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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book “Lonely Visitor” Down in the Dirt v209 (7/23)  Order the paperback book: 
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The Companion
John Ragusa
“Have you ever known someone who’s survived a heart attack to be afraid of having another one?” Candy Bockland asked Dr. Mercelli, her uncle’s physician.
“I haven’t met one yet who hasn’t,” he answered bluntly.
Candy felt overwhelming sorrow for her Uncle Ace. He was bedridden since having his heart attack, and he had to take medication twice a day. He wasn’t to get excited or upset, and he had to be checked on frequently. Certainly, he must be ruefully aware of his own closeness to death. Without a doubt, he spent every waking moment in petrified terror.
It occurred to Candy that perhaps entering the big sleep would be a good thing for her uncle; he’d no longer have to anticipate the end that was inevitable. He wouldn’t have to live in fear each day. But she realized that being alive was undoubtedly better than being dead.
Uncle Ace didn’t want to be left alone at any time since his heart attack, a common feeling among those who may die soon, so Candy bought a cat to keep him constant company. Candy had reservations about the cat, however. The creature struck her as oddly evil, what with the way it stared at her with its enigmatic expression and big green eyes. Of course, Candy knew that animals don’t possess wickedness, and Uncle Ace seemed to like the animal. It would remain his companion.
Despite Candy’s precautions, the grim reaper took Uncle Ace when the cat jumped on a flowerpot sitting on an open windowsill and knocked it to the concrete floor below. The resulting crash made a loud, sudden noise that startled Uncle Ace enough to give him another heart attack, this time a fatal one.
Ever since then, Candy always said she gave the cat away because she then believed it was truly evil.
