The most recent events at the vacant lot slowly faded from my mind. School picked up and midterms were quickly approaching. In all the hustle and bustle, I had all but forgotten about the strange black cat—even though it turned up every now and again. One Friday afternoon, I was sitting in my least favorite (and last) class of the day—Local History. Even so, today's topic of discussion, the Native Americans that used to roam the plains of our great state, was actually half way interesting.
"In Native American culture, the whole world was sacred," my teacher, Miss Poole, was saying. "Everything from the rocks and trees, to the rivers, to the land animals and the birds in the sky were divine. While there were otherworldly deities, the creatures of the earth were just as important… In fact, there is an old tale about an Indian warrior, who, although killed in battle, took the form of an eagle and flew back to the rest of his tribe to warn them of an upcoming attack… Yes, Laura?"
Miss Poole acknowledged a girl toward the front of the classroom who had her hand raised. "That sounds like something my grandmother used to tell me when I was a kid," she said.
"Oh?" Miss Poole asked. "Would you care to share it with the class?"
Laura Cook was one of those girls who had to hear herself talk at least once each class period. She was definitely a smart girl, but she had the tendency to come off as being an annoying know-it-all. "Well," Laura began, "My grandmother said that, after my grandfather died, a deer used to come up to the back of the house and just look in the kitchen window. I guess my grandfather had been a hunter so, to my grandmother, that deer was him and he was just checking in on her until he knew she was okay and didn't need him anymore…"
"That's very interesting," Miss Poole smiled. "I think that is definitely along the same lines of what we are talking about today…"
"I think its nuts… Maybe my grandfather will come back as a squirrel when he dies." The kid next to me snickered, rolling his eyes.
I tried to ignore him. For some reason, Laura's story didn't seem so far-fetched in my mind. It made perfect sense to me that a deceased loved one would want to return and check up on a family member. Was that why the black cat had been sticking around our house? Was it a messenger—coming to tell me something important? That cat had always seemed vaguely familiar and its cold stare and icy blue eyes had begun to haunt me.
"There is more to our life than what we see on a day to day basis," Miss Poole was saying, summing up the discussion's last turn. "Enjoy your weekend everyone, and see if you can't take a little of the Native American spirit with you."
I packed up my books and rushed out of the classroom as the last bell rang. I approached my locker and noticed Laura heading to hers, only a couple feet away from mine. "So how long was it before that deer went away?" I asked her, curious about the details that she had left out.
Laura looked over at me quizzically as she pulled her jacket out of her locker.
"The deer. In your story from class," I replied.
"Oh," she said with a smile. "It hung around for about two years, I guess."
"Do you really think it was your grandfather?"
"No!" She exclaimed with a laugh. "My grandmother was a little crazy to begin with and then went over the deep end after grandpa passed away, or at least that's what my dad says… I was just a toddler at the time. But I guess it helped her to cope with everything, so that can't be a bad thing, right?"
I smiled at her. "I guess not."
"See you around, Ponyboy," she said with a wave, turning and heading down the hallway.
I brought my attention back to my locker as I put some books away and pulled out others to bring home. Even though I didn't have any homework from that class, I kept my Local History book so that I could read up on the Native American stuff.
