Sunday, January 23, 2011

Just a Cat

There is a black cat that stalks my porch every night. He is thick in fur and long in tail. His face is battered and he is missing one eye. This cat has seen his share of battles. His combative posture suggests that he is ready for more.

I hear him every night whining an eery sound like something I have never heard before.  It almost sounds like an injured baby. But, it's worse than that. I can not explain it; but whenever I hear that noise, the hairs on my arms stand on end. It's like even the tiniest particles on me know that the sound coming from outside should not exist. He whines and screeches to get my attention. He wants so badly for me to step out on the porch. I look out the window and see him pacing in front of the steps that lead to my front door.

Come out, come out, where ever you are.....

I don't open the door to this hellish cat. My inaction frustrates and thrills him all at once. I know this because of the way he wags his tail at me when I open the blinds to view this massive creature. When I close them, he begins the screeching that I can not stand.

I have only seen him once during the day. Usually he waits til night to come and visit, but on this particular day, he approached me as I walked to my car. Fur standing on end, he crouched towards me slowly. When he was sure that I saw him (and he got a good look at me) he whined and ran in the direction of the road. I was able to see the black fur clumped together by dried blood. I saw that part of his tail was missing. He reeked of death and decay. The stench lingered long after he had vanished down the street.

I can hear him out on the porch now even as I type this. He is pawing at the screen door in a feeble attempt to get me to go outside.  His nails sound like knives when they hit the metal. He is screeching at me now. A thump at the door tells me he is growing ever impatient. My windows shake and the blinds sway as he bangs into the door a second time. I hear the clump clump of his paws under my living room windows. I can tell that he's trying to peer inside to get a better look at me. My blinds are down and closed, but I still feel exposed. Goose bumps break out on my arms. I get the sensation that he is watching my chest rise and fall......Like he's counting my breaths.

A scratching sound comes from front door. It starts at the top of the door and slides down to the doorknob. Something.... Someone is on the other side twisting the knob; trying to get in. I dare not look.

Another bang. Another scratch. I jump to my feet as something begins to push on my door and twist the handle.

In a beat, silence surrounds me. I don't know where the demon cat has gone; or if he has even left. I don't dare open the door to look. What if he's out there now? Waiting. Watching. Hoping that I trust the silence enough to open the door and take a teeny tiny peek.

I won't do it. I refuse to.

************************************************************************************

It has been hours since I heard from my unwanted visitor. I sit here in bed, the dim lamp my only company. I wonder if I'd imagined the noises earlier. To be sure, it is merely a cat and nothing more. He looks evil, but it's only a cat.

Only. A. Cat.

Something is outside the window trying to get my attention. I hear scratching. As my fingers pause over the keys on my laptop, an eery whining comes from the other side of my bedroom window. It's him. I know it is. I'm going to turn off my light.

With the light out, I can see a silhouette in the window. It looks like a person. It's hard to tell exactly how tall he is. I'm only guessing as to the gender. I can't make out what it is at all. It's raising it's paw at me, in a kind of a gentle wave. It's the outline of a cat's paw. A big paw with long, sharp claws made for scratching.

The shadow has turned sideways. I can see its massive jaw as it opens up to let out a horrific screech.  Oh, dear God what is that thing? It's scratching at my window again. Wait. Not really scratching, more like it's trying to cut through the window pane.

Cooooommmmmeeee heeeeerrrrrrreeeeee, it purrs to me.

Behind the shadow, I see a tail begin to unravel. The tail is traveling up the window and

   tap tap tap

is trying to get my attention. I can't find the phone. I'm too scared to even move. What do I do?

A massive paw is banging on the window. The only thing I know to do is to run.

Run......

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