It wasn't always like this. A man would pet me and feed me. He would let me outside to play. I loved watching the bugs roll and tumble in the grass. My name is Esmeralda. I have three kittens. Two boys and one girl. I named the girl Amber, and the boys Amethyst and Agate. My life was perfect until my owner moved away.
When he left, he shut the door and closed all the windows. Although the top one was broken and could not be closed, I could not get out to get food. I lived off the occasional mouse that would squeeze under the door. For now, my kittens would have enough milk to drink.

Day 1: Butterfly
A butterfly flew in through the window. She delicately fluttered around the room. Her wings were bright yellow and pink. She was flying back towards the window to leave when she got caught in an abandoned cobweb. I hopped up onto a table and used my paw to work her free. Her wings fluttered indignantly.
She very clearly communicated, "I don't need your help, you insolent ground mammal!"
I watched the butterfly fly out the window. I knew she was not grateful.

Day 2: Ladybug
A ladybug scuttled in through the crack under the door. I counted thirteen spots on her back. I watched her climb up a rusty pot. All of a sudden she fell backwards! She was stuck on her back. I flipped her right side up. The expression on her face told me:
"Hey, watch it! Don't you have any manners? You almost crushed me with those big clumsy paws of yours!"
She scampered away huffily. Back under the door, and out into the wild.
 
 

Day 3: Cockroach
I was settling in with my kittens when I heard scuffling over by the kitchen.
"I'll be right back." I tell them. "I think I hear a mouse."
I creep stealthily into the room. I track the sound over to the stove. I see a cockroach trapped in a circle of pots. I move one pot over so he can escape.
"THANK YOU!"
I hear him whisper. Although I was disappointed that there was no mouse, I was glad to save the bug. I skulked back to my nest with excruciating pain in my empty belly.

Day 4: Escape
The next morning, I heard a rumbling sound. I wondered if we were having a thunderstorm. As I listened closer, I realized that the sound was not thunder, but footsteps. Thousands of tiny footsteps. Thousands of bug footsteps. My kittens and I were being rescued. I gathered them close as the bug swarm advanced. There were so many! There were beetles! Moths and termites! Wood wasps! Leading all of these bugs was a single insect. A cockroach. All of the bugs paused a few feet from the house. Then, as one, all the bugs descended and ate the wooden door right down to its hinges. My kittens and I were free! Fueled by a burst of adrenaline, we rushed out of our prison. I sat down in front of the cockroach.
"Thank you!" I gratefully told him.
"ANYTIME," he replied.
The end