My Cardboard Balcony

I'm Sorry That I Died by Belinda Roddie " I'm sorry that I died," said Roger, "but you still have to admit that it was time. The awful fits of coughing, blood like rust escaping from my lips - the horrid grime that coated the back of my throat! It parched me so that no drink could satisfy me. The way my legs gave out and how I lurched about the house and stumbled to my knees. I was quite old, my dear, and very gray - I did not have the strength to laugh or walk or even please you in cold night, hot day, or warmer afternoons. I could not talk, or smile, or love the way I'd done in youth. You'll die soon, too, and then you'll see the truth."

I was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure that my brother was a shapeshifter. It happened when I first saw a tabby sitting at the computer. Then a raccoon watching TV on the couch. I'm not quite sure how he garnered the talent. Maybe from some sort of mishap in chemistry class. Or some intergalactic tool he received like in Animorphs . Or maybe I just left the front door partially open during the night and some pests came in.