Where Evil Dwells

WHERE EVIL DWELLS

To some, the house was just a place where five eccentric women resided, but I knew differently. For many years I watched innocent children knock on the door on Halloween, never to exit. Tonight would be no exception, I thought, sitting in the tree under a full moon. What the children thought was an evening of fun was one of terror, and one they would never forget. I haven't.

Memories of the past came to mind as I stared at the lighted window of the house. Had it really been over one hundred years ago that Lucinda, Tinisha, Kelly, Victoria, and Alexis had captured me and poured that foul tasting witches brew down my throat? Had I really been a child named David on that fateful night instead of the black cat I am now, perched on a branch and wishing I could stop the evil? It became harder to believe that I had ever been human as the years passed by. Trick or Treating seemed demonic to me now. For the fun of dressing up in a costume and collecting candy, I had entered the house where evil dwells and been transformed into a feline. I had not been destroyed like the other children because the witches' old cat had died, and a new one was wanted. The old crones had been kind enough to bless me with nine lives, although eight had already been used trying to save youngsters. To this day I still ask myself, why me? Dying would have been better than living like this.

They were coming! My heart raced as I watched the innocents make their way up the winding road leading to the house with smiling faces. The full moon made the Trick or Treaters look like creepy dark shadows. One by one, they entered the dwelling, and I knew they would not come out.

A soft sound distracted me. Gazing downward, I saw a little girl about the age of seven standing below my perch. I couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was when she removed the mask covering her face. The moonlight shined down on her so that I could easily see her long blond hair, and when she tilted her head to look at the sky, Her deep blue eyes mesmerized me. There was something special about this girl, I found myself thinking as she began humming. I prayed she wouldn't go to the house, prayed the witches wouldn't get their hands on her.

That worry was short-lived. The girl replaced her mask and headed towards the domain I considered Hell. Climbing off the branch, I followed her, feeling a strange attachment to the child for some odd reason.

My fear for the girl intensified when Alexis opened the door and invited her inside. The other crones immediately swarmed around the child who introduced herself as Polly, and my heart began to race. I had to help; I had to find a way to stop the witches from destroying the girl! This in mind, I brushed myself against Polly's leg and meowed in a way I hoped would send her the message that she was in trouble.

"What a cute kitty," Polly said, stooping to pet me.

Lucinda and the others shot me a glare that said I would be in big trouble should I try intervening as I had done over the years. I didn't care, and continued rubbing myself against Polly's leg and crying.

"Something's wrong," Polly stated, gazing into my eyes. "The kitty is trying to tell me something."

"Cats don't talk," Kelly snapped, knowing that if they failed to destroy at least four more children by midnight that they would lose their powers until next Halloween.

"Sure they do," Polly argued, her eyes widening when Tinisha and Victoria grasped her by the arms and shoved her onto a chair. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Tonight you shall die," Lucinda informed the terrified child while Alexis bound Polly hand and foot to the chair.

"You too, nuisance!" Kelly exclaimed, her green eyes focusing on me with a look that could kill. "We don't like you anymore. You're constantly stirring up trouble when you know what we have to do."

"What are you talking about?" Polly asked fearfully. "What do you have to do?"

Lucinda explained everything to the child. "Every Halloween we must eliminate twelve innocents by midnight or lose our powers for one year. If that should happen, we could easily be destroyed." Spotting the girl's confusion, Lucinda went on. "You see, we were all born under a full moon October 31st. By the will of Lucifer, we are blessed as witches whose powers are limitless if we abide by the rules. The annoying cat sitting at your feet could tell you some tales if we hadn't cast a spell on him years ago. His human name was David. He's tried helping our visitors, but always failed. Tonight will be no exception."

Nevertheless, I'll try again, I thought, praying I would be successful this time. Fear? Yes, I was afraid of the old crones, but still determined to help Polly if I could.

The doorbell rang, and a gag was shoved into Polly's mouth. I watched as three youngsters entered the evil house and were trussed to chairs like the little girl I wanted to protect. My heart raced when Lucinda and the others poured the brew into the three newcomers mouths first, telling Polly she would be the last to perish because I liked her. Tears came to Polly's eyes as the others bodies disintegrated into dust. I knew then why this child was special to me. She couldn't bear to see others suffer any more than I could.

Within a matter of moments, loud claps of thunder were heard and heavy rains began to fall. This always happened before the witching hour, which I noticed was only less than twenty minutes away. Again, my heart beat erratically.

"Now it's your turn," Kelly giggled, asking Tinisha to get a cup of the witches brew. "Then the cat dies."

"That's it," my mind screamed. If I could dispose of the brew in time, Polly would be saved. I had to be cautious though. One mistake on my behalf would mean the end of me and the little girl I liked.

With little time to waste, I made my way toward the cauldron of steaming brew and pushed as hard as I could. The pot didn't budge. Glancing over my shoulder and noticing that Tinisha was coming, I realized that I had to move faster. Summoning every ounce of strength left, I nudged the cauldron again, and almost jumped for joy when it toppled over and the contents fell to the floor with a thud.

"NO!" the witches screeched. "Damn you to Hell, you blasted feline!"

Alexis picked up the pot, a wicked grin coming to her lips as she said, "There's enough, sisters. There's still enough of the potion to give to the girl. We must hurry. There's only eight minutes left to fulfill our duty."

I watched in horror as a cup was filled with the deadly brew. I had to do something, and quick! It hit me like lightning. I had to get my paws on the book of spells and find the means to terminate the crones. Why hadn't I remembered that the evil book had to be rid of in order to prevent the witches from living to perform the same ritual year after year? Yes, first I must discover a way to get the last of the brew out of Alexis' hands, and then to destroy the demonic book, I mused, silently creeping toward the object.

Too engrossed in dipping up enough of the concoction to give to the child, the witches failed to see me open the contents of the book. Noiselessly turning the pages, I finally found what I was searching for. The witches could only be destroyed if the potion they used on the children was tossed at them before bewitching hour, which was less than eight minutes away. I had to act fast, and prayed I could finally destroy the crones. I waited until each of them held a tiny cup of the brew in their hands before making my move. As they approached Polly, I pounced on Tanisha, and then the others with speed I did not realize I possessed. Bulls-eye, my mind screamed its elation. The contents of their cups spilled upon them, and I watched as they vanished in a pile of ashes with blood-curdling screams. Polly was safe! I had done it!

Something eerie began to happen then. I felt strange things happening to me as the transformation started like a rose in water. Within a matter of minutes, the sleek fur on my body disappeared along with the other cat-like features. I was human again!

Polly and I left the evil house, but not before burning it to the ground first. The child educated me in all of the things deprived of in my life as a feline, and when we grew to be adults, we were married. The memories of that dreadful night remain, but we know the future will be brighter. As for Halloween, Polly and I still cringe when it comes.

(1500 Word Count)