Chapter 9: Twinkling stars
Later that night
Ivy Pepper was in her apartment dozing away in her soft bed in her silky pajamas with the sky above the city being pitch black with hundreds of bright stars scattered around. Theo on the other hand was sleeping in the guest bed like so while wearing fuzzy kid sized pajamas that Ivy lended him.
"*Inhale*...Haaaa...*Inhale*...Haaaa"
Ivy softly breathed in and out in her sleep while letting out feminine purring noises which most would find pretty cute as everything was all quiet. But suddenly Ivy got a sudden feeling that interrupted her sleep and caused her to wake up.
"Yawwwn. Goodness I need to use the bathroom." Ivy said to herself as she sat up in her bed
Ivy rubbed her eyes before she got out of her bed and flicked on the bedside lamp before she started making her way to the bathroom with her paws patting the wooden floor in each step. Once in the bathroom, Ivy closes the door behind her before proceeding to do her business on the toilet.
1 minute later
The sound of the toilet flushing can be heard behind the door before Ivy steps out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and ready to go back to bed. Ivy was about to go back to her bedroom when her triangular feline ears perked up at the sound of wind blowing through from nearby.
"Huh? Did I leave the window open?" Ivy thought
Ivy walked out into the main living room of the apartment to investigate the sound and to her slight surprise, she finds Theo awake and out of bed sitting in front of an open window gazing outside at the beauties of the night. Ivy was a little concerned of the little kitten being out of bed, but despite that she puts on a warm smile and approaches Theo from behind before taking a seat on the floor right next to him.
"Hey there little sweet snack, What are you doing out of bed?" Ivy asked in a soft and sweet tone
"Oh hello Miss Pepper. I...I just couldn't sleep." Theo answered in a light depressed tone
"Awww is that so. And you come out here to look at the stars?" Ivy asked as she wrapped her arm around the young child in a caring manner
"Mmmhmm" Theo nodded yes
Ivy holds Theo close to her side and proceeds to stargaze with him for a peaceful minute before breaking the silence again.
"Is there a specific reason why you couldn't sleep?" Ivy asked tenderly
"*Sigh*...Well it's just...I still miss my parents. Even though it's been two days already, they still keep coming back in my head, no matter how hard I try to let them go and accept the fact that they're gone." Theo explained as he sadly lowered his head
Ivy's smile right away turned into a concerned frown as she tenderly carressed Theo's arm to show that she understood the boy's pain.
"I...I'm so sorry if woke you." Theo apologized
"Oh no dear, you didn't wake me at all. I was just using the bathroom before I found you here. You are alright kiddo." Ivy assured before holding Theo close to her side again
"Ummm Miss Pepper...I have a question." Theo said
"Well I have an answer." Ivy smiled
"Mitzi May told me that my parents still live on in my heart and they are watching me from the heavens above. Do you believe that as well?" Theo asked
"*Giggles* Of course I do sweetheart. Who doesn't believe that?" Ivy said
Ivy then looks back out the open window at the dark night sky above and notices a pair of two super bright stars positioned very close together and directly in line with the window of the apartment. Seeing the two bright stars gave Ivy an idea.
"Hey Theo stand up here with me, I want you to see something." Ivy said as she stood up off the wooden floor and helped Theo stand up with her
Ivy walks Theo up to the sill of the open window and kneels down next to him at his head level.
"What is it you want me to see?" Theo asked
"You see those two really bright stars up there?" Ivy said as she pointed up to the said stars up in the sky
It wasn't hard for Theo to locate the stars Ivy was pointing at due to there abnormal brightness making them stand out from the other stars in the sky.
"Ummm yeah I see those stars. What about them?" Theo asked
"Those two stars are your parents." Ivy said
"What? They're my parents? How can that be?" Theo asked
"Well you see kiddo, it's a rumor that the only time we can see our loved ones up in heaven is at night time where most of them appear as stars. It's not a gauranteed fact but a lot of people believe it anyway. Including me." Ivy happily explained with confidence
"Oh really...Well how can we be sure that those two stars up there are really my parents?" Theo asked
"Well there's only one way to find out. Why don't we try waving up at them and see what happens?" Ivy suggested
Theo contemplated for a few seconds before he raised his arm up and began waving his paw at the two stars above. Ivy did the same with her paw as they both waved at the stars together.
What happened next made Theo gasp out of shock and joy.
The two bright stars started twinkling and flickering in return like a faulty light bulb as a way of them acknowledging and waving back. This fully convinced Theo that Ivy was right all along and that the two twinkling stars were really his parents watching him from above. Suddenly all his feelings of grief and loss started to wash away clean from him heart and pure happiness slowly started filling up in his mind like a healing medicine.
"Oh...Oh my gosh!" Theo exclaimed
"Well would you look at that! See, I told you those stars were your parents. And it looks like they're saying 'Hi' back." Ivy smiled
"I can't believe it! You were right Miss Pepper! You were right! HI MOMMY! HI DADDY!" Theo joyfully shouted as he waved up at the stars some more
Ivy giggled feeling glad to see Theo smiling ear to ear.
"MOMMY, DADDY! I'M RIGHT HERE! YAYYY!" Theo shouted again as he kept on waving
"HEY KEEP IT DOWN OVER THERE! PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" A random neighbor shouted from another apartment across the street who was irritated by Theo's shouting
"Gasp! Uh-Oh!" Ivy said upon hearing the neighbor
Ivy quickly moves Theo away from the window before shutting it.
"Who was that? Did I make him upset?" Theo asked worried about the neighbor
"Oh don't mind him sweetheart. Just a grumpy neighbor." Ivy assured as she casually sat back down on the floor
The two cats both exchanged a brief giggle with each other. What happened next was Theo, without a word, went up to his beloved caretaker and wrapped his little arms around her in a big warm hug feeling the silky material of her pajamas and resting his head on her chest.
"Oh? Awww, you giving me a hug?" Ivy cooed as she happily hugged back
"I love you Miss Pepper." Theo muffled into Ivy's chest
Ivy's heart stopped for a second upon hearing those words.
"Gasp! Really!? Why do you say that sweetheart!?" Ivy asked in shock as she seperated the hug to face the child
"Well because you have been super nice to me ever since you found me back at the graveyard, you are very pretty too. You always know how to cheer me up when I'm sad and I really enjoy playing fun games with you. Overall you're the best caretaker ever!" Theo explained from his heart
"Oh my goodness! How kind of you to say that! So do you see me as like your best friend?" Ivy asked joyfully
"Well...Yes." Theo confessed as he shyly faced away while blushing
This made Ivy's heart completely melt like butter.
"Awwww, well in that case come here. I love you two Theo. You're a sweet little kitty and I am very happy to be your caretaker...and your best friend." Ivy whispered as she pulled Theo back in for another warm loving hug
The two cats softly hugged each other warmly with both of their tails swishing around out of happiness. They even nuzzled each other's faces while letting out some tender affectionate purring.
*Purrrrrrrrrr, Purrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Ivy and Theo purred away as they kept on happily hugging each other like they were siblings. That's when Ivy noticed the time from a nearby clock on the wall. It read 1:23 AM.
"Oh my look at the time. Come on Theo, you and I better get back to sleep otherwise we might feel groggy in the morning." Ivy smiled as she stood back up off the floor while holding the kitten boy in her arms
"Okay...Umm Miss Pepper, is it alright if I sleep with you for tonight? Because I...I feel pretty cold and rather lonely sleeping in my bed." Theo asked
"Oh sweetheart, you are more than welcome to doze with me in my bed for tonight. I have no problem with that." Ivy smiled before giving Theo a playful boop on his nose
With that, Ivy carries Theo back to her bedroom where she gently places him on her bed and helps him get comfortable under the sheets. Ivy then goes to her side of the bed where she switches off the bedside lamp and proceeds to climb in the bed and get herself comfortable under the sheets before she grabs a hold of Theo and holds him against her warm body making him snuggle with her.
"This feels really nice and soft Miss Pepper. I feel cozy." Theo smiled
"Glad to hear that kiddo. Goodnight and sleep tight. *Muah*" Ivy said before she plants a quick tender kiss on Theo's forehead
After the forehead kiss, Theo started to drift off into his slumber with his eyes shut while being held like a teddy in Ivy's arms. Ivy followed along drifting into her own slumber. Before you know it, they were both snoozing away peacefully with smiles on their faces while purring in their sleep and waiting for the morning to come.
End of chapter 9