I had an odd encounter with a solitary white cat last night. Sitting out on my porch at 3am, thinking and writing, I looked up to see a small, pure white cat whom I had never seen before ambling casually down a street perpendicular to my own. She turned onto my road, and continued along my curb, still walking slowly with her eyes focused ahead. As she approached the pavement that runs from my steps to the street, she looked up at me, and we made eye contact. If I believed in such things, I would have said I had just gone through a profound religious experience. For those brief 30 seconds, I felt a connection with the creature that I rarely feel with other humans, let alone animals. She seemed to acknowledge my presence and I hers as a fellow creature made calm by such an hour of the night. Nothing more and certainly nothing less. I think it’s the simplicity that made it so powerful. It was only understanding. Then, quietly and calmly as she came, the white cat continued on her way. I’ve decided to name her Angel.