The Cat Who Talked in Dreams

Niall has a grey cat. The cat sleeps on his bed every night. She is old and calm. She does not like loud noises. She likes tuna, warm socks, and long naps.

One night Niall has a strange dream. He is in his bedroom. The cat sits on the blanket and looks at him. Then she opens her mouth and speaks.

"Take your umbrella tomorrow," she says. Her voice is deep and slow, like an old teacher.

Niall wakes up. The room is dark. The cat is asleep at his feet. "What a silly dream," he says.

In the morning the sky is blue. There is not one cloud. But Niall remembers the dream. He laughs at himself. Then he puts his umbrella in his bag anyway.

At four o'clock the sky turns black. Rain falls hard. The people at the bus stop have no umbrellas. They stand close to the wall. Niall opens his umbrella. A young woman looks at him with big eyes.

"Come under," he says. "There is room for two."

"Thank you!" she says. "You are very smart."

"No," says Niall. "My cat is smart."

The next night he has the same dream. The grey cat sits on the blanket again. "Call your mother," she says.

In the morning Niall is busy. He has a long list of jobs. But he remembers the cat's words. At lunch he calls his mother.

"Oh, Niall!" she says. "I was just about to call you. My big shelf fell down. All my books are on the floor. I cannot lift it."

After work he goes to his mother's house. He lifts the shelf and fixes the wall. They put the books back, one by one. Then they eat soup together.

"How did you know?" his mother asks.

"A cat told me," says Niall. His mother laughs and does not believe him.

On the third night the cat speaks again. "Look in the pocket of your blue coat," she says.

Niall has not worn the blue coat for months. In the morning he finds it in the closet. In the pocket there is a train card. He lost it in the spring. Under the card there is a twenty-dollar note.

"This is too strange," says Niall. He looks at the cat. She sits on the window seat. Her eyes are half closed. She looks very pleased.

On the fourth night Niall decides to ask a question. The cat comes to the end of the bed. She sits very straight.

"How do you know these things?" he asks.

The cat cleans one paw. She takes her time. "I do not know them," she says. "You know them. I only say them."

"What do you mean?" asks Niall.

"In the day you are too busy," she says. "You do not hear yourself. At night you are quiet. You can listen."

Niall thinks about this for a long time. It sounds true.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" he says. "What do you want?"

The cat looks at him. Her eyes are green and bright. "The tuna with the blue lid," she says. "The good one. You always give me the grey tin. It is boring."

Niall wakes up and smiles. He goes to the kitchen in his socks. At the back of the cupboard is a tin. It has a blue lid. He forgot about it for weeks.

He opens it and puts it in the cat's bowl. The real cat walks in slowly. She smells the tuna. She begins to purr, loud and happy.

"Is there anything else?" Niall asks her.

The cat looks up. She says nothing. Then she says, "Meow."

"Yes," says Niall. "I understand you very well."