In a small town, much like one you may know, there lives a little girl named Abigail. She isn’t like other little girls, or other children. You see, she has a pet zombie. This is just one of their adventures

It was a day like any other day-- but it wasn’t. Today, Abigail has some big choices to make. Abigail sits in her class, bored as her mind roams over many thoughts. She doesn’t hear the Math lecture. She ignores her English lesson. In fact, she almost doesn’t hear the bell chiming for the end of the day!

She doesn’t wave goodbye to her friends. She doesn’t see Mrs. Lambs watchful expression. She walks right past the crossing guard, without even offering the normal ‘high-five’. Abigail’s mind is very, very, far away.

“You okay, Abs?” Margaret asks, slightly out of breath from catching up with her friend.

“Mmhhmm,” Abigail half-heartedly answers. Her mind is still swirling with her inner thoughts.

“You were awfully quiet in class today,” Margaret says, as the two walk their normal route home. She’s still trying to coax her friend from her thoughts.

“Mmhmm,” Abigail says, again.

Abigail’s long braids sway as the two walk, much in the same style as Margaret’s red pigtails. Where Margaret wears bright colors, Abigail prefers hers darker, with subtle shades. It’s not just their clothing that separates their two personalities. Margaret is the true outspoken one of their group. With Margaret’s annoyance for her friend’s demeanor growing, she shows her short temper once again.

“Okay,” Margaret declares, stopping in front of Abigail’s path. “What is going on with you, Abigail Masters? You didn’t say goodbye to Lilly or Teddy. You’ve hardly said a word all day AND,” Margaret pauses adding extra emphasis, “you didn’t even eat your cookies at lunch! They were Mrs. Bell’s cookies. No one ever says no to Mrs. Bell’s cookies!” Margaret states, with an almost soft, dreamy voice. 

Abigail shrugs, unmoved by Margaret’s devotion to the lunch lady’s cookies. “I just have to figure something out.”

“Figuring something out?” Margaret asks, hooking her arm with the other girls. “That’s what friends are for! Once, Lilly spent all day trying to remember where she put her favorite necklace, you know, the one with the angel wings? Well, guess who helped her figure it out?” Margaret pauses, as long as her excitement allows her to pause. She flashes Abigail a proud smile before answering her own question. “Me!”

“I remember,” Abigail offers, still keeping her thoughts to herself.

“So?” Margaret stares, waiting patiently as the two begin to once again walk home. 

At least, to Margaret she waited patiently. 

“Well??” Margaret demands, her patience had run out.

With a sigh, Abigail confesses her confusion. “My parents have decided I’m old enough for a pet of my very own, but I don’t know what I want.”

Margaret’s whole body sags upon finding out the big debate isn’t such a big thing after all. “That’s it? THAT’S what you have been so mopey about? You wasted two of Mrs. Bell’s cookies over that?”

Abigail shrugs again, feeling rather silly now having said it out loud and having watched her friend’s reaction. “It’s kinda a big deal. They said it’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I mean, I get it,” Margaret says, talking over her friend’s distress. “Before I found Mr. Snickers, I must have looked at over a dozen kittens searching for just the right one.”

Abigail scrunches her face trying to remember when Margaret had a kitten. “Mr. Snickers?”

“Yeah. My cat.” Margaret smiles.

“But, Margaret, you don’t have a cat,” Abigail states with a questioning tone.

“Well, I did,” Margaret explains. “But we found out my dad is allergic to cats. Now, my aunt has Mr. Snickers which mom says is fine, because she says my aunt needs the company.”

The two walk in silence for a while, waving at neighbors they pass along the way with welcoming faces and kind greetings. Both are lost in their own thoughts about the current conversation. 

“I mean, I still get to see her sometimes,” Margaret offers, when the conversation has lulled too long for her comfort.

“Her?” Abigail asks, once again confused by her friend’s confession. 

“Yeah, Mr. Snickers.” Margaret smiles again thinking of her furry friend. “Oh,” she says, sensing Abigail’s confusion. “I didn’t know she was a she when I named her.”

Abigail slowly nods, staring at Margaret with a baffled face, but she doesn’t say anything.

Margaret stops so suddenly, she almost pulls Abigail off her feet, since the two still have their arms entwined. 

“You know who does have a cat?” Margaret asks, her face beaming with excitement again. 

“Lilly!” both girls shout at once.

Abigail smiles her first smile of the day remembering the little tabby Lilly often talks about in class.

“We could go over there. See if a cat is what you want?” Margaret gently asks, lifting one eyebrow with her question.

Thinking to herself, Abigail nods. It would be a very easy way to discover if a cat is what she wants.

“Okay,” Abigail agrees, eager to test the theory.

“See you there after homework?” Margaret hopefully asks.

“Sounds like a plan. Meet you there!” Abigail waves goodbye to her friend still wearing a hopeful smile.

“See, Abs?” Margaret shouts to her friend’s back. “Friends are great for figuring things out and you’re super lucky to have one of the best figure-er-outers for a friend. Don’t you worry, Abs.” Margaret continues to shout at the departing Abigail. “We’ll find the perfect pet for you!”