Sunday Short Story – The Cat

This week’s story brought to you by the photo below from AC Flory (check out her blog here).
This one took on a life of it’s own, I’m sorry, your cat turned nasty. This is not an indication of my preference for dogs. It’s all in the eyes here.
I’m not sure if writing in first person worked, as it changed to third person at the end.. let me know please.
Enjoy.

I lay by the pool, the air warm against my skin, even though the sun was hidden by the storm clouds brewing. It was hard to breathe, the humidity filled your mouth with a heaviness rather than the welcome coolness of the post rain air. I looked up as movement caught my eye and was surprised to see the cat outside. It never came out. Especially on days like this. It was like a girl with frizzy hair. It’s fur just went mad, and it ran around like a lunatic.
Reaching for my drink and forgetting the cats weirdness I continued reading my book. I was at just the right placed and hoped I could finish it before the rain came and I had to move. The cat meowed, a strange noise, and I glanced in its direction then back at my book. What!? I looked again, it’s eyes were glowing and staring intently at me. Creepy, I thought, and turned around in the chair. More meowing, and then the scratching.. Stupid cat, what’s it doing now. And why is it sitting next to the pool. Cats hate the water, this one more than the usual furball.
Ok, I’m not a cat lover, they just rub me up the wrong way. As if they know something. This one though, seems to love me more than the average cat. Obsessively so. Ever since I moved in with my crazy aunt the cat has not left my side. I avoid it where possible, but am ever aware it is just there.
Half an hour passes before the weirdest thing happens. The sky goes from storm looking to absolute black, nasty clouds, but it was still light and daytime. Big fat raindrops went plink and plonk onto the deck and soaked my book in no time at all. Hearing a sudden roar I looked up to see some kind of whirlwind cloud above the house, and the creepy shadow of a person on the roof. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out, it was like I was in a dream, stuck, knowing something bad was going to happen, but powerless to do anything. Turning, I see the cat had risen on its hind legs and it’s face had become some kind of devil creature, hissing and spitting. As if it senses me looking, it turns and slowly advances towards me. Knowing I shouldn’t, but unable to change direction, I walk backwards, not taking my eyes off the creature. That is no longer a cat. A noise, strange howling, from the house halts it’s progression, but I am powerless to move, despite having the perfect the opportunity. Just as quickly, the noise stops and the I am again faced with the hideousness in front of me.
I stumble backwards as it pounces, like I’m a mouse or something it wants to eat (really? This is now I die, being eaten by some hideous cat-like creature) and there is is one thing on my mind as I sink under the water for the last time……

“Muuuuuuuuummmm” the scream makes me jump, and I realise I’ve fallen asleep, my book on the ground where I dropped it.
I look around, the sun is still shining, a few clouds making shadows on the pool, and the biggest one, my son standing over me with a puzzled look on his face. “Are you having nightmares again mum?”
“It’s day time, they’re day mares” I mumble as I shake my head to try and rid it of the heavy feeling still lurking there. “And what did you want, is your sister smashing your Lego again. What’s behind your back, what are you hiding?”
“Oh, nothing, let’s go for a swim, and Lily is sleeping, no need to worry about her”
I stand, and stretch, and realise I am somewhat sunburnt, shit, that’s going to hurt tomorrow. As I turn to take a dive into the pool I notice several things at once. My son has this strange look on his face, our cat has wandered outside and is siting right on the edge of the pool, and Lily, at 2 years old is standing inside the locked pool fence, watching. I take a step forward and there is a flurry of movement, the cat, my kids and something connects with my head. The last thing I see as I sink beneath the water are the shadowy ghost like creatures above me

The police found my body two days later. It was in all the papers. “Single lady, drowned in her pool under mysterious circumstances, with an unusual wound on her head. Another victim of the house it seems. Her cat was nowhere to be found, but there was evidence of children’s clothes and toys through out out the house despite none having lived there for 60+ years, when the trouble first began”

Jen.

I will make these adjustments to the original post (The Snow) but the picture for that one came from The Professor, over here.