Milo

In this short story beloved feline Milo vanishes out a window. His disappearance is devastating and searching for him preoccupies that summer. Hoping for his return through an unexpected miracle, the author describes the anguish of a soul-mate pet gone missing. Milo is the only remaining cat of the many she's had, and a special trip is planned for Milo to celebrate their bond. But when Milo disappears, besides the heartache, even the daily functioning of life goes awry. The author struggles with Milo's significance to her and how she should handle this loss. Milo's disappearance symbolically mirrors deprivation and shortcomings in the lives of other people the author encounters during her search. Milo needs to be found, and lives need resolution when setbacks occur. Besides finding Milo, the story explores love, loss and coping.