The Cave

Then out of the gloomy forest came first that burning yellow glow. Those eyes.
As the feline figure sauntered toward us, I had to remind myself not to worry. If I’d not taken that pill Gabe gave me, I think I’d have tried to escape.

The closer the beast approached, the larger than life it appeared. I don’t mean that just because it came closer it grew bigger by perspective. I mean it loomed somehow exponentially larger. Maybe this was fear talking. Maybe it was the pill.

Gabe rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a plastic bag. Reaching in, he pulled out a brown stick.

“What is that?” I asked.

“It’s his favorite,” said Gabe. “Dried aku. I always carry a supply. Watch.”

Gabe held the fish toward the huge cat. “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” he said, waving the brown jerky temptingly.

The cat sniffed ever nearer, and I could hear it purr. The sound seemed something like an idling small plane engine, and I began to shake.

Gabe must have sensed this. “Don’t worry, Lanning,” he reassured me.
“He’s just a pussy cat. Watch this.”

He raised the stick of Aku in the air, and the cat’s glinting eyes followed. Then Gabe moved it to the right, and the cat’s eyes followed. Then left, the cat’s eyes following again. Now Gabe tossed it in the air, and the cat, quickly twisting its neck to the side, caught it and chomped the morsel down.

“Want to give it a try?” asked Gabe.

“Feed it? No, no thanks, man.”

Laughing, Gabe took another sick from the bag and held it toward the cat again. “Come on, boy,” he encouraged. “Come and get it.”

The black beast inched forward, its nose quivering.

“Come on, little guy,” Gabe coaxed. “Don’t you want some yummy Aku?”

I saw the light flare in those bright eyes, and quicker than I could blink or Gabe could react, the feline fiend leaped at him and latched onto my guide’s hand.

That scream, I tell you, it will stay with me forever. I swear it should have awakened me from my sleep, but, unfortunately, it didn’t.

In slow motion, the nightmare persisted playing out before me. A look of horror contorting his face, Gabe twisted toward me. “Run!” he yelled. “Run!”

And as he said it, the cat out of hell grabbed him in its enormous claws and began to tear him apart in a shower of blood.

“Go!” Gabe screamed. “Save yourself!”

I was torn. How could I abandon the man who had so kindly brought me this far back up the mountain?

Turning, and trying to run, I moved like a man in an opioid stupor. But the monster wasn’t done with my former guide yet, otherwise, I’m sure it would have pounced upon me for course number two. So, while he polished off hapless Gabe, I managed to stagger my way to that nearest cave.

Not worrying about what fresh horror might await me inside, I pushed inside. Man, if I thought the mountain was gloomy, let me tell you, this pit was more depressing by a mile.

For a moment then, as I hugged the wall to hold myself up while I tried to catch my breath, I thought I might be having a stroke. Little glints of light zigzagged about crazily. I finally figured out, however, that they were some sort of firefly. As my eyes became accustomed to the deep darkness, I could see that the points of light provided a sort of trail of faint illumination, like tiny tiki torches, backward into the recesses of the cavern.

With no intention of going back out to face possible attack and consumption, but suffering no illusion that the cat could easily come right on in, I decided to get as far toward the rear of this hidey-hole as possible.

Following the faint path, I sometimes stumbled, but I did not fall. After I’d managed to make good progress away from the entrance, I thought I could see a faint shape coming toward me.

It can’t be the cat, I thought. It’s too small. The ghostly apparition grew more visible. It was pale and had a long white beard.

For some reason, I didn’t fear it. For sure, compared to the black murderer outside, this felt like meeting up with Casper the Friendly Ghost.

I was about to pose the question, but the apparition beat me to it.

“Who are you?” it asked.