It was a day like many others before it. Standing at the patio opening out onto my garden, a hot chocolate clasped loosely in my hands. There was a cat lying on the lawn, batting something back and forth between their paws. Just some toy capsule which long ago had been opened and the toy taken out of it and lost. There was some strange solace to be gained from the fact that the cat was getting so much enjoyment from something which was moments before thought of as useless. The cat was familiar, the distinctive white and grey fur making them easy to be spotted among the grass. This cat had visited a few times, unlike the others. Most of the cats that visited would just appear once, eat the food and leave. Sometimes they would mess around on the grass for a while, rolling a ball about or kicking one of the beanie toys I had laying around, but that wouldn't usually interest them that long. Especially the cat I had taken to naming "Tubbs". Their extraordinary girth made it a mystery as to how they managed to enter, and subsequently leave, my garden. They didn't even pretend to be interested in the toys, they always just seemed to appear at the bowl of food that had been left out. And once they started eating... wow. They could demolish a bowl of 'thrifty bitz' in seconds if they were hungry enough. And let me tell you, they're always hungry. Good thing the food I leave out for them is cheap. It's nice to think that they pay me back for it though, I mean, as sad as it sounds they're one of the few reasons that I get up in the morning. An office job can only hold so much excitement but they add an extra glimmer to the day. Something to wake up for, to check for the familiar markings on the plastic buckets and refill the food bowl. Something to look forward to when I come back from work, to retrieve the balls from their mysterious hiding places and refill the food bowl. It was nice. It was nice to have company, it was something reliable in an otherwise hectic life. But I won't bog you down with the details. I was telling you about a cat, wasn't I? The adorable white fluffy one, with the grey ears and paws and nose and the smooth, silky tail which waved lazily behind it. They were still staring contently at the toy capsule, rolling it back and forth, back and forth. The simple, harmonic motion was strangely therapeutic to watch, the hypnotic sway making it difficult to look away. I had decided to name the cat Marshmallow a while back. Partly due to their white fur and partly due to the fact that they were so fluffy and cute. I don't actually know how to determine a cat's gender so I tend to just keep it ambiguous. Anyway, this cat had been visiting me for the past week or so, each time playing around with the toys and barely even looking at the food I had left out for them. A few days ago they had brought me a bookmark, a purple flower pressed into it. Every so often cats would bring back a small trinket or piece of scrap that it had found and hide it under the old, disused bird fountain. The so called fountain acted more as a sort of hidden den for the cats as it had been overgrown with a variety of trailing plants. This created a concealed area, hidden away from the rest of the world. That is usually where I would find the rusted pieces of jewellery or old magazines, things like that. I had taken to calling them 'mementos' and I kept them all in a box under my bed. Each of them brought back a different memory of a different cat, a happy view into the past. I think that box is one of my most valuable possessions now, both sentimentally and monetary. But we'll leave those thoughts for another time. The thing that struck me most about the cat was the fact that it hadn't even seemed to notice me yet. Usually when I stepped out onto the patio the cats would at least be wary and look up at me but Marshmallow just continued playing with ball, unfazed by my presence. I approached slowly, gently lowering myself onto the grass beside it. Marshmallow looked up at me questioningly, suddenly aware of my presence. They purred softly, gently rolling the toy capsule towards me. I slowly picked it up before rolling it back to Marshmallow. They stopped it with ease under one paw, purring happily. I smiled at the cat and I could have swore it smiled back at me. I stroked a hand down their back and they arched their body up to meet me, the smooth fur as soft to the touch as it looked. After passing the ball between us for a while Marshmallow abruptly stopped before mewling softly and running off. Needless to say I was sad when they left but I knew they would be back soon. I changed the food, put the toys back in their places and then went off into my house to get some rest. I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. As I felt myself drift off I couldn't stop my thoughts from wavering to Marshmallow and their mysterious appearance in my garden. Hopefully they would come back. Marshmallow is cute.