The last thing I would of expected to find on my doorstep was a cat. Sleek, elegant and purring like an erupting volcano, it sat there in a wood woven basket staring at me. Of course I couldn't just leave it there, so I grabbed it and brought it inside, making sure that the cradle didn't bump. Resting the basket on my table, I examined the worn basket in which the cat sat in. It was made out of swamp ash, my wood working skills finally finding a good use. It was hand woven and looked like it was made with care. Being a person with an interest in decor, I kneaded the wood carefully, feeling the bumps in the wood. Of course this had nothing to do with decor, but the feeling of wood against fingers was gratifying. Inside the basket the cat sat, intentionally on a round cushion. I picked the cat up, being careful not to hurt it and placed it on the table. It didn't move. I looked at the cushion, which was soaking wet. Unlike wood, frail cotton does get wet. Once the cushion had been elegant and would have gone well in a modern house, but now it was a dull colour and was smudged. Discarding the cushion, I had a look underneath the cushion. Sure enough there was a letter. Not trusting myself to move the stiff cat, I picked up the smudged piece of paper and read the letter:






Tis have been many days since I bought this cat, a faithful companion. This cat is a dear friend of mine, and I cannot stand to see him fall, as I will. Please take care of my dearest, stranger, so that I may rest in peace.



(P.s. make sure that he has milk every night, else he will shrivel up and die.)






I grimaced at the last part of that letter. It wasn't right. I looked over to the cat, which was now dozing. The cat was speckled brown with a tinge of orange on the end of its tail. It was curled up into a ball, which made it look like a mass of furry fat. I had never had a cat before, and didn't want to get one now. The letter had deeply disturbed me however. What should I do with the cat? Who sent this letter? What did they mean by



"I cannot stand to see him fall, as I will." It didn't make any sense. It was late at night, and it was hard to keep thinking. The cat was sleeping as well, so I thought why should I go to sleep as well? I ended up curling up there on the couch, which was next to the table. My sleep was pleasant and unbroken until something brushed against my face.






Being an adult of 25, usually these things, such as sounds in the night, or brushes to the face, as is stated in this case, will not affect the adolescent mind of a young adult. The dreams of a man of 25, are usually spent thinking of skiing, girls, holidays, gaming, and the troublesome thoughts of work and your next 25,000 word report you have to do for your newly appointed boss. In this case however, our faithful character whom we know so well, had disturbing dreams of the land beyond, of creatures unknown to men, in the deep depths of uncharted territory well below the surface of which mankind has ventured, where the gods of caves and monsters still rule.



That night James dreamed of the king of feline domination, a petty but horrifying experience for those who witness it. Of course, this sort of idea is laughed upon by the normal, but in this case our companion found it quite mentally disturbing. The shivering touch of a tail, brushing across his face was enough to awaken the sleeping mind into a panicked state, causing him to jump up, posed to fight his idea of an evil feline creature ready to take him away to his doom. Fists clenched, faced morphed into one of confusion, yet intense brutality, our companion stood upon the bed in a pose of fighting. His mind being clouded, he did not notice that the dark gloom around him was not one of horrifying darkness and doom, but a comforting musty representation of his room, dirty and full of shadows. Glancing around, he realised he was not in a feline cavern where creatures feasted upon the souls of humans, but his old, comforting room, that he called home. Finally his confusion was lifted and he was brought back to the real world, where he found the cat brushing against his stiff legs, on his bed. The cat look proud and powerful in the dark gloom, with ito s piercing eyes disturbing the darkness. He was back in the world of humanity, where monsters were no longer thought of, and his mind could rest.

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Hope you liked the story, this took me about 10 minutes to write. I won't be writing any more on this story, unless someone offers me a million dollars for the books. xD

Anyway, hope this is good, and good luck!

NOTE: Don't ask for more details, I don't have them. And the main character (the person called I) is called James. A very basic name. xD

I might add more, this post was for the comfort of ReaCraft, who urged me to continue the story. Of course, I haven't really added much, but I hope this is enough.