Strange Sounds - Part 4

Continued: M and I decided another cat might be good for her. I didn’t give it all that much thought until one day…

The Storm Cat

I first saw it under the storm cellar door. Evidently, it had gotten trapped there, and was meowing like crazy, just like Walli did when she was stuck in that wall.

It was about six months after I had rescued Walli, and when I got to work I heard the same sound of a kitten in distress. But the sound came from the outside this time, so when I was unable to immediately pinpoint the origin of the sound, I entered the office and went about my work thinking it was noting, a kitten calling for its momma from wherever she had hid her litter. I had seen a few strays around, but they were extremely aloof and adept at not being found.

When I left for lunch a little later, I heard the sound again. A few hours had passed and I realized this kitten must be trapped somewhere.

There was a small storm shelter on the property, a simple wood door in the ground. I realized I had never looked inside, and decided to check it out. A few concrete steps led down to a tiny square in the ground, occupied solely by an old folding chair.

And there on the top step, staring straight into my eyes was one of the strangest and most adorable little beings I had ever encountered. It was black with flecks of tan and red spattered across it body, as if Jack the Dripper had flicked his brushes at it. The tiny face was all eyes, wide open and perfectly round, staring in stunned fear.



Suddenly, the trance was broken and it took off running like a squirrel, the little legs moving faster than I thought possible. It ran straight into a chain-link fence, tumbled from the impact, got up, through the fence and vanished.

I just sat there for a few minutes, staring, vaguely wishing I had grabbed it while still on the stairs, but I couldn’t have caught it if I tried.

Continued…