**A Mothers Heart**
«Mummy, who is Missus Fitch? Is she our owner? Then why does she feed us so poorly?» Tiny, curious eyes stared up at Sima, waiting for an answer. «No, my love, shes not our owner. Shes just an old, sick woman. She doesnt know what shes doing…» «Mummy, will the big cats eat me too, like they did to my sister?» whispered Ginger, trembling with fear. Sima sighed heavily. «No, my darling, they wont eat you. I promise!» She began licking her beloved, now only child, until his little body relaxed into a soft, sleepy purr.
Sima had been born in the cellar of a high-rise in Liverpool. There had been four kittens in her litter. Her mother had been youngher first litterand when another tomcat appeared, she forgot them entirely, lost to reckless freedom. Yet Sima still remembered her with gratitude. Despite her flightiness, her mother had given them warmth, nursed them, taught them to eat on their own. When she vanished, the kittens ventured out into the streets. At first, they huddled together near the flats, where kind souls sometimes left scraps. But time passed… Her grey brother was struck by a lorry. Her sister, Tigress, was torn apart by stray dogs. Sima sat vigil over their stiff little bodies, weeping, until the caretaker shooed her away. She watched as he scooped them onto a shovel and tossed them into the bin. Her other sisters fate remained unknown.
Growing up, Sima learned the brutal laws of the streets. She lived quietly, unseen. Until the day she wandered into hell… Missus Fitch.
She found the old woman rummaging through bins near the estate, stuffing odd treasures into a tattered shopping bag. Missus Fitch fixed her with wild eyes and croaked, «Puss, come here, come to me!» No one had taught Sima to fear toothless old women, so she stepped closer, hoping for food. Thenbony fingers yanked her up, shoved her into the bag, and carried her inside a foul, decaying flat.
«Your names Sima now,» Missus Fitch muttered before abandoning her on the floor. Dozens of hungry eyes gleamed in the dim light. «Puss-puss-puss!» the old woman called from the kitchen, and the catssome cowed and skeletal, others thick-furred and viciousscrambled toward her. Sima took in the horror: mountains of rotting trash, reeking dishes, filth smeared across every surface. And cats. So many cats. Some were favourites, fed and fat. The rest? Forgotten. Left to starve or turn on one another.
Sima survived. She found a cramped corner and hid. Then, one day, she realisedshe was going to have kittens. There had been a tomcat outside, handsome and fleeting. Now, in this nightmare, her babies would be born.
She gave birth silently. Two perfect kittens: a black girl, like her father, and a ginger boy, the image of herself. Ebony and Ginger.
She guarded them fiercely. But hunger tightened its grip. The other cats prowled closer, eyes fixed on the wobbling kittens who now dared to peek beyond their nest.
The memory seared her: Ebonys tiny squeak. The crunch of bones. Simas roar as she lungedthen stopped. Gingers voice, small and shaking: «Mummy… did they eat Ebony?» She turned. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto hers. If she died now, who would protect him?
«Well escape,» she whispered, tears spilling. «Ill save you.»
Thenpounding at the door. «Police! Open up!» Missus Fitch flinched, scrambling. The knocking grew louder. With a grunt, she wrenched the door openand Sima bolted, Ginger clutched in her jaws, flying down the stairs into the rain.
PC Liam Cooper looked into her clouded, pain-filled eyes and understood. «Dont worry,» he murmured. «Ill take care of him.» Beside him, Ginger purred softly, licking her face. Sima was dying. Her heart, broken by loss, finally gave out.
The day she passed, rain fell heavy over the birch grove where Liam buried her. He remembered finding themthe stench of that flat, the skeletal cats, the ginger queen clutching her kitten at the door, pleading silently. Hed crouched, voice thick: «Ran away, did you? Smart. Come home with me.»
Hed called her his «beauty.» Spoiled them with toys, the finest food, soft beds. When she fell ill, he begged her to stay. But her eyes had dimmed, whispering, *Let me go.*
Now, on the other side of the rainbow, Sima ran. Ebony trotted beside her, tiny paws pattering. «Mummy, what about Ginger? Hes all alone!» Sima smiled. «No, my love. Look…»
The rain stopped. A rainbow arched over the trees. Liam lifted Ginger, kissed his damp nose, and whispered, «Well be alright, lad.»
Two wounded heartsone man, one catwalked toward the car. Not alone. Never again.
