“Me tired,” Pixel interrupted. He lay down next to the fire, rolling back and forth on his back, wagging his tail. A bright orange and blue aura color radiated from the fat orange cat, the essence of peace and kindness. He was a kind cat. Whatever he knew about Lionel’s murder, he would tell us in time.
The Abigail girl gazed around the cabin, seeing its dusty floors, dirty windows and the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. “This could be a nice place.” She walked around, the floorboards creaking. I followed. Stepping outside, she went to the small outbuilding where Agatha Hollows kept her herbs and medicinals. The small vials were dusty, drenched in the same cobwebs as the cabin. “What is all this?”
“Agatha Hollows was a healer. The mountain people came to her for all their ills. This is where she kept her medicine.”
Abigail picked up a jar of sage, opened it, and took a whiff.
“She taught me how to use the local herbs to make potions. I know which ones can help with your headaches,” I said.
“Can you stop the voices?”
“The voices are real, Abigail. You can only stop them by listening to them.”
She ignored me. It took me many years to accept the voices I heard. Abigail sat down on a small stool by a rack that held jars of dried herbs. She opened one and pulled out the herbs. They were brittle from drying too long. She took them in her hands and breathed them in.
“That’s digitalis. The kind woman used it for patients who had heart problems.”
I watched her, trying to determine who she was. As of yet, I had not teetered to one side or the other.
We spent the day tidying up our new home. Brought together by circumstance and need, we were becoming a family. I studied the Abigail girl as she cleaned. She hummed softly to herself while Pixel danced around her. She was no stranger to hard work. Pixel was a little more reluctant. He was perfectly happy, tumbling about, looking for mischief and food. I sent him into the woods to hunt for our supper. I watched him scamper off, belly wobbling, scraping the floor. He made a fine dust broom. His orange striped tail disappeared into the blackberry bushes.
By twilight Pixel returned with a rabbit, which he dropped at Abigail’s feet. He sat and watched her clean and cook it, never taking his eyes off his kill. “Me hungry,” he moaned. By darkness air turned cold and then we heard the howling.
Pixel flew to the windowsill. His tail bashing back and forth frantically, making little growling noises, answering whatever it was that hunted us. Whatever it was, it kept sure to stay in the shadows.
“Is it a wolf?” Abigail asked.
I shook my head no. I could smell its aura. It was very old and very evil. It was not of this world. Before I could warn Pixel, he slipped out the front door and headed into the darkness. Abigail yelled, “Pixel, no.” I threw myself at her feet, tripping her before she could reach the door. And then I ran out to help him.
I splashed over the stream, darted through the overgrown blackberry bushes, which snagged at my fur, following the scent of the creature. I could hear Pixel screaming further up the mountain. “Pixel, save, Pixel, save,” his words came out as quick gasps. I ran as fast as my four legs could take me until I reached a clearing where I found Pixel lying on his side, bleeding. I covered his body with mine, swiveling my head back and forth, searching for the unknown creature who had done this to my friend. “I save Terra,” Pixel whispered.
“Yes, you did, Pixel.” I picked him up by the scruff and carried him back to the cabin, stopping in the stream to wash his wounds. That’s when I saw a pair of red eyes glowing from the woods. I backed up slowly, pulling Pixel onto the bank of the stream. Elizabeth had told me that dark creatures couldn’t cross over moving water. That’s why the good are baptized in water to defend against evil. And that’s why Agatha Hollows built her cabin by the stream.
Abigail ran out of the cabin, lifting us both off the ground, pulling us in and locking the door behind her. “What was that?” she said looking over Pixel’s wounds. She tore a piece of her T-shirt and stanched the blood from the worst of them. She began to boil water in the hearth.
“Pixel, fine. Me OK,” he said with a brave heart.
Exhausted by the battle, Pixel flipped over near the fire and fell asleep. Abigail glanced at me as she finished cleaning Pixel. “What was that, Terra?”
I had no answer. I simply said, “You sleep now. I’ll keep watch.” I climbed up to the windowsill, staring out into the darkness.
Morning Breaks
I kept a steady watch through the night. With the sunlight came safety. Dark creatures prefer the cover of darkness. I could hear Pixel talking in his sleep behind me, “Me hungry,” he said repeatedly. Apparently even in his dreams food is foremost on his mind.
Abigail stoked the fire and pulled the chair up to the window next to me. “Terra, what happened last night?”
“Whatever creature it was, it was malevolent. Its smell was muddy and putrid.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Abigail, whatever it was is gone. Today we will make preparations to ensure it never returns.”
“I need some caffeine like really bad. Let’s head into town,” Abigail said, standing up.
I nudged Pixel to wake him up. He stood, stretched and emitted his Pixel noise, a combination of happy growls and hunger cries. “I know, Pixel.”
“Pixel hungry.”
“We have to hurry to make it to Mrs. Twiggs before her store opens. She’ll have plenty for you to eat.”
We made our way back down the mountain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something tracking us. Every so often a flash of red and white would break through the green of the trees. It was not the creature from the night before but I could not be sure of its intention. I urged my companions to hurry. Pixel heard it also above the rumbling of his tummy. I was amazed how fearless this fat orange alley cat was. He was determined to make Mrs. Twiggs before her store opened and no bear, boar or dragon could stop him. I couldn’t help but to smile.
As we entered the city limits, our tracker disappeared back into the forest. We reached Mrs. Twiggs as the others were already lined up by the garbage cans, cats and dogs alike. She tried not to play favorites but I knew she was a cat person.
Mrs. Twiggs peeked out the kitchen window into the alley. When she saw Abigail, she opened the back door. “Dear, I’ve been so worried about you. Your car’s been parked out front all night. Where have you been?”
“Mrs. Twiggs, it’s a long story but one that would tell better over a cup of tea. If you don’t mind?”
“Certainly, dear, come in, sit by the fire.” Mrs. Twiggs led Abigail into the front room and sat her in the chair where Mrs. Tangledwood had rested the day before. Pixel and I snuck in, sticking close on Abigail’s heels.
Mrs. Twiggs brought out plates of crumbled raspberry scones, bacon and whatever lunch was left from the day before to the back alley. I heard the others meowing and barking happily as she fed them. When she came back inside, Pixel meowed and circled around Mrs. Twiggs’ feet. “Abigail how did these two get in?”
“They’re with me,” Abigail said.
“I don't recognize this orange tomcat.”
“They stayed with me last night in a cabin up on Black Mountain.”
“Oh, Abigail, I better fix myself a cup of tea first. This sounds like quite a tale.” As Mrs. Twiggs served tea and breakfast, Abigail began reliving our previous night. Mrs. Twiggs quietly listened, absorbing each word, nodding politely, adding extra sugar cubes to her Earl Grey. As Abigail continued so did Mrs. Twiggs addition of the sugar cubes. I counted 10 in all. When Abigail had finished, Mrs. Twiggs finished her tea and slowly returned it to its saucer. She sat quietly for a moment, pondering, and then spoke, “Abigail, dear, that’s quite a story.” I could tell by her inflection that she did not believe a word Abigail spoke. “Dear, if you need help, there’s a free clinic downtown that helps people in these situations.”