Page 5 of Cats Never Fly

SIMON

Afterpossessing the whistle for approximately twenty-one hours, thirty-seven minutes, and forty-three seconds,Iwas a mess.Ijumped and hissed at every little sound.Guiltate at me like those caterpillars who infiltratedMama’sgarden every year and gnawed on her cabbages.Everytime footsteps headed in my direction,Iwas sure the police were coming to arrest me.Nothingcalmed my nerves, not even holding my precious new whistle.

Myconcentration was non-existent, but at least my job was boring and predictable, soIdidn’t need a lot of brain power to get through my shift.Istomped along my usual route at the perimeter of the property, more out of muscle memory than from an actual conscious decision.

WhenIwas rounding the corner, a shadow jumped toward me.Ileaped away, darting in the opposite direction to return to the narrow walkway along the side of the property.Leaningagainst the wall,Igasped for breath.Isworemy heart stopped beating as my ears strained for any sound of someone pursuing me.Thenthere was a sound like fabric snapping.Whatwas that?Ipeered around the corner.Theshadow bounced out of sight.

Myhand trembled asIreached for my phone.

Iswallowed hard.

Thiswasn’t good.Icouldn’t remember anything.WhatwasIsupposed to do?Callsomeone?Thepolice?Levi?Myhands shook so hardIcouldn’t get the screen unlocked.Imessed up the pattern every timeItried to drag my finger across the screen.

Thatwasn’t working.

Igulped asIshoved the phone back in my pocket.

Ineeded to get help the old-fashioned way.IfIshifted,Icould run to the police station.

Thetransition to my cat form slipped over me.ThenIcrept around the building, hugging the shadows.Mytail was all puffed up.Ididn’t dare blink.

Theshadow swept over the ground again in an erratic, jerky motion.Whatwas that?

Iinched forward.

ThenIsaw it.Theinflatable tube man.

Igasped for breath.HowhadIforgotten about that thing in the one hour since my last round?Yes, anxiety had muddled my thoughts, butIwas worse off thanIhad thought.

Butwas something else there too?

Iheld my breath and watched.

Theshadows swept over the ground again and again as the inflatable man waved around.Nothingwas there but that stupid tube man thing.

Ilet out the breath with a gusty exhale.

Ithadn’t felt like it at the time, but my phone not working had been a stroke of luck.Thewhole town would have laughed at me ifI’dmade that call.

Thething collapsed down, coming right for me, before the air filled it and it went shooting up again.Thenit did the same thing again.Andagain.Comingstraight at me every single time.

Wasthe thing possessed?

Theway its wide, unblinking eyes stared at me made my fur stand on end.Itshot down toward me again, its big eerie smile coming right at me, as if it meant to eat me.

Itmocked me.Iswore it screamed at me every time it flew down toward me.Iknow what you did.Thosewolves are going to make trouble and you aren’t doing anything.Thief!Lazy!Scaredycat!

Iarched my back.Ihissed.Noway!

Iwasn’t letting it taunt me like that.Itcame at me again.

Witha screech,Ileaped.Myclaws tore at the slippery fabric, slicing the tube into ribbons that flapped and slapped at me.Idoubled my efforts.

Die, you blasted thing!Die!

Ididn’t stop until the thing lay limply across the ground.Ipanted and stared at it, daring it to come after me again.

Itdidn’t.