The shadows of the musty attic stirred gently as the woman opened the massive oak door. Her heart heavy, she always thought she could hear a soft rustling each time she entered the area up under the roof of her mother's old house. The room seemed to come alive; the old carousel horse seemed to gaze at her with knowing eyes and even the dappled mirror seemed to breathe. But she never allowed apprehension to overwhelm her. It was her job to stand guard.

Her melancholy always intensified as she sat next to the window, her gaze held fast to the lawn below, while her elderly father went about trimming his prize rose bushes and her mother sat in the swing, their small dog on her lap. Her daughter was there too, with her kitten and it seemed they were all safe, for now. She stood and parted the curtains to better see Isadora. Her little girl was wearing her hair as she had and was dressed, all ready for Sunday school in a white pinafore. A sad smile crossed her lips, she missed living and she missed her family more. And she could not let go just yet.

She could only watch in sadness, as her family went on without her. She arose from her seat by the octagon shaped window, leaving the attic to settle back into its own dusty gloom.

And just below the window, the little girl gathered her favorite cat, who she had named Peepers and gently sat him on top of the tattered hat box in the wicker carriage. She hummed a tune as she slowly pushed him around the expanse of the lawn that surrounded her grandmother's house. Her pinafore dress was starched and she was ready to go to church with them, but she wanted to play first; Peepers needed to go for a ride.

She asked her grandmother where her mama was, the answer always the same, "Up in Heaven, sweet Izzie, waiting for us there." So she would hum and carry on with whatever little game she had concocted, wishing her mother were there to talk to. And she would tell her secrets to Peepers, who always smiled at her in his own way, letting her know that all would be okay in the end.

"Come Peepers, let's go outside, shall we?" Isadora strolled him carefully through the grasses of the mansion, and the sun warmed them with its bright rays. It was springtime now, time to be outdoors. And the lake's water rippled with movement as if it were alive and it beckoned the girl to its shore. She and Peepers walked to the water's edge; sometimes there were fish just below the surface to watch. Isadora sat Peepers down onto the lush lawn, so he could play with the insects in the grass and she asked him if he wanted to learn to swim. Peepers was more interested in a grasshopper and he did not answer right away.

"Peepers, where are you?" Isadora turned and he had gone. She got up and pushed the wicker carriage back toward the house, calling for her kitten.

"Peepers! Peepers! Where are you, Peepers?" Her little cat had disappeared, now Izzie was getting worried. Her face puckered up and she began to cry. She left the carriage and tripped up the huge steps back into the house, her tears real now. Her grandmother came running, her face flush with fear and worry.

"Izzie! What is it, child? What has happened? Where is Peepers?"

"Babushka! He is gone! Help me find him, Babushka?" The child cried helplessly, and her grandmother hugged her tight. The old woman could not stand to see her only grandchild this way. Her heart broke with each sob of the child. They had to find the cat.

"He is not far, little one. Let's get Grandpapa to help us, okay?"

"Yes, Babushka." Isadora sniffled with relief, she could not bear to lose Peepers so soon after the loss of her mother.

And not ten minutes later, a soft mewl was heard at the door to the chef's kitchen. Peepers was at the door, his front claws firmly embedded in the screen, begging to be let in.

There were sighs of relief all around, Isadora was smiling again and her grandparents hugged her mightily, grateful to have her happy again. And safe at home with them and her beloved Peepers.


And at the top of the stairs, in front of the doorway to the attic, Isadora's mother sat, watching, smiling and was waiting. She knew her little girl would be okay, for Peepers had told her so.