The Winter Neko

Set in: February 28, 20**

The trees are leave-less, the nights are long while the days are short, the sidewalk along with everything possible is covered in snow.

I walk through the deserted park, the swings going crazy due to the harsh winds, and every living thing taking shelter away from the cold weather. It's been snowing quite hard for the past few weeks and hasn't stopped for awhile.

My light brown trench coat and jet black hair trying to follow the wind.

I begin to get a feeling of being watched. Pausing, look around the playground and fields but don't see anyone around.

Suddenly I feel a snowball hit my back. I turn around but no one is able to be seen.

Then I hear giggling from above me. I look up and discover a child sitting in the branches of the tree on the left of where I stand.

"You know that's not very nice," I call out to the little one.

"Wait it's not?" The child abruptly stops giggling, opening their eyes and looking down at me I see they are frowning.

"No, actually it's quite rude." I see their eyes begin to fill with tears and suddenly begin crying, loudly.

"Hold on, hold on, it's ok, I'm not mad," I call up to them to try to calm them down.

"B-but Demi is b-being a b-bad k-kitty!!" They say between sobs.

"Why don't you come down, Little one." I calmly say.

The child jumps down of the branches, but they come down so soft it's almost as if they floated down.

"Demi is sorry, Mr." She continues to cry "Demi didn't mean to be rude." They're still crying but fortunately, the tears have gone down to slight sniffles.

The first thing I notice is the child has light-bluish almost white ears and tail.

A Neko!!! Now Nekos were a normal thing around here, but I've never actually come close to one let alone talk to them. I think to myself.

The Neko looks to be a girl and quite small maybe about 5 or 6 years old, she has short white hair with a tiny black bow in front of her left ear, her eyes match her ears and tail.

The only thing she's wearing is a light blue fluffy fur coat with a hoodie and big black buttons going down the front, the sleeves are just as fluffy but are white, unlike the vest of the jacket.

"No, I'm sorry little one. I didn't mean to upset you." I say as I squat down to her height.

"I s'okay." She wipes her tears and looks down in order to hide her face.

"Now now little one, you must keep your head up," I tilt her head up by her chin "or else your crown will fall."

"Oh no, Is it still there." She frantically lifts her hands to her head to see if her 'crown' is still there.

"Yes yes, it's still there but you must keep your head up at all times." I chuckle.

She frowns

"A good princess must also always smile." She looks up at me as I straighten up and put my hands back in my pockets. Then she gives the most adorable smile you will ever and I can't help but chuckle a little.

"What?" She asks frantically as I continue to laugh "What is it?!" She asks again.

"Where do you live little one?" I ask, my laughter toning down.

"Demi and Flappy doesn't have a home." She answers and points to her herself and holding up her penguin.

Demi, she keeps saying that, it must be her name. But this poor child, how could she not have a home? Who would abandon such a cute creature?

"Well, would Demi and Flappy like a home?" I squat back down to her again.

"Yes, yes! Demi and Flappy would love to have a home!!!" I stand up as she begins to jump and celebrate around me.

"Okay okay, settle down little one." She stops in front of me but her smile never fades.

"Why don't you and Flappy follow me and I can show you my home?"

"Okay, Mr....? Mr. I don't know your name." She looks up at me questionably.

"Well, I'll be taking care of you from now on so..." I fade out because I don't know whether she calls me by my first or last name.

"Daddy!!" She suddenly yells out startling me.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Daddy! Demi's friend that she met weally weally long time ago said that she calls the man who takes care of her daddy."

"Okay...I guess daddy is fine.." I rub the back of my neck, nervously.

"DADDY!!" She jumps onto me causing me to stagger back but luckily I catch her and I''m able to stop us from falling.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!!!" She locks her tiny fingers behind my neck so that she's able to hold onto me, and chants my now name.

"Okay let's get home." I lift her onto my hip and begin to walk home.

********************Time Skip********************

When we make it home Demi jumps out of my arms and begins to run around and explore my tiny apartment.

"WOW, WOW, WOW!!" She literally says wow to everything.

"Demi! Where are you?!" I hear giggling from under the dining room table. Looking out the corner of my eye I see her hiding from me (along with Flappy).

I chuckle a little and decide to play along with her little game.

"Oh no! I lost Demi!" I start to fake cry "Now I'll have to take a nice, warm, soothing bath by myself." I whimper.

"WAIT!" She comes out from under the table and runs to me "I wanna take a thice, warm, 'oothing bath too!" She whines.

"Okay, let's get you some clean clothes." I pick her up and carry her to the en-suite bathroom before setting her on the sink-counter top and starting the water in the bath.

"Okay now, I'm going to go get you some clean pj's and you're going to take your clothes off and get inside the bath," I say once the bath is full of warm water and bath suds.

"Otay!" I walk out of the bathroom and into my closet, sadly I don't have any little girl's clothes so I grab one of my long-sleeved pajama shirts and a pair of black socks.

'I just realized' I think to myself 'She was out there in the freezing cold wearing nothing but a small fur jacket but yet she's not sick, or worse, dead. How is that even possible?'

"Daddy!!" I hear Demi call and walk into the bathroom.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Demi is all clean." She holds her arms up, making grabby hands.

"Ok hold on, let me grab a towel." I walk over to the cabinet that's over the toilet and grab a towel. Then I take her out of the tub and wrap the towel around her, drying her body and hair.

"Daddy, what will Demi wear?" I pick her up and carry her bridal-style while she holds the towel around herself.

"Daddy has a special shirt for his little princess." I tickle her stomach.

"Heheheh, dadddyyyyy, ssstttooppp" She whines and pouts.

"Now now, what does a good princess do?" I sit her down on the bed and grab the shirt and socks, before sitting downs on my knees on the ground in front of her.

"Always smiles." She gives me a grin and shows she's missing 1 of her 2 front teeth.

I start to laugh really loud and hold my stomach.

"Dadddyyyyy, ssstttooppp" She whines again but still holds her smile.

"I'm sorry baby, you just looked so cute." I wipe my tears and take the towel off of her.

I put the shirt on her along with the socks, but then realize she doesn't have any clean underwear.

"Stay right here, daddy has to get something." I get up and walk over to my dresser before pulling out some boxers with drawstrings. Walking back to Demi, I put the boxers on and pull them tight enough to fit her. Then I put the shirt and the socks on her, mindful of her tail.

and might I say she looked ADORABLE!!!

"Let's eat dinner and then go to bed." I've decided I'll just get up early and take a shower in the morning because I don't want to leave her alone.

"Otay!!" She hops off the bed and runs out of the room which leads to a tiny hallway and then straight into the living room. Following behind her, she begins to run around the small living room and "explore".

I walk into the kitchen and make mac & cheese with sliced hot dogs. Along with a pitcher of tea.

"Demi! Dinner!" I call

"Boo!" She jumps from behind the wall, her arms up to attack me and a blanket wrapped around her neck like a cloak.

"Ahhhh!!" I fake scared and squat down to cower.

"No, no, Daddy!!!" She runs over to me and puts her tiny hand on my back. "Don't be scared it's me, Demi!! And Flappy!!" She holds up her penguin and shakes him a little.

I begin to laugh uncontrollable and hold my stomach.

"Daddy?" She moves in front of me so that she's looking into my eyes.

I abruptly stop laughing as we stare into each others eyes.

I feel trapped, hypnotized, and captured.

Her eyes are so cold..yet her bright smile and sparkles in her eyes tell a whole different story.

Suddenly she puts her tiny arms around my neck and hugs me close. I almost immediately hug her back. When she pulls away I stand up and, without saying anything, begin to put dinner on a white ceramic soup plate for me and a small plastic one for my baby.

"Let's go to the table." We walk around to the other side of the wall that's separating the kitchen and the living room. I sit the plates on the table that's up against the wall and pull the seat out for Demi to sit down.

She sits and I push her in, because her feet didn't even touch the ground. I move my chair from across to her to next to her and sit down. After feeding her, and her saying 'mmmm' after each bite, we head off to bed.

After tucking Demi in I lay down next to her and she automatically cuddled into my chest.

How is it possible that I've fallen in love with this little one after only knowing her a few hours.

I soon drift off holding onto my new daughter, she's cold but warm at the same time.

***********************************************************************************************

I wake up don't open my eyes, instead I reach for Demi. I don't fell anything.

My eyes shoot open and I launch myself out of bed. She's not there, she's not in bed!!

I run to the bathroom, no.

Living room/dining room, No.

Kitchen, NO.

Patio,NO!!

WHERE IS MY BABY??!!!

I collapse to the ground, tears falling from my lids.

"Where is she?" I whisper to myself. I suddenly feel the need to look up and when I do I burst into tears.

There's Demi's penguin, Flappy, sitting on the coffee table with a note next to him.

I open the note and smile a little, the note was written in crayon and in different colors.

As I continue to read the note my smile fades and more tear gather in the dams I call eyes.

(Dear Daddy, it's me Demi!!

When you read this note Demi will be gone.

Demi had to leave because it was February.

Demi didn't want to leave.

Demi wanted to stay with you, but don't be sad.

Demi will be back next year.

Come find Demi in her tree, we can be together again.

Until Demi get's back, Flappy will keep Daddy happy.

Give him a lot of love and he will love you too.)

I drop the letter and cover my face as I bawl my eyes out.

I don't know how I got so attached to her but I did and I don't think I can ever live without her.

I've lived alone ever since I graduated college and began working as a Barista and waiter at the local cafe around the corner.

"How could I let this happen?" I ask myself.

After about 2 hours of crying on the floor of the living room, I run out of tears.

Grabbing Flappy I walk back to my room and lay down.

I get the urge to get on my laptop and google Demi's name.

What I see explains everything!!

(Demetria: Demetria is the name of the Greek Goddess who is responsible for Winter. You can shorten this lovely name to Demi as a nickname)

That's why she wasn't sick when I found her.

That's why she didn't have a home.

That's why she practically floated down from the tree.

That's why she automatically accepted me as a guardian.

THAT'S WHY SHE LEFT JUST WHEN SPRING SHOULD BEGIN!!!

I jump out of bed, Flappy in hand, and bolt to the patio.

I walk to the bar and gaze out over the city. The sun rises from the east, slowly lighting up the setting. I turn around about to go back inside, though I see something from the corner of my eye.

Turning I walk toward the small red bench and see a tiny snowflake.

I smile and gently pick it up, I walk back to the bar of the patio and blow it into the sky. Watching it slowly and delicately float away, a single tear falls from my eye.

Next year.

365 days.

8760 hours.

525600 minutes.

I'll count every single one of them.

***************************************************************************************

The trees are leave-less, the nights are long while the days are short, the sidewalk along with everything possible is covered in snow.

I walk through the deserted park, the swings going crazy due to the harsh winds, and every living thing taking shelter away from the cold weather. It just began snowing about 2 days ago.

My light brown trench coat and jet black hair trying to follow the wind.

I begin to get a feeling of being watched. Pausing, look around the playground and fields but don't see anyone around.

Suddenly I feel a snowball hit my back. I turn around but no one is able to be seen.

Then I hear giggling from above me. I look up and discover a child sitting in the branches of the tree on the left of where I stand.

"Hi Daddy." A Neko greets.

"Baby girl." I answer holding my arms up. She floats down and lands into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I missed you." I pull away as she wraps her legs around my waist, sitting on my hip.

"I missed you too." She replies "Did you take good care of him?" She asks smiling.

Pulling out the tiny penguin from my pocket I hold him up.

"Do you like the scarf I made him?" I hand him to her.

"He looks very handsome." She hugs him close.

"You've been working on your speech." I begin to tear up.

"Yep, Demi is much smarter."

We stare into each others eyes.

I feel trapped, hypnotized, and captured.

Her eyes are so cold..yet her bright smile and sparkles in her eyes tell a whole different story.

"Let's go home." I set her down and we begin to take the short walk home.

THE END