It was noon when she arrived.  I hadn’t seen her for weeks – a single, female cat, just seeking a little companionship.

The prison recently sealed all the screens, so she must have found a way to circumvent security, and she made her way to my casa.  Animals somehow know to seek me out.  I fixed her some mackerel and warm milk, and eventually, she left the way she came, whatever way that was.  Her name is Rae, if you see her.  She’s a ginger colored tabby, with low mileage and good tires.

It wasn’t thirty minutes later before Rae’s adopted son strolled in – a black as coal Tom with paws I hope he never grows into because he may be mistaken for a panther.  I was out of mackerel, so we shared a package of vienna sausages and the rest of the milk.  He thanked me for the meal and was on his way.

I was feeling content at that point and decided to take a nap.  It had just stopped sprinkling, and the weather had cooled to about 85 degrees, a lot better that the 95 it had been.  I fell asleep easily, listening to Jonny Lang, and slept the sleep of someone with a clear conscience.  It was around 1:30, and I had a little time before dinner and the next insulin shot.

When I woke, what I saw on my window took me by surprise.   There were about five or six blue and black butterflies, not swallowtails, but with rounded wings and light blue markings on the edges.  Like monarchs, but not.  They were looking in at me.  The visiting butterflies wouldn’t be so unusual, but I had just dreamed about those same butterflies.  They were an omen.

And, then it was Saturday.  At around 2:30 p.m., I look out the window and saw my next visitor.  It was in the alley between the buildings, crawling through the little bit of water left behind by the showers – a turtle.  It was about the size of my hand and making his way to an important turtle meeting.  Or maybe he was in a race against a rabbit that can’t possibly win – turtles never lose a race.

I’m grateful I’m alive. I wish I were home with all my heart, but in the meantime, I’ll wait faithfully for my Father to deliver me there. I am loved, wanted and entertained, all in the same breath.  No one could ask for more.  But I will…

 

ABOUT THE  AUTHOR.  Shipwrecked and found.  John is currently doing a two-year set off, after 25 years of incarceration.  He is a frequent contributor as well as the author of Life Between The Bars, a unique and heartwarming memoir.  John can be contacted at:
John Green #671771
C.T. Terrell Unit A150
1300 FM655
Rosharon, TX 77583