MIRABEL

My name is Mirabel and I am a mixed breed cat.

When the war came, my life was divided into "before" and "after". Before the war, I may have had a home. I remember vague images: a bright window, the smell of food and someone's hands. But then everything disappeared. I found myself on the front line, among the destruction and silence that was interrupted only by the roar. There was nothing there but fear.

I hid wherever I could: in basements, among the rubble, under cars. Sometimes I found water, sometimes leftovers, but more often I remained hungry. The scariest were the nights: each explosion seemed like the last, and I pressed myself closer to the ground, as if it could somehow help.

The day they found me, I was already too weak. I was sitting near a destroyed trench and did not know where to go next. And suddenly I heard footsteps. I thought that they would simply pass me by. But one stopped and leaned towards me. Then he took out a piece of food and put it next to me. When I took the first bite, something changed inside me: I felt cared for again.

This is how I ended up in the shelter. Here I have everything I need and am very grateful for being saved and brought here. Sometimes I still flinch from loud sounds, but more and more often I fall asleep peacefully. I am quiet, affectionate and really love when there is a person nearby.

I survived the war, and this will forever remain in me. But now I know: life can be different. My story is no longer about fear, but about hope.