Clan of the Kat

This is a story about a family whose soul becomes bound in a cat.

Jake and Tom sat around the campfire telling wild tales. As the night drew on, Jake poked his

 branch into the campfire. He could see a face through the dim luminescence of the fire.

      "Uh, I don't think we're alone," Jake gasped.

      An old man appeared that could have been of gypsian descent, but they could barely make out his features. He had a wide grin. "I'll tell you a story that will keep you up for nights on end." His mouth made a mushy sound as he talked.

      "O-k-k-kay," Tom muttered.

      "Did you ever hear the legend of the Grosskomph family?!"

       Both of the teenagers shook their head.

      "No, mother!" Phil charged into the bathroom, "Don't drown those kittens! They're so innocent and helpless."

      "My hands are tied," Paula said with her eyes glazed over.

      "But I'm sure we can find homes for them, or we can even hide them in the cellar or attic," Phil pleaded.

      "You know damn well that if your father found out, "Paula said in a hushed tone, "Your dad would beat both our

hides..."

      "Phil, what are you doing!? It's nearly 4:00 a.m. You might wake up grams. You know she's a little off kilter," Lucy

whispered loudly. Forgetting herself, Lucy shrieked, "Where'd you get that black eye? Are those palm prints around your neck!?"

      "Lucy, could you close the door?"

      "What's going on?"

      "I had to get away from dad. Ma didn't get all the blood and stuff cleaned up before he got home. He was in one

of his moods. and took it out on all of us. I wish the b*****d would die. I can't stand being home."

      "Well, I bet the kittens are cute," Lucy smiled.

      "They're dead," tears welled up in Phil's eyes.

      "What do you mean?" Lucy gasped.

      "Mom snapped and drowned them. I don't know what to do anymore," Phil sobbed into her arms, "I just can't

take it."

      "Listen," Lucy said, squeezing him tight, "Why don't you crash with me, and we'll talk to grams in the

morning. You shouldn't have to live like this. She'll do a tarot reading, and maybe it'll help us figure out what to do."

      Phil had never met Lucy's grandmother. She seldom left the house, or even her room. She was described as a

handsome woman. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly. She wore way too much eye make-up, and lipstick. She

wore gaudy clothes with bright reds and oranges. She wore way too much jewelry, and smelled like mothballs.

      She was even creepier in person. Phil couldn't stop himself from gawking. Her nails even came to a point!

Drapes covered all the furniture in her dark attic room. He could see glowing, yellow eyes everywhere. He shrieked.

Lucy squeezed his hand.

      "Have a seat, my child," Ruby summoned.

      Phil hesitated.

      "Gather around, my children," Ruby gestured. Dozens of cats bounded over and sat down next to her

obediently. "Now we begin."

       Phil couldn't remember much about the reading, except the part about suffering great misfortune throughout

his life, there will be a strife in the family, and beware, or some garbage.

       The next night, Lucy called Phil to ask him to bring Scarlet over. He was too preoccupied to think much of it.

       Several minutes later, Lucy took the cat from him. "Grandma wants to examine the cat to make sure it's O.K."

       Phil still didn't think much of it. He followed her back up the stairs.

       "This is as far as you can go," she muttered, taking the cat into the attic, and latching the door.

       Phil stood there for a few minutes, dazed. He could have sworn he heard some strange chanting.

       Eight years later, on the eve of Phil's wedding, Lucy broke out in tears. "Phil, I've got to confess something."

       "On the night of our wedding?," Phil asked, trying not to get emotional. What could it be?"

       "Remember the night I asked you to bring Scarlet by, to have grams look at her?"

       "Yea-I think. Why?"

       "Grandma made me promise something. That I help her perform a ritual to put a hex on your family. I tried to

talk her out of it!"

       "What kind of curse?", Phil played along. He was the only skeptical one in the family.

       "I'm not joking," Lucy said, "The souls of the whole family have been bound into that cat."

       "So what does that mean?" Phil asked in a sarcastic tone.

       "Whatever happens to that cat, will happen to all of you."

        When Phil got home, he made sure his father was mellow, before telling his mother what he'd heard from Lucy.

"You wouldn't believe what her crackpot grandmother supposedly did."

        "What honey," Paula sighed.

        "Because of what you did to the kittens, Ruby bound all of our souls into the cat. So if the cat gets injured, or

dies, we do. Isn't that a hoot?" Phil smirked.

        "Everett, Phil's dad, said nothing. His eyes were frozen with terror.

        Phil knew his father had been a fanatic about the supernatural for many years, until he became a full-blown

alcoholic. He was still very superstitious. "We have to protect that cat!"

        Two weeks later, when Phil was preparing to move in with his wife, he got into a huge argument with his father

about taking the cat with him.

        "You know that if anything happens to that cat, "Everett snarled, "it's the end of all of us." He threw his son against the wall. "If that cat even so much as gets sick, I'll beat you down, boy!!!"

        Phil couldn't figure out why Scarlet always hissed at Lucy. She'd never done that before. He took the  cat to

several veterinarians, not one could find a thing wrong with it.

        A couple years later, Phil noticed that his wife was gone for longer periods of time, and soon she was almost

never home. Scarlet would greet her at the door with her back arched, and a low menacing growl from deep in her

throat. The cat started hissing at her much more frequently. Phil became depressed. He had a nagging suspicion

that his wife was cheating on him. He also couldn't understand what had gotten into his cat.

       Three years later, a joyous turn of events brought Phil out of his depression. His wife had become pregnant, and he marked the days off the calendar in a frenzy.

       Five minutes after arriving home with the baby, the cat attacked his wife.

       Phil killed the cat, without considering what would happen if the bond was broken. Suddenly, everyone in his

family dropped dead. Shortly after, Phil died without realizing the cat was trying to warn him all those years, and

protect him from himself.