NeuroDivine

I searched the house from room to room,
My heart a tightening thread;
For Richard, steadfast tabby guard,
Had vanished from his stead.

I called his name through shadowed halls,
Checked every chair and beam;
For only Niamh would play at hide—
For Richard, such a dream.

Yet still no whisker met my sight,
No sentinel in place;
Just silence where his watchful eyes
Would guard the sleeping space.

Then from a cupboard, still and dark,
A door began to sway;
It opened slow, then closed again—
As if moved by something stray.

A tapping came from deep within,
A soft, insistent sound;
I felt a shiver down my spine—
What presence had I found?

And out stepped he, our Richard bold,
With calm, untroubled air;
As though he’d simply paused his watch
To rest a moment there.

No ghost at all, but clever paws
Had slipped him safe inside;
And let the cupboard play its tricks
While he remained to hide.

I gathered him with laughing breath,
Relief in every part;
For even sentinels may stray
And give a frightened heart.

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