Enchantment (2 page)

“
Dad,
I’m
not
going
through
this
again!”

“Now,
daughter,”
he
s
neered.
“
Y
o
ur
mother
and
I
need
—
”

“No!”
Meeka
yelled,
cutting
him
off.
The
emotional
r
oller
co
a
ster
ride
they’d
put
her through
would
never
end.
It
had
to
stop.
“I
can’t
do
this
again.
I
won’t
do
this
again.
I’m through
with
the
two
of
you
always
being
d
runk.
I’m
not
coming
over.
D
on’t
call
m
e
again
until you
stop
drinking.”

W
i
th
tears
brimming
in
her
eyes,
Meeka
slammed
the
telephone
down
with
s
haky
hands.
H
ow
could
they
do
this
to
h
e
r
over
and
over?
She’d
had
enough!
If
only
she
could
turn
off
her heart
and
stop
caring.

Sinking
into
the
couch
with
her
face
buried
in
her
hands,
the
s
ob
escaped.
But
the
phone
r
ang
again,
forcing
Meeka
out
the
door.
T
his
was
her
way
of
coping—run
away.

Escape.
Go
s
o
mewhere.
G
o
anywhere!
Just
get
away
from
them.

A
gentle
pre
s
sure
against
her
leg
brought
her
back
to
the
present.
Her
feline
co
m
panion, Catz—her
one
true
gift
from
God—a
s
now-white,
fluf
f
y
cotton
ball
with
a
litt
l
e
pink
n
o
se
and big,
bright
e
y
es the
color
of
sapphires.

Meeka
stared
d
o
wn
at
Catz.
The
fur
r
y
critter
looked
up
at
her
with
love
and
co
m
passion. Catz
alwa
y
s knew
w
hen
s
he
w
as
depressed,
and
never
failed
to
make
her
feel
better.

Meeka
sniffled,
wiping
the
last
of
her
tears
awa
y
.
“
O
k
a
y
, Catz.
I’m
done
with
c
r
y
i
ng.”

G
oosebu
m
ps
for
m
ed
on
her
ar
m
s.
Hoping
the
sun
w
ould
co
m
e
back
and
the
storm
would stay
away
didn’t
seem
to
be
working.
The
breeze
blew
a
wisp
of
her
unrul
y
, long,
sable
hair from the
confines of
her
braid.
The
loose
strand
anno
y
ed her.

O
ver
the
edge
of
the
canoe,
her
reflection
stared
back.
Her
hair
co
m
pl
e
m
e
nted
her
violet e
y
es,
dark
lashes,
and
tanned
face.
In
her
opinion,
her
e
y
e
s
were
her
one
rede
e
m
ing
feature.
D
roplets
of
water
falling
from
the
paddle
distorted
her
i
m
age,
leaving
a
m
ore
accurate
picture than
the
beau
t
y
s
o
ma
n
y
said
she
was.

Catz
sat
precarious
l
y
on
the
bow,
pretending
to
navigate.
Meeka
laughed,
certain
the te
m
pe
r
ature
change
s
uited
her
friend
“
That’s
better,
isn’t
it,
Catz—coo
l
er
for
y
o
u
,
my
giant
s
nowball.”

The
s
k
y
darkened,
the gr
e
y clouds quick
l
y
s
wallowing
the
s
m
all
patches of blue.
Earlier,
the blistering
sun
had
enticed
her
to
discard
the
life
j
acket,
so
m
et
h
ing
she
would
t
y
p
i
c
a
ll
y
never
do. The
unusual
heat
so
m
e
times
m
ade
for
so
m
e
violent
thunderstor
m
s,
but
toda
y
,
she
was
hell
-
bent on
p
u
shing her
luck.

In
utter
defiance,
M
eeka
look
up
to
the
heavens.
“I’m
not
ready
to
go
back
y
e
t!
So
there!” Resolute
l
y
,
she
focused
on
spinning
a
happy
d
a
y
d
r
e
am,
the
shado
w
s
of
her
thoughts
too
heavy for
the
m
o
m
e
nt.
What
would
it
be
like?
S
o
m
ebo
d
y
who
loved
her,
who
s
he
could
love,
she
w
ondered.

Meeka
snorted
with
c
y
n
i
ci
s
m
.

Even
in
a
daydream,
I
can’t
belie
v
e
m
y
knight
in
shining
a
r
mor
could
exist.
A
fai
r
y
tale, that’s
what
s
he
w
anted.
Didn’t
eve
r
y
o
ne?

Shaking
herself
away
from
the
thoughts,
she
glanced
at
the
m
eowing
cat
before
focusing
on the
shoreline.
“
Well,
Catz,
I’m
going
cra
z
y
.
I’m
thinking
about
knights
in
shining
ar
m
or.
Th
e
y don’t
exist,
y
e
t here
I
sit
t
r
y
i
ng to
convince
m
y
s
e
lf it
could
be
possible.”