Scratch…scratch…scratch…
Billy jerked awake and stared at the door of his bedroom.
Scratch…scratch…scratch…yes, the beast was there…just on the other side of the door…trying desperately to claw its way in!
Billy did the only thing that he could do, he curled into a ball and began biting his fingernails as terror filled his mind.
Scratch…Scratch…Scratch…Suddenly it became clear that biting fingernails wouldn’t be enough…more action would be required if he ever hoped to survive the night. Billy leapt from his bed and frantically began piling furniture, clothing, his prized Stephen King book collection, and anything else he could find against the door.
Scratch…scratch…scratch…the beast just wouldn’t give up! Billy raced about his room searching for hope as the sound of savage claws and the image of a horrible slobbering monster consumed his imagination.
Scratch…scratch…scratch…Obviously, it wouldn’t be much longer before the beast broke through the fragile wood and began to feast on his trembling body! As this reality became clear, Billy broke down, sobbing as he fell to his knees.
Disturbed by all the noise, Helga, Billy’s wife, awoke…took in the sight of chaos in the room around her and gasped. Then, after she had finally finished gasping at the hideous mess Billy had created in their bedroom, Helga slid smoothly from the bed.
Billy could only stare in wonder as Helga calmly and coolly cleared the rubble away from the door and yanked it open. There in the darkness the beast was revealed in all its glory.
Helga lifted the kitten into her arms and began to caress her furry pet. “Billy, whatever came over you? You know that Fluffy just wants a hug.”
As Billy stood there, surveying the anarchy he had created in their bedroom, he could only hang his head in shame. Once again he had let his fear drive him to foolishness. In that very moment, Billy vowed that in the future, he would live by faith instead…a faith would lead him to hope…a hope that would free him to love his pets and the people in his life as they deserved to be loved.