"The Cat is The Tiger’s Cousin" by Taslima A

     One fine morning when Stephen was only 2, he was playing in the front yard of his family home in the nice and quiet suburbs. He was so absorbed by the mere variety of nature, running around, stopping and laying down to observe the hidden miniscule world of insects. When suddenly out of nowhere there came a biting pain on his back, like needles rained from the sky. It was so sudden that it almost felt cold. Before he could react the cat that attacked him clawed and gnawed poor Stephen to a pulp of a toddler , bleeding profusely, scars on his face, hands pressed against his precious eyes like a mother holds her baby. Tears gushing out of them. As he grew up his parents had to deal with the face that Stephen, due to his childhood trauma had developed a condition similar to schizophrenia, let’s say, it was schizophrenia. Which meant whenever a cat was put in front of him he would see a tiger, intent on attacking, killing and destroying everything around him. His fear was a immeasurable, he could not put into words how he felt no matter how hard he tried. Except for that, nothing else was wrong with, he knew the factual differences between a cat and a tiger and that too better than most because of his interest in animals. But put a cat in front of him and all hell would break loose. He was a reasonable boy for his age, too reasonable rather, because he would beat his parents in an argument and earn his right to ignore their orders. He was very keen and smart too at school and had enough friends, just no cats. Meanwhile Stephanie, obviously his older sister spent a lazy afternoon in her room with the pillars of golden sunlight peering in like the heads of giraffes, a gentle breeze breathing life into her dream catcher making it dance and sway and announce her mood as she was scrolling through cute pictures of kittens with an expression that was a mixture of cringing and grinning ear to ear. She loved them, well, who doesn’t love kittens, cute fluff balls doing silly things and looking up at you with those big beady eyes(irresistible to say the least). So she was intent on having one as a pet. Soon enough there were high pitched cries coming from her room. Cute, expressionless faces asking for food, or maybe something else, maybe just for the heck of it. Stephen had avoided cats so skillfully that he didn’t even completely know being able to hear a meow meant a cat was in his vicinity. As you might expect when Stephen suddenly discovered the bengal tigers in his house he threw a huge fit forcing Stephanie to eventually return the poor little kitties to the shelter. After a few months Stephanie hatched a genius idea. She knew her brother was not dumb, ergo, he could be reasoned with and convinced that a cat was harmless, she brought one home, and took it to Stephen’s room, caged and locked, Stephen was still furious, but not ecstatic enough to alarm his parents. His heart was pounding out of his chest and tears involuntarily rolling down has he tried to tell himself that his sister likes cats a lot and that he loved her dearly, so he should at least try to fight his fears. Stephanie took it out of the cage and petted it. It meowed and purred joyously, “Look!!!  cute isn’t??” She inquired looking to her brother who had recently turned his pillows and blanket into a WW2 bunker. She told him to come out and he did, she felt that if he saw he would understand, that she is doing this to make him stronger. Little did she know, he already did. Stephen already told himself everything you could possibly tell him to convince him that a cat is harmless. He already loved his sister, understood her attraction and intentions. He just wished things were different, that his family could get the concept that no matter how real the cat in front of his eyes is, the tiger behind his eyes, was equally real to him. The fear the pain the memories the way it made him feel, they were all real, irrational as they maybe. He just wished he was not scared , he wished he could change the fact that it had to be the one pet his sister wanted. But no matter how much he tried and cried, the tiger would still haunt him with the same vigour it did it in the very beginning , only not physically.