Thomas stepped into the walk-in cooler, his breath misting in the air as he scanned the scene in front of him. The orderly stacks from yesterday had dissolved into chaos, cartons toppled, and produce scattered. It felt unrelentingly familiar, as if he’d lived this scene before—each day repeating, looping endlessly as an old film stuck on the same frame. Thomas couldn’t shake the suspicion that reality itself had rewound, even though he’d tried to put things right. He wondered if he was being haunted by some karmic debt, forced to relive mistakes he didn’t remember making.

Shadows flickered at the edge of his vision. Suddenly, the lights overhead hummed louder, casting strange patterns across the linoleum. Thomas closed his eyes, the world spinning, and when he opened them again, everything had changed.

He wasn’t standing any longer; he was lying low, pressed to the cold floor. His hands—gone. In their place: furry, striped paws. The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying. Thomas had become a cat. Memories flashed through his mind: the taste of milk, the urge to chase, the desire to curl up in a sunbeam. He wondered, had he always been destined for this? Did the universe decide he’d be better off leaving his human problems behind for a simpler, feline existence?

Before Thomas could explore his new form, a voice boomed from the doorway: “Who let the cat in?! Hey, buddy. Where’s Thomas?” Panic surged—was he lost, or had he simply shed his old self? The bossman’s confusion matched Thomas’s own. He tried to meow, hoping someone might understand, but all that emerged was a plaintive cry.

He realized the mystery was bigger than himself. Was this transformation punishment, escape, or something stranger—a crossing between worlds?

As the day wore on, Thomas the cat found himself drawn to a shimmering patch of sunlight near the back wall. The air crackled, and with a rush, he was pulled through—a portal to somewhere else. On the other side, the world felt familiar but different. A gentle woman scooped him up. “Welcome home, kitty,” she whispered, stroking his fur. He looked up, meeting her eyes, and knew that in this new place, he was someone’s beloved pet—a fresh start, a new identity, and perhaps, a mystery solved.

He had finally escaped the endless loop. Now, as Thomas the cat, he belonged—no longer trapped by fate, but living out a new chapter in someone else’s world.