sounds in the night

4:45 am. I am sleeping soundly, a rare restful sleep. For once, the cat has not been spending the night traveling back and forth across my pillow, deciding whether 'tis better to sleep on the left or nobler to sleep on the right. Ah, peace.

Thump.

I wake immediately and peer into the darkness. Juliet is on the floor, on her side, head up, but not moving much. She sees me looking at her and meows, but I can't tell if she's humiliated or hurt.

She has not had a seizure. She has fallen. It's unclear whether she started on the bed and fell off, or whether she decided to jump and couldn't make it. I direct her toward the tiny stairs leading up to the bed, and she makes it up fine. Of course, she's back to sleep again long before I am.