1
Nobody seemed to like the stray who lived outside of the apartment. The stray they called "Ugly". Ugly was a medium sized tomcat. He was missing his left eye, and his ear was torn on the same side. Something had once torn his tail, only leaving the slightest twitching nub. The poor stray appeared to had broken his right leg, which healed at a gruesome angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. Ugly would have been a gray tabby tom, though layers of thick, yellowish scabs decorating his back prevented much hair from growing. The small amount of hair he had was matted and caked with dirt. Clearly, living outside had taken a toll on him. When he would see a child, he would run as fast as he could to them, rubbing head on their legs and hands. Usually, the children would rinse him with the hose, in attempt to scare him away. Though poor, heartbroken Ugly never ran off, and waited for them to just give up.When someone would pick the stray up, he would attempt to suckle on their fingers, earlobes, and jewelry. It was clear that Ugly just wanted to be loved.
One day, Ugly tried to befriend the neighborhood husky. The dog badly mauled the stray cat. I heard Ugly's yowls and raced against time to get to the scene. By the time I got there, He looked like he was about to give up. His fur was soaked in slobber, many scratches and tooth marks decorated his scrawny form; A particularly gory tear across his chest dripped thick blood into the grass. I took his limp body into my arms. The faintest purr rumbled through his throat. The injured Ugly was happy to have some love, despite the pain he was in. I began walking back home, the stray suckling my earlobe weakly. Sadly, it was too late; By the time I had reached the door, Ugly had died.
I sat in my chair, cradling the lifeless animal in my arms. I cried over Ugly for two hours, before burying him in the yard.
Ugly taught me an important lesson: Never judge a book by its cover. Even though someone may seem ugly, on the inside, they may only want love.
((A/N: Yes, this story is old. But I couldn't resist writing my own version on it.))
Join Qfeast to read the entire story!
Sign In. It is absolutely free!