By Rachel H Grant

Clara walked swiftly through her local park, smiling despite the tears inside, little poppies of pain in her heart. One month since she lost beloved cat Tiggy.

Then she stopped, a smile of sunshine finally lifting the rainclouds within. Among the wild poppies stood a cat, a ginger shadow within the red, a feline poem in bloom.

The cat followed her home and would not leave. Clara laughed inside, poppies of pleasure seeding in her soul.

And then the words came, like wild poppy seeds on the wind. Poems blew through her head in a frenzy of petals, forming words like flower buds on the page below. Clara wrote and wrote, late in to each evening with aptly named Poppy by her side.

Then it was finished. Poppy Poems.

The next day, Poppy was gone.

Joseph wandered through the park, trying to forget Jane, his now ex-girlfriend. Daffodils swayed in a spring breeze. Then he saw her, a cloud of ginger in a sky of yellow. A cat, with eyes like burning suns. Joseph suddenly felt better, daffodils of delight fanning his heart, a breeze of calm within.

And the cat followed him home. With Daffy by his side, words flooded Joseph’s mind like daffodils on fire. Poetry extended from his hands, magical cat claws of creation. Daffodil Doodles began to take shape. Finally, his book of poems and short stories featuring the “Daffodil Cat” was finished.

Daffy left the same day, never to be seen again.

Sandra walked through the park like a lost soul, the pain of a hundred thorns in her heart. How she missed her dog Benji. Then she saw her. A vision of gold among the yellow roses, a cat like a poem in fur. She smiled.

And Rose followed her home. With a purring cat by her side, Sandra began to write, rose petals falling on to the page below her like tears from heaven.

Roses that Rhyme was finally complete. The next day, Rose the cat vanished.

Kathy jogged round the park with a smile on her face. She was looking for inspiration, a novel inside her like a baby that was years overdue. Then she saw her, a ginger cat among the marigolds.

And the idea came as if from nowhere … or as if in a cat’s wise eyes. Floral Felines began to take shape in her mind. The cat followed her home, so with Fiona by her side Kathy wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

One year later, Floral Felines was finished. A tale of random strangers inspired by a cat to write poetry, eventually meeting each other and forming a writers’ group. A story of hope and healing.

Kathy smiled, as Fiona rubbed around her. Finally, the little cat had found her forever home. She settled in her bed to sleep. It was time for the magic words … and they lived happily ever after.