It had been a quiet evening, one of those rare, peaceful moments when everything seemed to be going just fine. I was folding the laundry, the soft hum of the dryer in the background, when Lili’s voice cut through the calm.
“Mom! She’s got something in her mouth again!”
“Who?” I froze mid-step, the laundry basket hanging from my arm.
“Marsa! A puppy! Another one!”
My heart skipped a beat. I rushed to the living room, my mind racing, trying to piece together what was happening. What in the world could Marsa, my usually calm tabby cat, be doing with a puppy?
I reached the window and looked out. To my utter disbelief, Marsa was walking across the yard, a tiny black puppy dangling from her mouth, its little paws flailing helplessly. The sight was so surreal, I almost couldn’t comprehend it.
And then, as if the scene weren’t strange enough, I noticed something else. In the corner of the room, nestled in a woven basket, were four more puppies, just as tiny and helpless, their eyes tightly shut, their soft bodies curled up against each other for warmth.
Marsa, with the grace of a mother, gently placed the new puppy beside the others. She licked it once, twice, and then curled herself around the entire litter, as if sheltering them from the world.
I stood there, staring. My mind was racing. Where was she finding these puppies? And why was she bringing them one by one, like a cat with a mission? It didn’t make sense.
For the rest of the evening, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time Marsa left the room, I found myself running to the window, checking if she was off on another errand of puppy delivery. It was late when I finally went to bed, my thoughts swirling with confusion and concern. What was going on?
The next day, there was a loud knock on the door, so forceful that the glass in the frame rattled. It was unexpected, unsettling.
I froze. Lili, who had been playing in her room, clung to my side, sensing something was wrong.
“I’ll get it,” I said softly, trying to reassure her. But even as I said it, a sense of dread filled my chest. I opened the door, and there, standing on the other side, was a policeman.
Behind him stood Mrs. Miller, our neighbor, whose eyes always seemed to be on everyone and everything. She had a tight-lipped expression, her face drawn and serious.
“Do you have a cat?” the officer asked, not bothering with pleasantries. His tone was blunt, but there was something in his voice that made me uneasy.
“Yes…” I replied cautiously. “What happened?”
He didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he stood there for a moment, his gaze locking with mine as if weighing my reaction. His eyes were dark, hard to read, but I could sense the seriousness in them. Finally, he spoke.
“In that case… you’d better sit down.”
My stomach lurched. I didn’t know what was coming next, but that simple sentence sent a cold shiver down my spine. The sense of impending dread only grew.
“Mom?” Lili whispered, clutching my hand tighter.
I ushered them both inside, still reeling from his words. The officer entered first, followed by Mrs. Miller, who looked even more upset now that she was inside the house.
“Do you mind telling me what’s going on?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. The confusion in my chest was growing into something else entirely. Fear. Anxiety.
The officer took a deep breath and glanced at Mrs. Miller before turning back to me. “Your cat, Marsa,” he began, his voice measured and serious, “has been bringing puppies to your home. More than one. We’ve received several complaints from the neighborhood.”
“What? Complaints?” I echoed, still trying to process the words. “About what?”
Mrs. Miller stepped forward then, her face grim. “She’s been bringing those puppies here for days, and people are starting to get worried. Some think she might be stealing them from other homes. We’ve had a few calls from concerned neighbors. They’re not sure where she’s finding them, but it’s not normal behavior for a cat.”
I could feel my heart race. My mouth went dry. Stealing puppies? My mind was spinning, trying to make sense of it all. “Stealing? Marsa wouldn’t—”
The officer raised a hand to calm me. “We’re not accusing you of anything, ma’am. But we need to know where those puppies came from.”
I looked at Lili, her wide eyes filled with confusion and concern. She had no idea what was going on, but I could tell she was scared. I knelt down to her level and squeezed her hand, trying to be calm for both our sakes.
“I don’t know where they’re coming from,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I swear, she just brings them here. One by one. I don’t know what she’s doing or where she’s finding them.”
The officer exchanged a glance with Mrs. Miller, who was still standing near the door, arms crossed tightly over her chest. There was a brief pause before the officer spoke again.
“We’re going to have to investigate further. We need to make sure these puppies are safe and not being taken from other homes. Do you have any idea where Marsa might be getting them?”
I shook my head, still in disbelief. “I don’t know. She’s just… she’s been bringing them here. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The officer sighed, clearly frustrated by the lack of answers. “Alright. We’ll take it from here. But I’ll need you to keep the puppies inside for now. Don’t let them outside again until we can figure out what’s going on.”
My thoughts raced. What was going to happen to Marsa? To the puppies? Why was this happening?
I nodded numbly, the weight of the situation settling over me like a heavy fog. As the officer and Mrs. Miller left, I felt my knees go weak. What on earth had Marsa gotten us into?
And the worst part? I still had no idea what was really going on.