Miracle The Cat
Jonathan Lightfoot was speeding.
“Easy on the gas there, Lightfoot…”
He laughed out loud, crazy, like a maniac.
“Easy now,” he said to himself in a calm, self-assuring voice that made
him feel as if he were in charge of the situation.
“Easy…” he repeated.
Once again everything was spinning out of control.
He pondered how he came to be in his present predicament. Just a few short
minutes ago he had left work and started driving home. The gas pedal became
stuck and his truck accelerated out of control. Turning off the ignition
he wondered why he hadn’t turned it off sooner. The truck was just starting
to slow down when someone pulled out in front of him. He swerved to avoid
collision and as his vehicle tore through the guardrail and launched off
the side of the mountain towards the lake below Jonathan made eye contact
with an amazed child in the back seat of the car he was flying by... and
smiled. During the split second between forward and downward momentum,
Lightfoot opened the door and jumped out- hollering in spite of himself-
for he had long ago vowed to look Death in the eye and take it like a man.
He remembered that day well…
It was a cool fall evening and his car was out of control, spinning at
nearly 100 miles an hour through a tobacco field. A tire had blown and
there was Death inside of him, laughing like a fool. Leaves were flying
all around and the car began to flip over and over…
Lying in the field that night, wreckage scattered about him in chaotic
form, he decided to leave destiny to it’s own fate… for even as we borrow
the breath of life, hidden away deep inside the reality of creation, countless
clocks are ticking away- constant, unforgiving, forever measuring. Life
is all about time, the absence thereof being eternal consciousness in the
purest form…
Lightfoot planned to be ready and regret free should he meet up with Death
again.
Simply accept, release, and rebirth.
“Heaven help me- here I come!”
A strong gust of wind seemed to pick Lightfoot up, and as the truck hit
the earth and flattened Jonathan was skipped across the surface of the
lake like a stone thrown by God’s own hand. Sure, he was rattled, and as
he started to swim towards shore the world was silent except for the subtle
rhythm of breaking waves. The truck looked like a dead dragon hunched down
in defeat, the cliff rose boldly up from the lake like some gallant knight
posing for a painting, expecting no less than a masterpiece…
Lightfoot sat on the shore and someone hollered down, “HEY! Are you alright?”
to which Jonathan replied that indeed he was. A slight breeze danced by.
He stretched out in the warmth of the setting sun and thanked God.
An old lady turned to her old man and asked, “Did you here about that Lightfoot
fellow drivin’ off the cliff? That’s really something. A miracle I’d say,
bless his heart.”
“Yep,” he replied. “The spirit knows though the mind doesn’t always see-
the wind blows and forewarns of rain but we are often surprised when the
first drops touch the skin, announcing another unanticipated but predictable
event… “Looks like rain,” we say, but we’d have known it was coming if
we’d have only taken the time to think. We are allowed, indeed invited,
to expect miracles. It is all about God.”
Miracle the cat looked up from pretending to sleep and quickly realized
that he was not, for the time being, the center of attention… so with a
yawn and a stretch he returned his attention to the sunshine slipping through
the window. His eyes and mind focused on nothing in particular, he soon
drifted off and dreamt of the hunt. His paw twitched and the old lady looked
at him and sighed.
A short story by Scott
C. Stuart
This website was created by Dana and Scott
Stuart. Copyright 1999-2999.
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