My name is Lixia . I'm ten years old and I'm in the fifth grade .

My family is different from others .

Other kids have parents to send them to and fro, but I go home from school alone every day .

Mom has been hospitalized and Dad has never told me what Mom is sick with .

Because of work, Dad was unable to take me to school or fetch me from it .

It has become a habit for me to visit my mom at the hospital after school .

Luckily, the hospital was just ten minutes away from my school .

I would do my work beside her bed and grab dinner from the canteen to accompany her .

Half a semester pa.s.sed with me stuck in that routine .

Sometimes, during dinner time, a fat languid cat would roam into the room .

I would offer it some of my own food .

Mom would just keep quiet and request that I clean up the floor after .

This fat cat would let me stroke it a little after it's full .

It would even roll over and show me its belly to rub .

Whenever I play with the cat, Mom would correct my a.s.signments by drawing circles on the errors .

After she was done, she would stash them in my bag and ask me to head home .

I would get Dad to look them through again .

Days pa.s.sed simply .

One day, as I was about to leave the hospital after putting the cat down and carrying my backpack, a nurse stopped me at the exit .

"Play with that fat cat less in the future, alright, little boy?" she said kindly, kneeling down slightly .

"Why?" I asked curiously .

She looked around before answering, "Its name is Oscar and he's a death kitty . "

"What's that?" 

"A death kitty can predict when a person is going to die," she explained .

"How?" 

Instead of answering, she got up and rushed off .

From that day onward, while I still feed the cat, I touched it lesser and lesser unless it rubbed its body against my calves, asking to be petted .

One day, the cat came into the room . I put a small piece of fish on the floor but it did not come over, and instead, jumped to the bed of an old man .

The fat cat curled up on his pillow and fell asleep soon after .

Everyone looked at the old man with a strange expression .

I was about to go pick the cat up but Mom stopped me .

She whispered to me, "Don't disturb Oscar today . "

I nodded and used a tissue paper to clean up the food .

As usual, Mom packed my bag and sent me on my way .

The cat was still sleeping peacefully by the old man's pillow .

And the old man was writing something on a piece of paper .

Curious, I walked over to have a look . On the paper were closely packed words that looked more complicated than those I had learned in school .

"What are you doing, eh?" I asked softly .

Mom quickly shouted, "Don't be rude, Lixia!"

I lowered my head in shame, but the old man simply ruffled my hair and smiled . "Oscar's a good cat . Don't bully it, alright?"

As I was puzzling over his words, Mom added, "Go home now, boy . "

Without a choice, I nodded and left the hospital .

The next day, the old man's bed was empty .

"Where did he go?" I asked .

"You'll know in the future," Mom dismissed .

Oscar came into the room and walked around my legs, its long tail hooking around my calf .

"Good boy . I'll play with you after finis.h.i.+ng my homework," I said as I stroked it .

Amazingly, he listened and went aside for a nap .

I went to get dinner after finis.h.i.+ng up .

I ate beef that day and gave Oscar the biggest piece .

He gobbled everything up happily .

I told Mom, "A nurse told me not to play with him and the old man from yesterday told me to treat him well . "

"What do you think of that?" Mom asked with a smile .

"Oscar's very cute," I stated .

"Do what you want then," she encouraged .

I carried Oscar up and rubbed its belly as it stretched out comfortably on my lap, purring softly .

Three years later, junior high, second grade .

I started to grasp certain concepts and Mom's body was weakening each day .

Oscar visited less frequently and each time it entered the room, I would carry it out .

Whenever it came over, however, I would still put half of my dinner outside the door for him to enjoy .

If he wanted to be petted, I would carry him out and do it .

I finally understood why the nurse told me to stay away from Oscar and why the old man had me treat him well .

Oscar really was a death kitty .

The patient that was lying on the bed he would jump onto would pa.s.s away the next day .

He hasn't failed so far and chasing it away wouldn't change anything .

"Hey, Oscar . Don't you jump on Mom's bed, alright?"

Oscar made a turn happily and meowed .

"Do you hear me? Meow again if you understand . "

Other than producing a low wheeze, it made no other sounds .

I rubbed his belly . "Clever, eh?"

Oscar used his tail to b.u.mp my hand before strutting down the corridor gleefully .

Half a month later .

Oscar visited us again .

I carried him out and gave half of my food to him as usual .

He wasn't interested in the food, however . He wanted to go into the room .

He howled a little when I tried stopping him .

"Is someone going to go today?" I asked .

Oscar made a loud meow .

Looking at the four beds inside, I moved aside helplessly .

Oscar entered slowly and stopped before Mom's bed before jumping on top of it and lying in a corner .

I dashed in and saw that Mom was crying .

"He might be mistaken . It might not be true," I said, extending my hands out to grab Oscar .

Mom stopped me . "Don't . Give your father a call . "

I stood motionless, not hearing her words .

"Mom? Can I take him away?"

"Let him stay here . There's nothing we can do . Chasing him away won't change anything . "

"There's no way at all?" I asked .

An old lady on the next bed spoke up . "This is his 63rd prediction and he hasn't been wrong before . "

"Perhaps he's just tired and wants to rest . I'll carry him out . He must've made a mistake," I repeated before grabbing hold of Oscar .

Oscar meowed again and struggled free before lying back down .

I was about to try again but Mom chided, "That's enough, Lixia . "

She fell into a coughing fit immediately after .

Frustrated, I gave Dad a call .

Upon hearing about Oscar, he put everything down at work and came over .

Half an hour pa.s.sed .

Dad, Mom, and Oscar were in the room while I squatted outside .

My mind was blank .

Unable to control my emotions, tears started pouring down .

Frantic, I ran into the room and grabbed Oscar by force .

My sudden action shocked everyone in the room .

Oscar escaped my embrace and jumped onto my face .

With a loud meow, he clawed at my left eye, leaving a fresh cut just above my eyelid .

After that, he went back to my mom's side and sat still like nothing had happened .

Blood dripped down my face and onto the white sheets .

I stared blankly at the ground as Dad came over to cover my left eye with a cotton pad .

He rushed me to the emergency room .

Seven st.i.tches and a white gauze later, I was sent to the ward beside Mom's and was told not to move about .

The doctor said I was lucky my eyeball wasn't hurt, but an infection was still possible and I might have to stay in for the night .

Lying on the bed, I resisted the tears that were welling in my eyes, not wanting them to roll over my wound .

I did not sleep that night .

Dad was the one who informed me the next day when Mom left .