A Black Cat Mystery (A True Story)
I would like to tell you a short story about a cat I had years ago. He had shiny black fur, no other color but black. His eyes were a sparkling bright yellow. His name was Midnight.
It was many years ago, when I had bought a small old house in the woods north of Houston, Texas. I was living in an apartment at the time and looking forward to moving further out into the country. My daughter loved cats and my neighbor had a young black cat that they could not keep named Midnight. I took the cat but had no place to keep him until the house purchase was finalized. It was expected to be late November before I could move in. My mother offered to keep him until then so I drove south for the hour-long trip to her home and delivered Midnight. My mother loved cats and Midnight was a very sweet young male and he made himself right at home.
It was in the month of October and Halloween was approaching, but still two weeks away. One town over from where my mother lived a witch convention was held every year at the time of Halloween. Because of this event, the locals knew that back cats were at risk of being taken and usually lost to the owners for good. No one really knew the fate of the cats except those who took them. My mother was quite concerned and she kept a close eye on him during this time. Those of you who know cats understand the limits of control one has on them. They tend to be less obedient to their owners than dogs, as an example. Midnight was an inside/outside cat so he came and went day and night.
As it was, Mom did the best she could, trying to keep him in at night. About a week before Halloween, my mother let him out in the backyard with the intention of bringing him back in before she turned in for the night. The backyard was surrounded by a tall fence, which had little effect on a cat’s roaming habits. A little later, while hoping Midnight was still in the backyard, Mom called for him with no luck, so she went out looking and could not find a trace. At this point, she could do nothing but hope he would be safe on this particular night.
Sometime in the early hours, long before dawn, my sister was awakened by car’s headlight that shown through her bedroom window. This was unusual, due to little or no traffic at the house. but if someone pulled in the driveway, with high beam lights on, her bedroom lit up. Concerned, she got up and peaked out the window. Due to the car’s light shining in her eyes, my sister could not see details, just dark shadows. What she saw alarmed her.
She knew Midnight was outside, so when she saw a shadow of a person walk into the front yard, from the car, and pick up something that resembled a cat, she felt chills of dread, up and down her spine. The shadowy figure turned and went to the car and the vehicle backed out onto the street and drove off. My sister ran to the front door and went to look for Midnight. She did not find him. The following day brought no sign of my cat and my Mother and sister both had heavy hearts. They did not tell me about this. They both hoped it was not true and that somehow, Midnight would come home and safe.
Halloween came and went with no sign of Midnight and my Mom dreaded the day when she would have to tell me. What was worse, she was saddened by the menacing thoughts of Midnight’s fate. Halloween came and went with no Midnight and I still, did not know.
A week after Halloween, and still a week away from gaining access to my country house, all was quiet at my Mom’s home. My sister was again awakened at the early hours of the morning by a car, again pulling into the driveway and lighting up her bedroom. She jumped out of bed as soon as she realized a car was there and ran to the window. As before, she only could see shadows and again, the shadow of a person walking in the front yard, but this time, the shadow released a dark figure of a cat. Instantly, with her heart in her throat, she made her way to the front door and opened it just in time to see the car drive off. My sister called “Midnight, come her boy!” Before she could call again, Midnight ran up to her purring with delight. She was stunned! He is back. She woke my Mother and they both showered Midnight with love. Neither of them slept well that night, even though they both felt a huge relief. The next day, I got a call. Now I knew the whole story.
Midnight lived his days free to roam and hunt at my small little home in the woods. He lived a very good life and made my daughter very happy. And each year, as Halloween came around, I would gaze into his bright yellow eyes and wonder. What was it this cat had seen? I never knew but I always enjoyed Midnight looking back at me, with the same wonder in his eyes.
McDowell
Think loudly if you must, but at least think!
P.S. As stated above, this is a true story with as much accuracy as I could portray. I do not intend, in any way, to discredit the witches, and/or warlocks, that have their gatherings. Nor do I make judgement on them and their perceived involvement in this story. I do not partake in their activities and thus know little about them. Coincident or not, I know not. But what happened to Midnight was only known to him and it did not seem to have any known effect.