Before Time Runs Out

Chapter 3

A cat. Why was there a cat? A calico cat was perched upon a small side table in the hallway, staring straight at Ethel with its sharp yellow eyes. It was the most rotund animal she had ever seen aside from the rabbit that had appeared in her side yard during summer, eating all the tops of the daisies she had been growing. It hopped down with a thump, curling around Ethel's feet, purring. She leaned down to pet it, but it scurried away, before stopping and looking back at her. She sighed, walking towards it as it began to move again, following it. Here she was, following a cat around an unknown house, down unknown halls to unknown rooms. It went down a set of stairs, and to a large pair of doors, with intricate gold detailing of many diverse types of flowers carved into its wood. It meowed at her, and she grasped both handles and pulled, but the lock caught it and kept it from even budging slightly.

"Why did you show me here if it wasn't going to open?" She raised an eyebrow at the cat, kneeling to its height with her hands on her knees. It simply meowed at her, pawing at her dress until she heaved it up into her arms. She thought she could hear running water behind it, like a continuous uninterrupted stream, but paid no mind to it. Ethel noticed a pair of velvet curtains off to the side and pulled them apart with one hand while struggling with the cat. There was a spiral staircase, with small windows as it towered upwards, and it made her dizzy looking at how many stairs there were. She let the curtains fall back into place, deciding that it would be a clever idea to get some fresh air.

Ethel walked out into the main hall, opening the coat closet, and finding her fur coat, pulling it on after setting the cat down on the floor once again. She noticed it had been cleaned and had a fresh scent to it, but it was not soapy. It was familiar, and she pondered what it was before scooping the cat back up into her arms. She pulled open one of the large doors and slipped outside, the chilly air instantly chilling her breath and her face. There was a large stone patio she was upon, and she slowly walked down the frozen steps, covered in a thin dusting of fresh snow. She walked, admiring the evergreens, the cat tucked up in the folds of her coat, warming her and it at the same time. She turned around, and the sight of how grand the house truly was stealing her breath from her. It reminded her of Adare manor in Ireland, its intricate stonework and towering walls stretching up to the sky, all covered in a dusting of snow. She could see the small pillars of smoke from the multiple chimneys, reminding her of how warm the house was as she stood out in the cold. An uneasy feeling slowly crept upon her, as she studied the windows, seeing one of the curtains fall closed, and she slowly exhaled. It was one of the top floor windows, which was dark. Curiosity began to prey at her, as she pondered what could be in that room and where it was.

She walked back to the doors, smiling as she heard a small meow or joy come from the cat as she swung one of the doors open and moved back into the warmth of the house. She shrugged her coat off as the cat hopped from her arms once again, stretching its fat little legs on the soft carpet as she warmed her hands, her cheeks glowing from the cold. She hastily walked up the stairs, turning down the hall to the left. The atmosphere shifted as she walked down the much darker hall, the navy-colored wallpaper and dark trim making it feel almost gloomy. It was like a maze down the hallways on the other side of the house, the fat cat pattering along next to her. She came to another parlor, similar to the one from the night before, except with many more books and the walls being wine red wallpaper. There was a pair of grand doors, and she tugged on them, revealing a large pair of stairs into a faintly lit hallway. She slowly made her way up the stairs, revealing the small number of rooms on this level of the house, the doors being far and few. She tried each one she came across, but none of the doors would budge. She heard a small creak and turned to look further down the hall, and at the end of it a door stood slightly open, and a sliver of light peeking out from it. The cat ran off towards the door, and Ethel contemplated chasing after it before deciding to do so, carefully opening the door and slipping into the well-lit room.