The Crystal Collar

I had not expected to see CC so soon after his last visit. He had just come back from his trip to Vietnam and looked hale and hearty, besides being very sun tanned.

"Vege Cat, I've got a present for you!" and he took out a small box from his pocket.  

"That's very nice of you, CC but you shouldn't spend money unnecessarily," I said.

He grinned and took out something shimmering from the box.  "It's a crystal collar for cats!  I thought you might like it, here let me wear it for you," and he buckled the collar round my neck.  Quite frankly, I prefer my neck to be free and easy but I didn't want to hurt his feelings by refusing to accept it.

"You look great in it," he said.  "Very elegant indeed."

"Well, thanks so much, CC, but please don't bother to buy anything for me next time."  

I then asked how he was faring on the cruise ship.

"I work in the kitchen, helping to prepare meals, wash the dishes and so on.  It's a tough job but I don't mind.  Oh, you'll be pleased to hear that a couple of Vietnamese staff, when they found out that I had been a monk before, asked me to share some of Buddha's teachings.  Gosh, I never expected this but I'm glad the Buddha has given me something worthwhile to do in my free time apart from sightseeing."

"That's great, CC, do keep it up!"

CC said he was on shore leave for two nights and would be sailing the next day, again for Vietnam, so I wished him luck and sent him off.

After CC left, I went back into the kitchen and the nuns surrounded me to admire my new collar.  The crystals were indeed beautiful and I hoped CC hadn't spent all his money to buy it.  When I went to bed that night, I thought of taking the collar off so that I would be more comfortable but I had some difficulty unbuckling it, so I left it on.  I couldn't sleep for sometime, maybe it was because I was not used to having a collar round my neck, and after tossing about for an hour or so, I fell into a troubled sleep.  I had all sorts of dreams and strangest of all, I kept seeing a black cat.  He was trying to say something or other to me but I couldn't make out what it was.

I became pretty worried when I had the same dream the following two nights - it was the same black cat trying to tell me something - it was then that I decided to tell Head Nun.

"How strange," she said.  "Have you seen this black cat before?" 

"No, Head Nun."

This time Head Nun looked rather disturbed.   "I think you should ask CC where he bought the collar.  Look, I will help you send a Whatsapp  message to him and see what he says." Meantime she took off the collar from my neck and after that, the dreams stopped, much to my relief.

CC later replied that he had bought the collar at a pet shop in Vietnam and said he would find out more when the ship docked there.  He too was baffled by what we told him about the dreams I had been having when I was wearing the collar.

A few days later, we heard from CC.  He said he had investigated and heard through a source that the crystal collar once belonged to the pet cat of an old lady.  They were very close and when she died recently, he was so heart broken that he also died a few days later and was buried beside his beloved mistress. Somebody from the family of the old lady sold the collar to the pet shop after the cat died and that was where CC purchased it.  The pet shop owner had no idea where it came from.

"Vege Cat, I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble," said an apologetic CC.  "If I had known the story behind the collar, I would not have bought it."

"It's ok, CC," I replied.  "It's not your fault. The black cat somehow knew I had his collar, so he tried to communicate with me, by appearing in my dreams."

"But why didn't he try to communicate with the pet shop owner who had the collar in his shop all the time?" asked CC.

"It's easier cat-to-cat.  Not all humans can communicate with cats, you know.  We must help him, CC or he won't rest in peace.  What do you think he's trying to tell me?"

"My source said that he probably wants the collar back as it was given to him by his mistress and meant very much to him."

"I shall only be too glad to return it to him if it means so much to him," I said.

"I tell you what," said CC. "I shall be coming back in a few days time, I shall collect the collar from you and bring it back for the cat."

True to his word, CC brought the collar back to Vietnam.  He managed to find the resting place of the cat and placed the collar there. I hoped the poor cat would find peace now and of course I didn't have any more dreams about him.

"I'm so glad we were able to help the black cat," I said to Head Nun later. "What a wonderful love he and his owner shared!"  

 Head Nun smiled, then looked quizzically at me and said,"Would you die of a broken heart if I were to drop dead suddenly?" 

Tricky question but before I could answer, she laughed and walked away.  I got the feeling she knew what my answer would be....