One week later, in the middle of the night…
I was fast asleep, dreaming about clouds and crayons, when I felt something shaking me gently.
"Hideki… sweetheart," Mama whispered. "Wake up… Tama-chan is giving birth right now."
My eyes stayed closed. I just rolled over and pulled my blanket up.
But then Mama shook me again — a little stronger this time.
"Hideki, wake up. You don't want to miss this."
Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked up at her.
"...What is it, Mama?" I asked, yawning a big yawn. "Hooaam…"
"Tama-chan," she said softly, "she's giving birth. Right now."
My eyes opened all the way — like someone had poured cold water on my face.
"Really? Right now??" I asked, suddenly wide awake.
Mama smiled and nodded. "Yes. Come on, sweetheart. Papa's with her already."
She held out her hand.
I grabbed it right away.
We walked out of my room, tiptoeing across the hall.
By the piano, Papa turned and saw us coming. He smiled, then raised his finger to his lips — a sign to be quiet.
I nodded seriously.
We stepped closer.
And there she was…
Tama-chan.
Inside a soft box lined with blankets. The one I asked Mama and Papa to set up beside the piano — because that's where Tama-chan had been sleeping lately.
Papa knelt beside the box, watching carefully.
When I got close, he bent down so I could whisper into his ear.
"Papa… is it just one kitten? Or more?"
He smiled and whispered back, "I'm not sure yet, buddy. Sometimes it's two. Or four. Maybe even six."
My eyes sparkled — like stars in a sleepy night sky.
I leaned forward a little more… and watched.
Tama-chan was breathing fast, her little body working so hard.
But she didn't cry. She didn't panic.
She just focused.
And then…
It happened.
The second kitten arrived.
I gasped — but kept quiet. My hands squeezed together in front of my mouth.
I looked at Papa. At Mama.
They both pointed gently back at the box.
And right after that…
A third kitten came.
Three.
Three tiny, warm little kittens, wiggling and curling beside their mama.
My heart felt like it was glowing.
I whispered in my head:
Wow… our family is getting bigger.
Just when I thought it was over…
Tama-chan moved again.
She curled her body and gave one last push — her belly tight and trembling.
And then…
The fourth kitten was born.
I held my breath.
Now there were four tiny kittens, all wiggling beside her like little jellybeans.
I looked closely — my eyes wide with amazement.
One was orange, like the color of afternoon sun.
Another was pure black, with a tiny squeak for a voice.
The third one was white… but covered in soft little spots — black and orange, like little ink drops on a snowball.
And the last one…
That one was different.
All white.
But his ears, paws, and tail… were dark. Like he had dipped just the tips of himself in paint.
"Wooooow…" I whispered, almost without thinking.
Tama-chan began licking them gently, one by one.
She licked her belly too, and the rest of her, cleaning herself after all that hard work.
I turned to Mama and Papa, my hands pressed to my chest like I was holding something precious.
"Mama… Papa… it's four," I whispered with excitement.
"We got four kittens in our house…"
Mama smiled. Papa did too.
He knelt down in front of me, looking into my eyes.
"Listen, buddy," he said softly. "Remember what we promised?"
I nodded fast.
"That you'd help take care of Tama-chan's babies, right?"
"Yeah," I said quickly. "Hideki remembers!"
Papa chuckled and rubbed the back of my head.
"Then… congratulations, buddy," he said. "You've got four little brothers now."
My heart exploded inside.
Yeeeeaaahh!! I shouted in my mind, too happy to even move.
But then…
A little yawn slipped out.
My eyes blinked, heavier than before.
Mama noticed.
"Okay, sweetheart," she whispered, brushing my hair. "Let's go back to bed. Tama-chan will be just fine now."
I nodded sleepily and rubbed my eyes.
We walked back to my room, and I climbed under the blanket.
Mama tucked me in gently.
"Sweet dreams, sweetheart," she whispered, kissing my forehead.
Then she stood up and walked out, quiet like moonlight.
And I closed my eyes.
As I drifted off…
I dreamed of Tama-chan's babies.
We were all together.
I fed them.
We played in the backyard, chasing little leaves in the breeze.
They purred and tumbled and climbed all over me.
And in that dream…
Everything felt warm.
Just like home.
The sun was just waking up when I opened my eyes.
I sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep from my face.
Tama-chan's babies! I remembered.
I jumped out of bed and ran straight to the box beside the piano.
But when I looked inside…
I froze.
There were only two kittens now.
My heart started to pound.
The orange one…
And the spotted white one with black and orange…
They weren't moving.
"Tama-chan…?" I whispered.
She was curled around them — licking their tiny heads.
But they didn't meow.
They didn't stretch.
They just stayed still.
Her voice let out a soft sound.
A meow… but it wasn't like her usual voice.
It was quiet.
And… sad.
My chest started to feel heavy.
I turned around and shouted, "Mamaaa! Papaaa!!"
My voice was shaking. "Tama-chan's babies… something's wrong!"
They came rushing to me.
Mama knelt beside me.
Papa came right after her.
They looked inside the box.
And then Mama gently rubbed my back.
Her voice was soft.
"Sweetheart… they passed away."
I looked up at her.
"Passed away…?" I asked, confused.
"But… they were okay last night. They were moving…"
Papa sat down beside me and placed his hand on my head.
"Sometimes, buddy… even if they're born okay, their little bodies aren't strong enough to keep going."
He paused — like he was thinking hard about what to say next.
I waited, holding my breath.
Then he looked at me and said,
"Do you remember when you were really little? And you got sick? When you had a big fever?"
I nodded slowly.
"Yeah… Hideki remembers."
"How did it feel?" he asked.
I thought for a second.
"My body felt really hot. I couldn't get out of bed. My head was dizzy…"
Papa nodded gently.
"And what did you do to get better?"
I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
Then it came to me.
"Hideki slept all day. Because Mama told me to rest. And when I woke up… I felt better."
Papa smiled a little.
"Exactly. You rested… and your body had the strength to heal."
He looked back at the box.
"Tama-chan's kittens… they tried to rest, too. But their bodies were very, very weak. So Tama-chan… she told them to sleep."
He stopped.
My heart squeezed.
"But… they couldn't wake up again," he said softly.
"They went into a sleep where they don't feel pain anymore. That's what passing away means, Hideki."
I stared at the little kittens.
So small. So quiet.
I whispered, "So… they don't hurt anymore?"
Papa nodded.
"No more pain. Only peace."
He looked into my eyes.
"But you… you're strong. Just like Papa's strong little boy. That's why you woke up again."
I wiped my eyes and nodded.
"Yeah… Hideki is strong like Papa."
Then I looked up at Mama and Papa and asked,
"So… what should we do now?"
Mama gently brushed my hair behind my ear.
"We'll bury them in the garden," she said softly. "Somewhere warm. Where the birds sing in the morning. Where the sun can kiss them hello."
I looked back at the kittens.
And I whispered inside my heart:
Goodbye…
Sleep well.
I'll never forget you.