him.

"Here in my garden, Merryweather, you're as big as your light is. Your little light on earth was much bigger than your body!"

Supposing him to be the gardener, Cat said quietly, as if awestruck, "This is the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. I have never seen so many flowers and trees, or so many animals. I have never seen wolves and Angus calves like my calves at home sleeping under myrtle bushes together!" said Cat. The gardener picked up Cat, and Cat rode comfortably in the gardener's arms.

All at once, Cat saw a golden-haired girl leading a rhinoceros by a little blue ribbon.

"Alice?" Cat said, but the little child turned around, and Cat could see that it wasn't Alice's face looking into his. Cat had carefully memorized every detail of Alice's face for just such an occasion as this.

"I used to wear a lavendar ribbon," Cat said, looking up to the gardener, for he was still in the gardener's arms, "and Erin led me all around our house...and Nick had a funny name he called me. He called me 'cattle' and called the dog "doggle.' Is my dog here?" Cat asked inquisitively.

"Not yet," said the gardener. "Alice, and Nick, and Erin will be here someday, too," said the gardener, "but you must be very patient. My people live much longer than my animals."

Then Cat got down out of the gardener's arms to investigate something. He thought he saw a Collie puppy who might give him a good chase, if he could sneak up on him just right.

Mother woke up with a start, hearing a little bird singing in the distance. Then she smiled, and closed her eyes. The next morning at breakfast Mother told the children about her dream, and read in the Bible to them about the Garden of Eden and about Isaiah's holy mountain that belongs to God.