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 Danny's Familiar  (9 ratings)by A.C. Englebert Page 1 of 4 The large black cat fixed its stare on Danny as he set the saucer of warm milk upon the window sill where his furry visitor had appeared every night since the family had moved into the hundred year old Victorian mansion a week ago. Danny shot the cat a grin, "Hello boy... still hanging around, eh? You've been my only visitor since we moved to Arkham you know!" The cat craned his neck out the window as if he smelled something upon the crisp autumn breeze and then focused his attention on the milk. Danny patted him on the head in approval, and picked up the copy of "Warlock Avenger" comic he'd ordered months ago. It had just arrived in the post that day, and he'd anxiously awaited its arrival. "So... this is the last one..." Danny said in wonderment, thumbing through the pages, "do you think they'll really kill the Warlock off in this one like they said, boy?" The cat sighed and made itself comfortable on Danny's bed, completely oblivious to the boy's idle chat. "Not interested, huh?" Danny set the comic aside. He'd found his interest in the dark comic book hero waning as well, especially since the move. He'd recounted the "Warlock Avenger's" adventures on a daily basis with his best friend Thomas who'd lived next door, but now that was all gone. Another friendship gone... that's all Danny needed. He had enough trouble making friends to begin with, and now he was already losing them! His father said the move was for the best, better job, better house, better this and better that... it all amounted to one thing in Danny's mind... starting over. If all else seemed dull, the house made up for it in some aspects. It had belonged to Danny's grandfather, an unsuccessful writer who'd only managed to keep the mortgage paid by renting the upstairs to an elderly gentleman named Mr. Eldridge, a mysterious character that no one ever really knew very well, save the pictures they'd seen in Grandfather's photo books. He was certainly a peculiar looking gentleman, with the creepiest eyes Danny had ever seen! Danny remembered his Grandfather's sudden disappearance after the odd tenant Eldridge passed away a few years ago. It had upset everyone tremendously, and Danny felt like it was part of the reason his parents had decided to move into the dilapidated house. But, dilapidated as it was, Danny enjoyed exploring the mansion with all of its hidden history and dark hallways. He sometimes pretended to be a ghost-hunter... tracking down the spirits that he was sure inhabited the ancient house. Often times he was sure that very faintly, in the black silence of evening, he could hear the ghosts calling to him softly... but it didn't scare him at all, Danny thought it was mystically charming, and it often lulled him to sleep. Danny picked up the "Warlock Avenger" issue and tossed it into the wastebasket, the cat watching as if bemused from his perch on the bed. "I don't really feel like it either, boy", he said to the dozing cat, "I'm too old for this comic book nonsense anyways. Warlocks though..." the boy thought hard, then added, "maybe we'll make a trip to the library tomorrow, you and I". Danny mulled his thought over for a minute with a smile and climbed into bed alongside the beast who made a likely candidate for a "best friend"... or at least for the moment. Danny didn't sleep very well that particular night. The autumn breeze rattled the brittle branches of the monstrous oak against the window of his dark bedroom, and suddenly the house itself seemed like a world all it's own, stretching into an eternally whirling darkness. Dreams of the unknown plagued him throughout the night, and often, he awoke in a nervous sweat to find the cat, standing steadfast, looking down upon him with its saucer-like eyes. The eyes themselves were a most terrifying sight... filled with some sort of pulsing greenish flame that seemed to flicker with all manner of evil trickery. Danny quivered and rode out the night with the covers drawn in close about him to ward off whatever malicious presence had invaded his mind. Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 A.C. Englebert, sffworld.com. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the author. The author has submitted the work in accordance with and in agreement with the following Submission Guidelines. |
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