lumina

Wolf among the sheep In the large glass tower where I worked, I was a blot. My reflection in the windows always gave me the same image: a large wolf with broad shoulders, a powerful jaw, and claws that I tried to keep short. No matter how much I wore an impeccable suit, smiled as much as possible, and walked slowly so as not to scare my colleagues, nothing worked. For a few weeks, tensions between carnivores and herbivores had intensified. Attacks had taken place in the city. Deer had disappeared, antelopes had been found bleeding… It was enough to fuel fear and stir up distrust. In the open space where I spent my days, I could feel the looks heavy with suspicion. Conversations sometimes stopped when I entered a room. Some lowered their voices, others subtly moved out of my way. I pretended not to see it. I had to stay calm. But there was one thing that brightened my days: Lumina. She was a white-furred cat, as soft as snow under a moonbeam. Her piercing blue eyes shone like sapphires. She was elegant, always well-groomed, and her voice was a melodious whisper that contrasted with the hustle and bustle of the office. I was crazy about her. But I was also too cowardly to talk to her. I watched her in silence, hiding behind my screen, hoping that one day she would notice me as something other than "the big intimidating wolf in the accounting department." When she was absent, it was even worse. Her empty office became a gaping hole in my day. I glanced at her seat, hoping she would arrive at any moment. But sometimes she didn't come, and I spent my day fighting against a feeling of incomprehensible emptiness.