the cat who fed on nightmares
Once upon a time, there existed a young woman named Ava. To the casual observer, she appeared like any other young beautiful girl, composed and content. Yet, beneath this veneer lay a turbulent inner world. Ava was haunted by relentless nightmares, the lingering aftermath of a tragic past that had shattered her young life. The guilt of her morbid prank ending the lives of the ones she loved the most haunted her soul and tormented her for countless nights. In her dreams, she could see the ashes and smell the flesh, as Lucifer and Eve invited her each night to relive the burning horrors of that soulless night.
That very morning, Ava woke up from a nightmare. It was always the same: fire, ash, burning flesh, and the haunting cries of the devil himself resonating over and over again in her brain. She knew it wasn't her subconscious. As she woke from that fiery abyss, tears streaming down her face, she ran to her neighbor. The neighbor was a famous witch who always offered to help her, but Ava refused out of fear of the unknown.
Entering her shelter, she began to plead, "Rosaria, please, rid me of all my memories and nightmares. I shall comply with whatever conditions you put me under."
Rosaria agreed and gave her a black cat. Confused, Ava took it in her arms;the cat had the gaze of a thousand years of grief.
"Sweet Ava, this cat neither eats nor drinks but feeds on your nightmares. It will keep you company every night so you won't have to worry."
"And what do you want in return?" Ava asked.
"Your soul," replied Rosaria, taking off her glasses and giving Ava a sweet look.
Ava agreed without much hesitation. The contract that she signed with her own blood perished in thin air. The tragedy was completely erased from her mind. She lived a normal life. She no longer had nightmares, as the cat fed on them, but she did have a dream; she saw a vast gray sky, a dream that suffocated her. Although she stopped having nightmares, for some reason, she felt sad. And so, she lived for many years.
Finally, the witch came to claim what was agreed upon, Ava's soul. Ava shouted resentfully, "All my nightmares and bad memories have disappeared, but why can't I be happy?"
The witch, taking her soul little by little, replied, "Painful memories, guilt, regrets. Memories of hurting others and yourself, fear of being alone in this life. You could have used all of this to become stronger, but you chose to forget everything and let go of your memories on a one-way bus ride. You are a person who did not face your torments and did not overcome them. Your soul will always be that of a ten-year-old, trapped in a helpless body."
And so, the witch ended up with the soul of a child who never grew up to become stronger, trapped in the body of a woman, a body that served as a shelter awaiting the unchangeable fate.
THE END
