Scared of the Dark

  I walked down the stairs with that warm-colored bowl of old leftovers. These were for the chickens. A picture ran through my head of those chickens running over each other, just to get a peck of that soggy food. The picture erased itself quickly away from my mind as I tripped a little on our unstable "porch". It was dark outside. Not just dark, but BLACK. My eyes quickly looked for side to side, scanning the earth for creepers wondering in the dark. But seriously, I told my self for the millionth time, who would be at this EXACT house, at this EXACT time, on this EXACT night to jump out at me and kill me?

    No one!

  I quickly walked on my tip-toes trying not to trip on thick rocks on the path. Quietly walking across our mini bridge to the chicken coop was sort of calming because the soft clacking of my feet on the ground...well, comforted me. And just as I was getting comfortable, I saw the grass moved vividly as a dark figure pranced out eerily about, 10 feet away. My heart stopped for a useless second. Those eyes, so bright. That movement, so sleek. Those ears, so--pointy. Wait. Pointy--oh god. My cat.