A wish has been granted - but at what cost?

As I settle down and gradually remember what it feels like to relax on a school night, I'm finding it harder and harder to take my mind off a fact which, as of tomorrow morning, will transform into a definite reality: two new kittens joining the family. After months of searching, waiting and weekly visits to catch up with the chosen ones, tomorrow will mark the historic day that the two kittens, whom have been named Teddie (the first ever female kitty in the family) and George, will be coming home. And, without needing to say more, at last!

From the moment that the idea was mentioned around the beginning of summer, I've been counting down the days, minutes and, as the current figures will hardly send my head into a spin, seconds until that glorious moment arrived, shrouded in the glory of introducing precious members in a loving family. Having been born a cat lover, it shouldn't surprise you that, whereas most teenage girls would damage their vocal cords by screaming at the top of their lungs when receiving a ticket for a One Direction concert, I'd rick losing my voice at the prospect of adopting two kittens - which might explain why, on the eve of the life-changing day, I've suddenly developed a sore throat!

Ah, on the off-chance that you were curious about today's title, there is much more to the truth than my cherished wish being granted by the fairy godmother whom I've never encountered and may or may not be capable of producing a pumpkin-style carriage (which would make the journey to and from school far more enjoyable than somebody sitting on my lap on the crowded bus). By saying that a wish has been granted, I mean that my desire to come along to the grand picking-up tomorrow morning has been listened to and, unlike my previous pleas, not ignored.

Due to tomorrow being a school day, I would have otherwise been obliged to trudge along to another exhausting day of learning - in which your teachers may even be the receptionists, a possibility not yet encountered in my most detested subject, Maths - and would have yelped like a sulking puppy to accompany my parents on the journey to bring the kittens home. Weeks in advance, I'd already begged with my mum to figure out a way that I could see the kittens before even coming home from school, but it was unfortunately not an option that I could explore: I was either going to be involved or left out of the festivities until flying through the door at half three in the afternoon. And, until today, the latter was the most likely prospect.

When I woke up this morning, an uneasy sensation tingled in my throat, which felt like some food that had extended their stay in the oven for a little too long: dry, burnt and deeply, painfully unpleasant. No other words could describe my condition better than a sore throat which, more than twelve hours on, has continued to swell and become more uncomfortable as the hours has passed by. Apart from my lessons, very little has distracted me from these horrible symptoms and I struggled to get through the school day, even reaching a point that I could no longer focus on anything other than the tightness in my chest and ever-weakening exhaustion.

The only exceptions have been, as you probably guessed, the prospect of the kittens coming home tomorrow, the thought of which places an ecstatic grin on my face. Kittens and Strepsils are mainly the only things that I can be bothered to think about right now, and the furry kind is helping get onto the road to recovery - though I wonder whether the worst has yet to come!

Cut a long story short, I've reached a decision which, albeit not so big a chance that my life will be thrown into the air, it is significant for the next 24 hours or so: I'm taking the day off school tomorrow. On the day that my parents are planning to pick up the kittens and introduce them to our other two cats for the first time. A strange coincidence which, in many ways, I had been hoping and praying for.

Now this means that I'll be given the opportunity to come along and sit next to the basket containing the kittens on the way home - wish granted! As much as I'm thrilled to be witnessing such a priceless moment in Teddie and George's lives, I do wish that I felt better or my throat wasn't burning like a fierce candle. However, not every single wish that you dream of coming true is guaranteed to be granted, even if it would make a massive difference to your situation. On the bright side, I'd much rather give up an hour of Maths in favour of spending some quality time with the kittens - who needs A* equations if you witness two beautiful beings playing with one another for the first time?

Anyway, all this pain, reliance on cough medicine and general tendencies to moan (like a wrinkly old woman trapped in a fifteen year old's body) will be forgotten about once I lay eyes (yet again) on Teddie and George, who will have gotten ready for their important moment in the spotlight. No attention will be given to my needs because, from now on, those of kittens - and all of our cats - are the only ones that will matter. Being in the company of wonderful animals like cats takes your mind off anything, including matters as great as living off Calpol during the Fourth Cold of the Summer/Autumn 2014.

Well, at least the beginning of this October will be one to remember, won't it? Colds, spluttering and bundles of fur - just my kind of month!