Cassie the Sweetheart by Kateryna Kotsur

Whether you are a platypus,

an average adult, a baby pug, an excentric senior lady, a chubby toddler, the most monstrous Komodo dragon of all the Indonesian islands or, what is worse, a hungry teenager with raging hormones–whatever living being you are–once meeting Cassie, you will be head over heels in love with her.

You see, Cassie gives the best hugs in the world. Her hands are soft and movements are graceful; she reaches you as if any contact between people is a miracle. Cassie welcomes you in her personal space, and you get a whiff of honey-sweet jasmine, basking in the warmth of that body. Cassie gently caresses your back, whispering, “How’s your day, darling?” Oh, at this point, your day couldn’t be better. 

Cassie smiles brightly and laughs wholeheartedly. Tell her a bad joke or a good one (just make sure it is kind), the doe amber eyes turn into crescents, and two uneven dimples pop up on the freckled cheeks. Peach-coloured lips part, showing off rows of slightly crooked teeth. 

Cassie, as a routine in such cases, looks around to see who else is smiling, putting a stray lock of fair hair behind the ear. Who else is smiling? The entire room. 

Ah, first time meeting Cassie? Listen to how she articulates her name–as if it’s just another of her laughs. Straight from the beginning, Cassie catches every word you pronounce and gazes at you with passion, never meant to be deciphered. 

Are you asking if Cassie likes art? She is obsessed with art! “Have you been to that new exhibition everybody’s talking about?” 

By the way, do you happen to be a cat lover? Because Cassie does, she is, more precisely, a cat worshipper! Cassie, though, has only two of them… both picked up from the street. “Look,” Cassie is showing you a photo of smug-looking felines, “this one is Bean-toed Paprika and the other is Mini-Yoongi.” 

So, Cassie is enchanted by humans; Cassie has a PhD in Admiring (them and the whole universe). In return, it seems like humans are equally enchanted by Cassie. At her workplace, which is an ordinary school on the outskirts of the town, most of her colleagues come to the staffroom merely to talk to Cassie, and, maybe, to steal a serving of zest from her. Oh, and students… Science lessons have the best presence of all. In the corridors, those children notice Cassie’s flowery dress and flock to her like moths attracted to light. The wittiest, the most compassionate, the bestest teacher of all time.

Cassie’s always got your back, relax. In cases of emergency, she brings you the chocolatiest brownies to exist and takes out that Tibet monk’s wisdom of hers to give the wholesome advice you were praying for. Cassie waters her elderly neighbour’s Ficus when the man leaves for a vacation. She volunteers in the local family hub on Thursdays.

Never ask anybody to reveal the hidden flaws of Cassie: they won’t recall. They will never recall flaws. 

Cassie is not Marie Curie, but a genius woman, too. Cassie is a creator. She simply wants to help people, isn’t it transparent? That’s why Cassie is creating! She attends her little laboratory every once in a while and does what she was born for–chemistry. Cassie is creating gases. Their formulas look pretty, resembling patterns on her colourful scarfs. They are nice gases. Perhaps just a little mysterious. Like Cassie herself. 

They are nice gases, believe her! Three late kittens and the Ficus neighbour’s grandson, recently deceased, are a speck of dust compared to their magnificence.

Cassie knows that the future is her creations. This way, it’s OK to test their powers on her beloved humans at school and at the hub, too. They will be extremely grateful one day, won’t they?