Your Worst Nightmare

It had been raining all day when after a hard day's work I headed home. I served my self some juice and relaxed on the luxurious couch. After all I was getting paid for my hardwork. After a few minutes of channel surfing, the clock on the wall chimed. I looked up it was 10:00 pm. I decided to get to bed. It was what my body demanded from me. Slowly I dragged myself toward the stairs, when I thought I heard a knock. But dismissing it as the games of my tired mind, I continued up the steps.

Midway through my stride I heard the knock again, accompanied by some other strange noises. I stopped and tried to listen attentively. The knock was there, but this time I also heard a scratching and a horrible wet-gurgling sound. I rushed to the door because of two reasons.

Firstly, the scratching sound was really hard on my ears and I couldn't bear it. Also the thought of someone disfiguring my door was uneasy for me to digest

Secondly, the horrible wet-gurgling sound I heard was hard to place. I thought that was the sound of someone getting ready to vomit at my doorstep.

I opened the door, and to my astonishment, I found a black cat with green luminiscent and innocent eyes staring at me. It was all soaked and the water still dripping from its body, the poor creature shivering in cold.

I pitied the cat and picked it up and put it in the sink. Now if you ask why did I put it in the sink? Here is why, there was a Persian rug and a luxurious sofa in the hall and I did not want them to be ruined. I cleaned the cat, wiped it dry and folded it in a warm dry towel. I picked the folded bundle and placed it near the table in the kitchen. And before leaving I gave it one last look and the innocent looking cat was staring back at me with its yellowish-green devilish eyes. I noticed a small bottle tied to its neck but thought it was the name of the owner and went back to the stairs.

I kicked my shoes off and dived on the bed. Ah the comfort at last. I rolled sideways to set the alarm and noticed it was 11:00 pm. After setting the alarm for a little late than usual hour I set the piece back. I lay on my back, all the tensions and strains flowing out. In less than a minute I dozed off into a slumber sleep.

It seemed less than an hour before I woke up to some noise. I looked at the time-piece and it showed the 1:00 am time. My eyes were straining to stay open and eventually they failed, and like a shutter they shut close. My body also too tired to move an inch turned around and lay still. Then suddenly a large booming sound from downstairs was heard. I suddenly realized, that it was my new T.V blaring at high volume. I ran downstairs and found the cat on the couch, its legs tucked underneath it, watching T.V. I did not know what to think. I just went over and switched off the T.V and returned the cat to the kitchen. While returning the cat top the kitchen I thought I might give a look at the bottle tied to its neck. I tried to remove the little bottle but it would not come off. I tried to find any engravings suggesting the owners name etc but found none.I went back to my room with a little uneasy feeling inside returned to my sleep.

But a good night of sleep was not in my fate that night. I heard the sound of some crockery getting shattered on the ground. I jumped from my bed in a hurry, afraid that a robber has broken into my house, rushed over to the kitchen. There I find most of my expensive china clay pottery gracing the floor. The cat on the table and infront of it was a bowl full of milk and Kelloggs. The cat had the spoon in its paw and was just about devour the breakfast but stopped seeing me enter. I rubbed my eyes amazed and astonished to look at the cat like that. But then the cat was sitting in front of the bowl and not even trying to have a go at the bowl full of milk. I thought I was hallucinating and going to a psychiatrist was the first thing on my list in the morning.The part that a cat could break and wreak havoc was understandable but a cat pouring milk in a bowl and having it with a spoon was nerve clotting. I could not imagine such a thing in my dream.

I zig-zagged my way through through the broken pieces and shards of crockery, picking up the cat I left the kitchen in its rubble form. I covered the cat with a towel and placed some rubber sheets on the sofa and the rug then put the cat back down on the ground. This time it sat quitely looking intently in my eyes. I just could not make out what it was thinking.

I went back to my bedroom upstairs and this time I lay awake for some time. I had read somewhere, that cat slept half way through the day and this cat was not doing so, instead I found it at strange places and doing the strangest things. I looked at the time-piece beside my bed. It was 4:00 am. I went back to sleep with a lot of strain on my mind and and an easy feeling about the happenings.

The time-piece was ringing and I was cursing inside my heart. It was morning already. I opened my eyes to find the black cat holding the time-piece in one of its paws and an evil smile on its face sitting on my chest. I jerked out of my bed but the cat was unruffled still sitting on my bed with the time-piece ringing. And in an act straight out of the cartoons it lifts the time-piece high and drops it into its mouth. The alarm stops ringing.

In a dazed feeling I ask the cat,"Who... What are you?"

"Your worst nightmare,"answers the cat and I find myself saying to no one in particular "very original."

"What do you want?"

"I want your soul, buster," saying this it stands on its two hind legs.

"You are a devil?" it was more of a statement then a question from me.

"Maybe, maybe not. Its how you percieve me. If you think of me as a devil than I am one." saying that it metamorphosed into a red demonic ugly creature with two horns growing out of its head, a pointy tail growing out and the face contorted into different ugly, horrific and vomit enducing forms.

I closed my eyes scared not knowing what to expect, and when I opened my eyes, there was nothing infront of me. Thanking, don't know who, I was standing there unable to fathom what just happened. If it was a dream than it was very much close to reality. I was standing there, sweating, my shirt stuck to my back, sweat dripping from my face as if I had just splashed water on it.My palms greasy and legs trembling.

Just when I thought it was all over I heard the noise of my T.V. and realized this was not yet over.

I slowly and cautiously went downstairs and found the cat holding the remote, surfing channels. It was sitting like humans, crossed leg and one of the arm or the front paw on the side of the couch.

"Come and sit down. After all this is your home."

Collecting all the courage left in me I spoke.

"What do you want from me?"

"I already said, your soul," replied the cat like a businessman still watching T.V.

"I won't give it to you for anything in the world,"I spat back.

"Fool. Do you really think you would know if there is a soul missing in your body.You already act like a soulless creature."

"Thank you for showing appreciation for helping you. Was that not a soulful kind gesture?"

"That was pity you showed me. Who do you think you are fooling! After all, I teach your kind most of the things?"

Like what?" I asked.

"Like what? You cheat, you lie, backbite, steal, you commit the most heinous crimes.At least one of the things every one has done in their lives and you are not an exception. What more do you want?"

To this I had no answer. The stupid cat was telling the truth but I could not agree it infront of it. That would be accepting defeat.

"Answer this. What do you think soul is? Why do you want to keep something you don't know, if it is there or what it does.? Give it to me?"

"I don't know what a soul is why don't you tell me? And if it is not their you can not take a thing which is not there." and with that reply I shocked even myself.

But the cat kept watching T.V., changing channels at random and sitting like a stuffed cat puppet. And then in moment it took out the little bottle tied to its neck, downing the contents in its mouth and then threw the remote smashing my brand new T.V.

"You know what!? I am not here to go that easily and leave you in peace, stoner!" another one of its mischievious smile flashed on me. But this time this black cat was drunk and staring me directly into my eyes, standing erect on its hind legs.
"Come to think of it I am going to rest you in pieces. How many I don't know but I will not leave untill you have no peace."

This was the last straw, all my fear taking a backseat, it was replaced by anger and I went for the cat but it jumped out of reach . It climbed on the T.V and then on the chandelier and started throwing the bulbs down at me. I tried my best to get out of the way. From the kitchen I brought a spare rod which I don't remember why I kept, but I wasn't complaining now. With the rod I hit the cat hard at its butt but I also brought down the chandelier by doing so. Then I saw that the cat standing on my sofa. All its hair and its muscle erect and in an attacking pose.I waited for it to attack but then the cat smiled. I looked down and saw its claws grounded in my sofa, and then stretching as a sleepy cat, it tore open my sofa.
"Oops! I did it again. Played with your couch and tore it into rag oh baby baby ...." again it gave that smile on a cat which beginning to annoy me

"You witch!(I could not have called it a bitch, it would have been most inappropriate.) I will get you for that," I bellowed, screaming as I ran after it. The cat turned, skidded and dodged me, all around the house. It seemed I could never catch it, I had to stop, to catch my breath. But when I looked up to see, I couldn't find it. I went back to the couch to assess the damage done.There I found the stupid cat staring, as it already dug my rug and started to pass urine.

I jumped directly at it but missed and landed face first on its shit. The smell was so foul that I don't know much except that with great difficulty I came back to my bedroom and passed out.

I woke up with a scream and not to soon realized that it was all just a bad dream. I was greatfull for that. I left my bedroom and descending down the stairs, I saw the black cat sleeping at the end of the stairs. Hearing me come, it lazily lifted its head and opened its eyes like a newborn would do. I looked at it suspiciously and cautious for any unwanted movement from it. But it didn't do any thing, and I realised how stupid of me to expect a cat to do something odd. After all it was a dream, disturbingly true yet only a dream. The cat then sank back to its earlier posture but not before winking and a hint of smile directed towards me and I caught a mischievious glint playing in its eyes. I stood there rooted with no clue, what to think.