Boo!

A little treat for Halloween–a short short story called “Cat’s Paw.”

 

The boy sat up in bed, listening.

First a feathery sound. Like a dry paintbrush whispering across paper.

Then footsteps softer than his own heartbeat.

Finally a thump more felt than heard as something landed on the bed.

The boy groped for a lamp. He touched the switch. He looked at the cat sitting by his feet.

He sighed. “It’s you. I thought it was something scary.”

“Silly,” said the cat. “Cats aren’t scary.”

“I’m dreaming,” the boy whispered. “Cats can’t talk!”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” answered the cat. Her whiskers were black with something sticky and dark.

“I’d worry about the rats,” she added. “Now that’s scary.”

Inside the wall, the boy could hear tiny claws scrabbling at plaster.

When the claws broke through, the boy could swear the cat smiled.

For more like this, check out Half Minute Horrors, an anthology of tiny and terrifying tales, edited by Susan Rich.