A talking cat, death, and a new beginning?

Myra walked the same route to school every morning. Left from the house gate, down the lane to 5th street, follow the main road a block, take a right on 11th cross West, then left onto 15th street, and a short walk to the school gates. On the whole, a fifteen minute walk. Myra wouldn't have minded complaining, if only he didn't know what his mum would say. "You're not exercising anyway. The short walk would keep you fit at least. You need to be handsome to catch a good girl, or a boy if that's your thing. I don't mind. Just don't be single forever." She was great at leading every topic to the girlfriend. He had long since resigned to following mum's plan. He knew beyond a shadow of doubt that mum loved him dearly, and that was enough.

On this Thursday morning, something was off. He felt it the moment he woke. He greeted mum and dad as usual, ruined Amyra's hair like everyday and grinned proudly with Ryme. Amyra was his younger sister, born two years after him, and Ryme was his younger brother born five years after him. Dad made pancakes for breakfast. Mom cooked up the delightful morning hot chocolate. Before leaving he grabbed the small bag of fries dad secretly left him on the kitchen counter to munch on the way. Bag on his shoulder, bag of fries perfectly hidden inside, he kissed mum and dad as well as a frowning sister and a delighted brother, and headed off to school. The first thing he saw walking out were the clouds. He wasn't particularly fond of clouds. He had seen too many movies in which clouds were ill omens, and had long ago been beaten into submission by the idea. The perfectly salted fries cheered him up just enough. Just as he was convinced it would all be fine, he stopped at 11th cross West. An accident closed off the street, so he couldn't go right. He didn't like the other route because it was much too longer. Frowning he walked on straight, turning right into the 12th street, then right onto 15th street and a long walk to the school gates. Only, just before he turned onto the 15th street he was forced to a stop at the mouth of a narrow alley. A small and weird looking cat with fur bright red as the burning evening sun was calling out to him from within the alley!

"Hey, can you come on in for a minute? Let's have a quick chat. I promise I won't be long winded. And I guarantee I'll be very interesting."

What should he be feeling right now? Shock? Fear? Disbelief? Maybe even tickled? Definitely not calm. Why was he so okay with being so weirdly calm? He nodded at the cat and walked over. But he remained stoically silent, event as he knelt by the cat's side. He followed the cat's gaze to the last of the fries he held in his hand.

"Can you part with that buddy? Feed a poor, hungry cat? You will be blessed."

Without a pause, he threw the golden potato stick into his mouth and even licked the salt off of his fingers. He relished the taste chewing on the perfectly fried potato and swallowing it before looking back at the cat, his face unchanged.

"Wow, you're really a hungry ghost," the cat groaned, as if crying. "You don't feel bad watching a hungry cat?"

He couldn't bother answering. It was no secret that he didn't care for pets. The cat waited a while before realising the futility. It cleared its throat and began. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Ano. I'm here to formally request your help. Hire you, if you will. Not like you have much to lose. You're no longer tied to this world anyway. Why not come along with me to a bright and exciting new world, on a grand adventure?"

He finally had the motivation to speak. "What do you mean no longer tied to this world? Aren't I right here?"

The cat looked confused before showing an expression of understanding. It clapped, which was a funny sight that would have incited a laugh on any other occasion. "Let me show you," it said, and began walking. "Follow me."

He wasn't sure why he followed. All the way back to the 11th cross West. They turned left, walking past the police barricades without anyone stopping them. It seemed like no one could actually even see them. They stopped by the side of the accident. A scooter lay in a broken heap. There was a lot of red on the road and the sidewalk.

"That's yours," the cat said, pointing to the wider red on the sidewalk.

"What happened," he asked. Only after the words were spoken did he realise they were wrong. The question should have been, what do you mean. Words that went well with shock. Not words that went well with quiet curiosity.

The cat seemed taken by surprise too. It's big eyes widened further, impossibly. "The scooter lost control, crashed into you. The rider, a young man not much older than you, was wearing a helmet, so he survived, though with serious injuries. You were thrown to the hard ground rather forcefully, enough to crack your skull and kill you. Like I said, you have no ties with this world anymore. You're dead. Which is kind of why you're able to see me."

"Ha." He finally laughed, though without any humour. He finally looked at the cat carefully. "So, you want me to come with you. What is it you want exactly?"

"Upfront," the cat said, nodding approvingly. "I like that. I'll be honest too then. I need your help freeing a friend."

He nodded distractedly. He was staring at the red on the sidewalk as it came back. He remembered standing a couple of feet away, seeing the scooter, thinking it was going too fast, then freezing as it lost control and sped toward him. He remembered feeling the scooter ram into him, the quick rush of wind and the sidewalk slap him in the head. And then, he was walking to the 11th cross West, frowning at the police barricades. He really had died. He was sure he could ask the cat to show him to the hospital, see mum and dad and Amyra and Ryme one last time. But he stopped himself. He liked the last memory he had of them. Mum's knowing smile. Dad's fond smile. Amyra's smile filled with complaint. Ryme's proud grin. Yeah, that was the best. He didn't want to see them in tears. It was best to leave with a happy picture.

"Alright then," he said to the cat. "Let's go."