In contrast to Daniel’s nervous look, Samantha was calm and confident as she strolled down the aisles of the pet store. Although it wasn’t really a pet store, as they didn’t sell pets here – as far as he could see, they mostly sold pet accessories. A pet warehouse, he supposed. They stopped in front of a series of strange devices, looking somewhat like a water cooler with a bowl beneath it.

  “Automatic pet feeders,” she explained. “They go off at a set time, so you can give it food while you’re at work.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.” Daniel said. If he gave it a bunch of food in the morning, it would just eat it all at once. “But-”

  Heedless of his concern, Samantha piled one box into the cart and moved on. Next, they stopped at a pet beds section.

  “Pick one out. Try to think about what it likes. It’ll be better than sleeping next to the fridge.” She instructed.

  Daniel thought for a while. There were many kinds of pet beds; some square, some round, and there were many different colours and sizes. But there had to be a reason it decided to make its nest between the counter and the fridge, when there were more comfortable spaces to be in. So, he decided to pick up a brown cat cave, an enclosed space with a medium sized entrance hole. It was a little longer than the others on the pile, which he thought would help accommodate the creature’s long proboscis.

  “How’s this?” He asked, unsure.

  “You would know best, put it in the cart.” She answered brusquely.

  Daniel shoved it in alongside the automatic feeder, and they grabbed a small water bowl before moving on to the pet food section. Here Samantha stopped to think, and he decided to give it some thought as well. There were several different brands, all with their own uniquely coloured packaging, but he really had to wonder why, when they all looked to be selling the same kind of brown pellet.

  “I don’t know about this stuff; it looks dry and nasty.”

  “It’s not for you, Daniel.” She said, exasperated.

  She picked up a red bag of food and put it into the cart.

  “This brand is pretty good. It’s a bit pricier than usual, but they’re rated pretty high, and haven’t been in any scandals.”

  That sounded somewhat concerning to Daniel, but since she seemed rather nonplussed about it, it must’ve been the norm. As they moved to the checkout counter, however, Daniel started getting cold feet about this whole thing.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Sammy, I don’t know if all this is really necessary-” He started.

  “Daniel, please.” She interrupted. “I know you weren’t planning on taking care of it in the first place, but you need this.”

  They took a moment from the conversation to pay for the items, before they started carrying them back to the van. As they walked back to the carpark, she continued.

  “If you put food on your plate, you have to finish it. That’s what she used to say, right?” Samantha asked as she opened the back door.

  He nodded numbly, putting the cat bed and pet food inside.

  “I still think you shouldn’t have let it in your house in the first place. But now that you have, you can’t just pretend that you never saw it.”

  She slammed the door shut.

  “So do it right. For it, and yourself.” She announced solemnly.

  “...Alright.” Daniel said, in a small voice.

  They got into the van and silently drove back to his apartment. As they arrived and unloaded his bounty, he said a quiet “thanks” as he opened his cardboard door. She dragged the pet food bag in and nodded, before leaving.

  Daniel stood there for a few minutes, and he wasn’t sure what expression he was making. But soon enough, he dragged the pet food to the pantry, and put the cat bed near the kitchen. He set up the automatic pet food dispenser inside the kitchen itself, while also filling the watering bowl and setting it down.

  A part of him still wondered how much of this was really necessary, but he couldn’t ignore what she said. And besides, Samantha was right – he hadn’t really been treating the creature with the consideration it deserved.

  Speaking of which, Daniel heard the rustle of cardboard and turned to find the creature entering the apartment, shaking itself off. It was rather clean this time, which he was glad for, but it had a soda can hanging loosely off of its proboscis. He took the can off and glanced inside, finding a little liquid left.

  “Thanks... Tabitha,” he said quickly. “But hey, have a look at what I bought for you over there.”

  He pointed towards the cat cave in the living room, and as the creature walked over to check it out, Daniel quietly poured the remaining soda down the drain and put the can in the trash. The creature curiously examined the cat cave, circling around it and poking it a little. It looked back to Daniel, who had just arrived behind it, with an inquisitive head tilt.

  “It’s for you to sleep in. Try going inside.” He said, gesturing towards the opening.

  The creature stared for a while before entering into the cave. He could hear it moving inside a little, before it abruptly came out, turned around, and walked backwards into the cave, disappearing into the darkness. The only indication of its existence was its proboscis poking out of the opening.

  Daniel watched it for a while, but the creature sat in there without moving. He sighed in relief. It seemed to like it. With that, he stretched his arms behind his back, somewhat tired after the short but intense morning. That being said, he felt like he’d forgotten something.

  His eyes tracked over his living room, away from the cat cave and over everything else. The messy couch, the catalogue filled coffee table, the yawning space on the stand where the TV used to be-

  He blinked. Ah, right.