5. A Mysterious White Cat

At that time, I had just married and was first pregnant. I worked at a traction substation. The traction substation was located at the end of a small train station. It was isolated in the wilderness, which was Chongqing suburban.  There was no other building except our traction substation. And besides me and my coworkers, no other people. None like to settle home up there. So, we decided on our home in downtown Chongqing, and the traction substation was only for work. There were a few dormitories where we could rest during our work days. 

When we were off days, we would leave and take a train home in Chongqing. But because there was no walkway, we had to walk on the railway to the small train station.

One day, a beautiful white cat came to my dormitory room and didn’t want to leave. I asked all my coworkers and tried to find out where the cat came from, none knew that, but everyone told me: “Let her go, don’t keep a cat which you don’t know it was from

“I like cats; let me care for her until we find her owner,” I said

“Dogs come to bring good luck. Cats come to bring bad things. Particularly white cats will bring death.” one of my coworkers said

I didn’t believe what my coworker said. So, I decided to keep her and take care of her.

Not long after I adopted the white cat, I was unfortunate I had a miscarriage. 

I lost my baby, I was so sad. My mother heard I had lost my baby and asked me to go back to my hometown, living with her for a while.  She wanted to help me recover my health and emotions. 

One of my coworkers, my good friend Mei, promised to help me take care of the white cat when I left.

So I took a train to my hometown to see my mother.

A mother’s love was always the best medicine in the world! 

A month later, I felt well and fresh. I had recovered, so I decided to go back to my job.

When I got off the train from my hometown, I saw a few people with a stretcher running towards the train I had just left. When they were closer, I recognized them as my coworkers. And I saw my friend, Mei, lying on the stretcher, her face white like paper. I had no time to ask what happened; I knew I must return to the train with them immediately to take Mei to a hospital. But Mei didn’t open her eyes again, even though she would never know I went back;  she died on the train. She was only 21 years old. 

It was the first time I had faced death so closely, and she was my best friend; she was so young and beautiful. I was shocked; I felt my heart gripped so tightly.  For a time, I thought that I could not breathe, but I didn’t have tears.

A few days later, I learned what happened to my friend, Mei. My coworker told me “Mei was going to take the train for her first date.” suddenly, I remembered Mei told me something before I went back to my hometown, she said: “When you recover and go back from your hometown, I will tell you a secret.” when she said this, her face lit up, she looked happy and girlish as.  But I was so absorbed in my sadness that I did not think about what she had said. She must want to share her love story with me, her best friend. 

We work here and live in the city, so we have to take the train back and forth every day. So we knew the train’s schedule very well. Mei knew, too. At that time, the railway shouldn’t have any trains, so she walked on the railway like usual, which should have been safe. ” But that day, it was strange: a train ran on the railway to hit her back,” one coworker said. 

Another said, “It was raining. She walked on the railway with an umbrella, and maybe she didn’t hear the train coming.”

“The train had a big, long whistle with a dazzling, bright, big light.” Another added

“We all called her out loud. But she heard nothing.” more coworkers said.

After Mei died, I returned to my dormitory at the traction substation. I never saw the white cat again. 

As strange as she came, she left.

“You shouldn’t keep the cat!” a long time, a few coworkers told me with a reproachful voice. I felt guilty and blamed myself, too. I never went to see Mei’s parents again because I thought Mei died in my place. If her parents saw me, they might feel heartbroken again. 

But I always remembered her.

To this day, I do not know if there is a mysterious connection between my friend Mei’s death and the white cat. But after that accident, I knew I must cherish every moment with my family and friends; when they talk to me, I must listen carefully to their every word.

There are still so many things in the universe that we cannot explain. They need us to explore more to understand.