Writing Prompt Short Stories

1 - What's Behind

Prompt: I always thought my cat had a staring problem - she always seemed fixated on my face. Until one day, when I realized she was always looking just behind me.

Source: Instagram; prompts_for_dayz

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     Ever since the first day I got my cat, Muggle, I knew something about her was strange. I still remember the exact day I picked her up from the local pet store; it was a surprise if I'm being honest. I went into the store, as I did from time to time, just looking. Scanning the cages of birds, hamsters, lizards, and the occasional cat or dog. The smell of the place was never very welcoming, but what can you expect with so many animals crammed in cages in a small building. I was about to leave when I noticed the small cage in the back and now I wished I never had. A small black cat sat alone in a barely noticeable cage; maybe for the sake of the sentiment that black cats are a curse, but I'm not one to be superstitious. The thing that really caught my eye was that she seemed to be staring at me, and even if I moved she never seemed to lose contact like her eyes were following me. In that moment, I mentally 'aw-ed' and thought it was the most adorable thing ever. So, I did what any sane, and maybe a bit impulsive, person would do; I decided to adopt her.

     Even from day one I knew she was strange, because she continued to stare at me and only me. She acted weird too, but I was no animal expert and certainly not a cat expert, so I just assumed maybe some of the acts were normal. Hell, I could barely take care of myself, and now I was expecting myself to take care of a creature that could barely do anything for itself. It was almost like having a baby; she just didn't need one-hundred percent attention and care. Still, this cat seemed pretty strange. Muggle followed me around everywhere she could, or at-least was allowed to, and she was always staring at me. It became a joke among my friends as well a myself that she had a staring problem and was in love with  me, but I mean if you were stuck in a cramped cage all day I guess you would be grateful to whoever saved you and took you home, right? Sometimes we would even try to talk to the cat, stupid I know, like she was actually going to say something back. "Muggle, you know it's not nice to stare right?" That was one of the reoccurring sayings spoke in my house.

     The sad part is, it's been almost a year since I brought Muggle home. Almost a year of her staring at me daily. And, it took almost a year to figure out she isn't staring at me; she was never staring at me. It dawned on me one day when I was sitting with Muggle during our nightly tea and movie spree. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I remember something clattering to the floor; I think maybe it was a spoon from my tea. I went to pick it up which is when I noticed Muggle was still staring at the spot my head had been, but I was slightly hunched over. I chuckled to myself and made a playfully gesture towards my cat. "Wow, Muggle you finally didn't stare at me for once!" But, it wasn't long after that I started to realize when Muggle was staring at me she was always staring just over my head or over my shoulder. To say that didn't creep me out a little was a lie, but things didn't get creepy until I saw something myself.

     I know this sounds crazy, believe me for days on end I thought I was going insane. I was never really the type to believe in demons and ghosts before, but know I can assure you they are real, or at-least something is out there that isn't human. One night probably about a week after I figured out that Muggle has been creepily staring behind me this whole time, I was going through my nightly routine. It was later than normal, closer to midnight, because I had had a rough day. I was finishing up with brushing my teeth when I ducked to spit, and when I was back upright I swear I saw something behind me out of the corner of my eye, but in a split second - barely enough time for me to blink it was gone. I shook it off taking it as late night jitters; I mean besides a cat I was living alone in a decent sized house and plenty of people mistake seeing things in the dark, but that was just the start of it.

Many things began to happen after that night, and it inevitably became undeniable that there was something going on. It was more than just midnight frights or my mind wandering as it tended to do. I don't know how to explain any of it, and it only gets worse as each day passes. It started with the slight glimpses of something just enough to freak you out. After a while, the voices started; whispers lost in the night that seemed to come from everywhere but nowhere all at the same time. Then, the touches - which recently have been getting more violent. I'm scared now; I don't know how long this thing has been following me when I was blissfully unaware. All I know is for the past year my cat hasn't been staring at me but has been staring at what's behind.

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Word Count: 966