An Unexpected Guest

By Ryann McCready

 

Shadows have eclipsed the room, seeming to deepen with every passing minute. Your eyes slowly trail over the room, ears straining for a clue as to what the scratching noise had been. A patch of darkness, the darkest patch, catches your eyes, drawing them in like a magnet. The metallic gleam of a gold jewel stabs at you and your eyes clench, head swivelling to avoid the beam of light. Your body is pulled forward, led on a string by an unknown puppet master. Curiosity is dictating your body, one foot dropping as the other lifts up, even as fear is punishing your mind. Your brain tries to take back the controls of your body, tries to push your feet into the floor, screaming at you to simply hit the rewind button and slide right back into the halo of light, into safety, but the light only gets smaller and smaller as you ease into the darkness. Your wooden legs creak as your body is enveloped by the plush carpet, your hands finding the soft strands of the wool beneath you. As your arm stretches out, the cream carpet bleeds into the oily shadows, and your hand is suddenly surrounded by a smouldering coal fire. Your body recoils like a snapped spring. That gold gem you had seen has multiplied, dizzying dots spiralling around them, their raw pull freezing your eyes. Paralyzed, mesmerized, only the “whoosh” of air releasing gives any indication that you finally discovered the cause of the noises. Unbothered by your cool hands, he flows like water, easing out of the darkness as if he is taunting you; ever so slowly, lifting one paw up, and stretching out. You wait for the flick of his tail, but instead, a small tuft of hair behind him twitches, magnifying the empty space where the rest of the cat should be. Realizing he doesn’t have a tail, your eyes pinch just slightly, scrutinizing the mysterious being. Equally as intrigued, his eyes seem to drag over you, ears vibrating with every, seemingly echoing, cavernous breath. Your hand brushes your ear, as the sight of his own punches you in the chest. Sharp jagged edges raking down his left ear, resembling a shark bite. All of a sudden, caught up in the unexpected enigma, a soft rumble touches your heart. Your hand, creeping forward, brushes the tips of his back once, twice. Soon your fingers are stroking his silky hair, as his own bury themselves into the ground. Your hand slows, and like a vacuum, you suck in as much air as possible, before wrapping your hands around his too-thin body. When there is only a slight hiccup in his purr, you fully envelop him in your warmth, cuddling him to your chest like a new-born babe. Shoulders slumping, you can feel your own eyes drooping, even as your mouth curves up. The thought of where he came from seems to float off into the breeze coming in from the open window, as you feel your heart open its doors, and urge him inside. The click of a key grinding in a lock fills the room, as your heart holds him prisoner, but not even that can distract you from the sneaky feeling of a word crawling into your ears. Shadow; much the dark silhouettes that surrounded you for your unexpected meeting, the word is all around you. It hits the wall and reflects back, again and again, unrelenting in its pursuit of you. His name should be Shadow.