Curiosity of a Cat

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this feeling of not knowing was the worst part, even worse than feeling afraid of an animal he usually loved.

Danny went back to work but he was distracted. He thought of his sister. Beth always encouraged him to listen to his feelings. She said it was positive action, whether the feelings were pleasant or not. She was fond of saying things like that. She called herself an empath. "Just like Deanna Troi, right?" Danny teased her, but in truth he respected her ability to be so in touch with things. So often she would see that Danny was upset or scared even before he fully realized it himself. He wished that Beth was there to help him sort out the muddle in his brain. He was working the late shift that night though, and probably wouldn’t get to talk to her until sometime the next day. "If Beth were here, she’d love this," he thought. "She’d probably want to go and hang out with them in their room."

That was the answer! The only way to know what it was would be to go to the room and find out. As much as the prospect scared Danny, it was also a tiny bit exciting. A plan began to take shape in his head. The initial dread he had initially felt was already fading, and in its place was curiosity. He rationalized to himself that, after all, it was the feeling of not knowing what was up with those people and that animal that truly bothered him, and once he knew, the fear of the unknown would be gone. Besides, there probably wouldn’t be much to know, anyway. He would just watch them for a little while, and, when everything seemed to be normal, as it probably would be, then all the icky feelings would be gone and he would be ok. If he got caught and fired, he didn’t care, since he was just about ready to quit anyway. And it would make a great story for Beth.

Things were going very smoothly now. His shift was over, and he headed towards the employee’s exit in the back, which was perfectly unsuspicious. He turned around as if he had just forgotten something, and ran up to the second floor.

It hadn’t been difficult to obtain a key for an unoccupied room on the same floor as the strange trio. He let himself into the room and went onto the balcony. He proceeded to gingerly make his way across the adjacent balconies until he reached their room on the corner, praying that he wouldn’t slip, and that no one would notice him until he carried out the plan.

He collapsed into their balcony with relief, and took a few breaths to compose himself. Soon, he felt ready to turn around and look in the door. It was covered with drapes yet open a few inches. Danny could see and hear them perfectly.

Though the room was sumptuously furnished, the trio was reclined in a circle on the floor.

"Are you ready yet?" the woman yawned.

The white cat then stood up on its hind legs and said distinctly, "Nearly. It is just about time."

Danny heard a sudden small gasp, and realized that it came from him. The trio in the room realized it as well, and they turned to face the open balcony door.

He felt a horror unlike any fear he had ever experienced when the cat began walking toward him on two legs. Without thinking he leap over the railing.

He awoke in a sterile white room. White like the cat…he tried to jump out of bed but couldn’t move.