Over the years, I never really thought much about death, until I almost stepped right onto it.

It was late, and the three of us were taking a late night stroll down the canal road, with only the light of the moon to keep us on the correct path. We were totally silent, save for the crunch of gravel and dirt underneath our feet. This walk is almost ritualistic for me, since I walk down said canal road every time I come to that area.

After around fifteen minutes of silently walking, one of my friends was falling asleep on her feet. I told her to ride on my back, so she did, and we continued on the path of loose gravel and dirt. Some time later, we finally reached the point in the path that merged with the asphalt road. At that point, it was customary to take a left turn and make the trip back to the house. Frequently adjusting the weight on my back, we scuffed further down the road, clearly lit by the luminous moonlight.

Then the least expected happened, right in front of me. About half way down the road to our destination, I almost stepped right on it, the corpse of a small, young kitten that had it’s life ended before it could even start it, thanks to a speeding vehicle. Upon seeing the small animal, I immediately seized up and couldn’t breathe. After recovering from almost dropping my friend on my back from the sudden depletion of blood from my head, I set her down, and collapsed in the middle of the street. As I lay on the ground, gasping for air and choking back tears, I looked up to see a car coming down the road towards us. I got out of the way, leaving the kitten in the road, and watched the car speed past, thankfully missing the corpse of the kitten. After the car passed, I immediately dove into the road and grabbed the kitten, which seemed completely normal except for scabbed over scrapes on its head and some rigor mortis. After wrapping the kitten in a blanket we were carrying, I started to walk onward. Hugging the wrapped animal tightly to my chest, finding it harder and harder to draw breath and hold back tears, I walked onward, planning to bury the poor animal at my friend’s house.

Upon reaching our destination, I grabbed a shovel and got to work, letting my friends go inside to get some sleep. After almost an hour of tiresome digging in the rock-hard earth behind the house, I placed the poor animal in the hole, noticing then that its leg was shattered beyond repair. I stoked its soft kitten fur and said a few words, holding back my urge to cry the entire time. I then covered the hole with the dirt I had painstakingly excavated and put a wooden plank over the top, followed by rocks to keep wild animals out, and another prayer to the lost animal.

I have never seen anything that traumatized me this much, and it has helped me confirm my future ambitions. I have frequently thought about having a career in animal relations, and after this event, I have made up my mind. I plan on entering a field related to animals, so I can help them any way I can, and prevent things like this from happening. It has also helped me realize how valuable a life is, even if it isn’t human.