My eyes flickered open to the sound of something tapping on the small glass window. I looked up, seeing a cat tapping. The animal fled when it noticed I was staring. I looked around the room. It was dark, suggesting that it was night, though I couldn't tell the time. The nurses had removed all traces of time from my room. Now that I was slipping in out of consciousness more often, I had no need to know the time. Still feeling groggy, I closed my eyes, hoping to sink back into the comfort of sleep.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. My mind was active, thinking about the cat at the window. I wasn't even sure it was a cat. It had cat ears, but it could have been something entirely different. It could be a strange breed of animal recently discovered, I wouldn't know.
The sound of footsteps caught my attention and I turned my head in their direction. It was one of the nurses. "Oh, you're awake?" she said with a polite smile. I nodded my head- I felt too weak to speak. She smiled again, this time there was a hint of sadness in her smile. I knew what it meant. I'd seen it many times before.
I sighed and looked back at the window, my thoughts back onto the creature, and away from my fate. I suddenly felt sleepy- the nurse must have given me some more medicine. I closed my eyes and drifted back into a deep sleep.
I dreamt a lot that night. I dreamt about my past; how my parents abandoned me at the hospital after finding out I had a type of severe cancer. I dreamt about my present; spending the days that could be my last sleeping in the hospital, in an area nobody came to, with only a small fraction of light coming into the room from the small window. And I dreamt about other things; the cat at the window, a girl with blonde hair, a polka-dotted serpent with a grin made of knives, and I dreamt about myself; doing amazing things I would never have imagined.
I awoke again to the tapping at the window. I looked up; the cat was there again, fleeing when spotted. It felt like déjà vu. The room was dark, and the nurse came in again, though it was a different nurse this time. They didn't say anything, they just checked on my monitor, and checked on my current health. They avoided my gaze; I knew I didn't have long anymore.
I didn't sleep at all. The darkness in the room became a pristine white, making the room seem awfully sterile. I didn't like that. I preferred it when it was dark, it didn't seem like I was in a hospital room then. I occupied myself throughout the night with my own thoughts.
A long time ago, I created an imaginary adventure of a couple of girls. These heroines could do anything, they had everything they wanted, and they never lost. I kept this adventure alive through my time in the hospital, the countless adventures these girls had gave me hope. But now my hope was fading, as was the light in the room. Day was already changing into dusk.
My eyes pained, and I closed them, hoping to ease the pain. I had hoped to see the cat in daylight. I didn't. He didn't appear the whole time I was awake. Exhausted, and filled with disappointment, I drifted back to sleep.
I awoke for the final time in the hospital, not to the tapping on the glass window, but to the beeping of the monitor beside me. I was having trouble breathing, even though I had an oxygen mask on. How long had I been sleeping? It was around the same time as I had fallen asleep, though I didn't know how many days or weeks or months had passed. A nurse was in the room with me. I didn't recognise him, either.
I looked up at the window; there was nothing there. I tried asking the nurse to open it. Perhaps I might see the cat then. The nurse looked at me quizzically. It seemed he couldn't understand what I was saying. I tried speaking louder, though I wasn't louder than a whisper. He looked at me, then at the window, then back to me. "Window?" he asked. I smiled. He had heard me. I nodded my head. "Do you want me to open the window?" he asked. I nodded again, and he opened it. A cool breeze rushed inside, and I shivered. The nurse went to close it, but I moaned quietly. He understood what I wanted, or part of it anyway. He smiled at me, a sad smile, and walked away.
I could feel myself drifting away, in a different way than I would if I were going to sleep. I struggled to keep my eyes open. I was only fifteen, I couldn't die yet. Then I saw it. It gracefully walked up to the window, casting a shadow over my body. I could see it clearly, and I knew it wasn't a cat. It was a pure white, with red eyes that seemed to pierce into your soul. It had small cat ears, but longer ears that seemed like a rabbit's coming out of them. The rabbit ears were tipped with pink, and each had a golden halo around them. I was in awe: was this an angel of death?
The creature's voice spoke out. "What's your name?" I clearly heard the voice, knowing that it belonged to this creature, yet the creature's mouth never moved. I just sat there, staring. The creature jumped down onto my bed, and I could see its large, fluffy tail and the odd red ring pattern on its back. The creature spoke again. "What's your name?"
"Charlotte." I replied in a quiet whisper. It was all that I could manage.
"Do you wish to become a Magic Girl, Charlotte?"