I'm going to tell you a story. It is a beautiful, sad story about a fine, upstanding young man, his tiny friend, the wonderful adventures they shared, and the tragic events that tore their friendship asunder.

Our tale begins one night as our protagonist, Nicodemus, and his good friend Antonio prepare to make the trip to see their friend Amelia. As they departed from Antonio's home, Nicodemus heard a quiet meow, and a little brown kitten bounded towards the travelers. They knelt down to pet the tiny animal as they looked around for its owner.

There was no one to be seen. Fearing that the small feline may be in danger all alone like it was, Nicodemus took it up into his arms and vowed to protect the kitten with his very life if necessary! So the travelers continued on with their newfound companion.

Amelia was very excited at their arrival. The young men foolishly believed it was their presence that brought her joy. It was actually the presence of the cute kitty cat. Amelia was so excited that she stopped studying old people so she could play with the kitten.

The four of them played and laughed all evening! Except for the kitten, who could not laugh. As Antonio watched the furry creature bounce around, he exclaimed, "I think we should call her Jimmy!" Nicodemus, Amelia, and even the cat looked puzzled by this and decided Darla would be a better name. And so it was.

As the night wore on, the friends became tired, and they all decided to retire. The question then arose, where would Darla sleep? Amelia said her roommate Jaime (prounounced HI-MAY) was out of town and generously offered Darla her bed. But Darla graciously refused, saying she cannot sleep alone. So Nicodemus took Darla home with him. Little did Amelia know, she would never again see her darling friend Darla.

Much could be written about the night that Darla spent at Nicodemus' home, but it will suffice to say that this particular cat did not take even one cat nap all night. And Nicodemus was frustrated by his guest's inconsiderate behavior--especially when she pounced on his face while he slept. Not cool.

The following day, Darla apologized and Nicodemus forgave her. (However, he secretly planned to wake her up whenever he caught her sleeping that day.)

At that moment, Antonio arrived with distressing news. He said Darla's owner had posted "Missing Kitten" signs near his home. Nicodemus did not know what to say. Everything he held dear and depended on was about to be snatched away! He looked over to Darla. She was sleeping. He let her sleep.

Nicodemus sat down by the tired cat. He wanted to explain what was going to happen, but he knew she would not understand--who really does, he thought? So he and Antonio took Darla back to her owner, said a quick farewell, and slowly walked away.

Antonio tried to comfort his friend, but Nicodemus silently turned to look back at Darla's home. He sighed and turned to go. As the old friends went, they plotted ways to get Darla back, but soon dismissed the ideas because they got hungry and went to look for something to eat.