The Black Cat

Beware of strays...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink balloons adorned the mailbox, announcing the birth of a baby girl.

Tom opened their door, exactly 6:30 a.m., to retrieve the morning paper. He gazed down at a black cat, sitting quietly, looking at him.

"Go on, shoo!" He returned inside, then later left for work. The cat had disappeared.

The next morning it happened again. He mentioned it to his wife, Mary, who had taken leave from work to care for their new baby. She decided to give the poor cat some leftover scraps. It became a morning ritual.

After a week, the cat simply walked inside as Tom was getting his morning paper. They'd grown fond of Sabatha, as they'd named her, and let her stay.

Suddenly, one Saturday, they heard screams coming from the baby's room. They rushed in, and watched worm-like tentacles reaching from Sabatha's mouth into their baby's eyeballs. Blood ran down as the cat sucked the life out of their child. Mary fainted. Tom stared in horror.

Nobody believed them, of course. They received life in prison for murder.

On another street, blue balloons decorated a mailbox. A black cat sat patiently on the doorstep in the early morn.

　

Author's Note

Flash fiction. 196 words. Picture courtesy of pantherkut.com

Reviews

[TLK]

The "Suddenly, one Saturday" comes out of nowhere so fast that it's hard to feel empathy.