The Cat
- Cherokee Publishing Club
- Nov 21, 2023
- 3 min read
written by Tiera Taylor
Anne started every Friday the same way. She woke up and spoke with her husband of 3 years, Henry, though he didn't respond anymore. She did her hair, and she always put on one of her many favorite dresses she kept nicely in her closet. "I hope I look pretty enough for him.." she thought. She opened her royal purple curtains to let in the sunlight, never enough to see her empty king sized bed, however. She put on her shoes and headed out. Anne loved going to the florist's shop every day to buy herself the pretty flowers. The owner was always so nice to her too. Her flowers always consisted of the colors vermillion, violet, and lapis blue. This morning was different, however. As she came out of the florist shop, she spotted a cat. Henry's favorite animal was a cat, but this one looked off. Oh how Anne missed him, but he should never have done what he did to her.
Anne loved Henry dearly. She did everything she could for him. They had married when Anne was fifty-two and Henry was sixty-two. She depended on him solely after they married, as Henry required her to do so. He was tall and nice to Anne, what more could she ask for? Well, he seemed to be nice until they married. Although they were only married for 3 years, it was the worst time of Anne's life. So, she did what she had to do.
As Anne came in the door, she heard the faint sound of steps in the distance. "No one should be here.." she reassured herself quietly. She thought maybe she was just hearing things, but as she turned the corner, she was greeted by the same small cat she had seen at the market. This made her feel uneasy and anxious, but the cat was adorable. As she bent down to pet the cat it decided to run away. She followed it closely into her bedroom.
As the cat entered the room, it sat on the crimson chest at the foot of her bed. How does it know?.." she asked herself. The chest was made of the finest wood, with a red velvet covering and gold accents. Henry had bought it for her, but it was of no value to her. After all, it was his favorite colors instead of hers. He never paid attention to her that well anyways.
It was Monday morning when Anne found out about Maragret and Henry. Margaret was her cousin, and apparently, Henry's favorite. She knew why he did it, but also knew it wasn't her fault. So, she made the decision to do something about it. No one had noticed when he disappeared. After all, he had always made her do his bidding.
Anne knew it was her time, she had the feeling. She laid down once more in her empty king sized bed. As she closed her eyes, she felt the paws of the cat lay on her chest. "He's here.."she thought happily. She was content, and finally, she was free. Free by her own means, dying on her own terms.
It was the next month when the police finally decided to look into her case. The florist had notified them about her disappearance weeks ago. She didn't show up at her usual time that Friday, so he was worried. Two officers walked into the house, unknowingly entering a tragic scene. The first thing they noticed was the treacherous smell of decay. They both looked at each other and nodded. They had an idea of what they were about to uncover. However, they were unaware of just how bad it would be.
With every step they took towards the bedroom the smell got more potent. The room had a weird sense of peace, although they found the woman deceased, laying in the king sized bed. There was an indention next to her, that looked like one of an animal, "perhaps a cat" they both thought to themselves. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary, other than a red and gold chest, labeled "Henry", glimmering from the sunlight shining in. One of them, unfortunately, got curious and decided to open it. The contents can only be described as horrific.
The pieces were taken in as evidence. Although, they can not convict the deceased, can they?
Tiera is a senior at Cherokee High.
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