They had already been driving for a while and nobody was talking. Skinny was desperately thinking about her beloved missing cat while Leo was just driving. Both of them were letting their thoughts run and so time was running and the miles were passing.

All of a sudden they noticed a black-and-white cat on the side of the street. Skinny could only catch a glimpse of it but she immediately turned her head to follow it with her eyes. Leo saw her excitement and stopped the car.

Skinny jumped out of the car and ran back towards the cat in the field. She tried to lure the cat with her voice. She called her name, sang a lullaby, sat on her knees to see it clearer, but the cat did not react whatsoever. Skinny went back and forth and did not want to give up. Although it was quite unrealistic that she would find her cat miles away from home, she didn’t give up and tried again to catch the cat’s attention. But the only thing she managed to do was to scare the cat and so it ran away. Skinny was very disappointed and could not believe or did not want to believe that this cat was not her beloved Berta Butterfly. After a while she finally gave up and turned back to the car.

Suddenly she heard some moaning beside her. It sounded like a cat in distress. She crawled carefully towards the sound and was totally scared – there was a cat trapped in the deer fence next to her. The cat was not only trapped but also obviously hurt. It was hanging with its back paws upside down in this deer fence. Skinny was scared to death. And the cat apparently was too. Skinny screamed out for Leo. He was still in the car but jumped out as he heard Skinny’s scream. He ran to her but then he stopped in his tracks.  Skinny was the first to react and said to him, „We must rescue it!“ So they both stepped closer to the trapped animal, with their hands stretched out. Somehow Leo got to the cat quicker and while Skinny still was trying to reach it, he yelled painfully. „Oh my God, what happened?“ Now it was Skinny’s turn to scream again. Leo jumped and moaned and shook his right hand. Blood was streaming and his whole right hand was full of blood. Skinny screamed again, realising that Leo obviously was badly hurt.  „My hand, oh my hand hurts, damned“ Leo cried. Skinny tried get control of herself. „What exactly happened to you?“, she asked. „That goddam creature bit my finger!“ he shouted angrily. Then he became very weak and almost fell down. Skinny could hardly hold him and took him back to the car. All of a sudden she became aware of the situation. The cat was still trapped in the fence, Leo had been bitten and she had to bring him to the hospital. She became calm and sat in the driver’s seat. „Where’s the next hospital?“, she asked – „Ten miles from here“, he answered in pain. „Ok, what direction? Please, hold on, you have to tell me the way, Leo!“

Skinny drove carefully through the night. It was pitch dark and every now and then she asked Leo the way. It was not only that she didn’t know this area, but she also was trying to keep him awake. He was still bleeding like hell. The next part that Skinny realised was when they finally arrived at he hospital. She jumped out and tried to pull Leo out of the car. He was pretty heavy and totally exhausted. She yelled for help when from somewhere a doctor’s assistant appeared. They brought Leo directly to the emergency station. Blood droplets were following them. They arrived at the doctor and Leo sat down. He almost fell, since he was very weak due to his bleeding hand. The doctor immediately recognised the situation and explained to them: „This is a very serious situation – I have to cut off your finger, son.“ Leo was shivering from fright. Skinny was silently weeping.

After an hour Leo came out of surgery. He didn’t say a word and couldn’t look into Skinny’s eyes. They went silently to the car. Leo sat down, without looking at Skinny. She started the car and drove out of the hospital’s parking lot. All of a sudden she knew the way home and drove to the motorway. She was silently crying though. She could hardly see anything, everything was blurred from her tears. So she just drove the car onto the motorway, without noticing the truck beside her. It hit them hard – Skinny almost didn’t realise the crash. Everything happened at the blink of an eye. The car flipped over three times then stopped upside down in the middle of the motorway. The truck also crashed but the driver was able to jump out just before it exploded. He was shocked but alright. After the explosion there was nothing left but a wall of big black smoke.

„Oh, a terrible accident happened yesterday on the motorway next to us,“ the old Lady said sadly to herself, putting the newspapers away. „What luck that I don’t drive a car, uh, Kittycat?“, she said to the lovely cat sitting on her lap. The cat was pourring happily. „Strange things occur, but as long as you are with me, you will be pampered, my dear.“ What good fortune that this cat has come to her recently. „So my life is much more content“, she thought, as she tenderly stroked the soft black-and-white fur.