|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:29 am
Prompt Recent rainfall has kept temperatures cool but one of the parks can’t handle all the water draining into it. The water has turned it into a strange swamp and, in addition to the terrible smell, people have claimed to see strange floating lights—or, weirder—a strange, hulking figure that seems right at place in the swamp. Some have described it as being seven feet tall, covered in moss and weeds and mud and who knows what else; while no one has been able to confirm this, if you venture too close you might wind up observing something strange, yourself. The park no longer feels safe and if you wander too close you may feel hateful eyes upon you. You may even wind up chased out by a monstrous swamp monster, but if you try to approach him or interact otherwise, he seems to disappear. It’s probably best just to stay away from the park until the water dries up, just in case.
He'd heard about the lights in the park, but seeing them was something different altogether.
Something shiny, mysterious and unexplainable?
Well... there was a saying about curiosity and cats, but Bob was more than just some random alley cat... so it didn't apply to him, right? Right??
So that's how he found himself on the outskirts of the park, green eyes wide with excitement as, indeed, there seemed to be strange glowing lights popping in and about the area. The large Maine Coon paced back and forth on the brick fencing, his head turning back constantly to stop and pause as he watched them float around.
But... should he investigate? That was the real question.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 10:50 am
Sometimes Charlotte was utterly oblivious to what was going on in the world around her. Sure she knew about the spider webs on everything, and she knew that her sister was having…difficulties…but she had no idea how strange things were in the rest of the city. How messed up the weather was being and…well. Everything else. She always frequented this park. The park where there were now whispers about strange things happening…whispers that had yet to reach the teenagers ears…but.
She was heading out to it tonight, fully intent on climbing up into her favorite tree and resting on the limbs and trying to sort out more ways to help Kelly start feeling better when she paused, wrinkling her nose as the smell hit her first. What…what was that. Some awful..damp rotting smell.
The second thing that she noticed was the cat pacing back and forth on the wall, and Lottie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, a kitty! You’re beautiful, aren’t you?” What a pretty orange color! And it was so fluffy. She hesitated then took a few steps closer, not wanting to scare the creature. If anything would make Kelly feel better it would be a cat, maybe. Cats were the best at those types of things.
She had gotten about halfway closer to the wall when she paused again, staring out into the park. There were…lights. Strange, glowing…lights. Quickly, Charlotte removed her glasses and hastily rubbed them on her shirt, wondering if she needed to schedule an eye appointment. If she was seeing floaters…perhaps that meant something worse had happened to her vision.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:03 am
As he heard the young voice calling to him, furry ears perked up with excitement. A human? A human was here?
She didn't appear to be more than fifteen or so - not that her age really mattered, to Bob. No, what mattered was the fact that there was someone here, which meant someone else who was interested in coming to the park, which meant someone he could mooch a ride off of.
Meowing loudly, the large cat hurried his approach towards the young girl with trippy colored hair... before promptly launching all twenty-three pounds of himself into her arms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:11 am
“Oh god!” The cat was attacking her. And perhaps it wasn’t even a cat at all, it was heavy enough to be a very small lion. Or tiger…not a bear though. Oh my. Charlotte clamped her arms around the creature, her eyes wide with surprise and stared down at him. “You…you were lonely, I take it…?” Her face moved closer and she rubbed her cheek against the fur, though paused, wrinkling her nose again. “I think you might need a bath, kitty. I’ll take you home and take care of you, if you want…and you jumped into my arms, so clearly you must want to come home and live with me and my sister, right?”
She glanced back up towards the park, and shuddered as more of those strange lights kept appearing. “I think I might be going blind, kitty. I think I’m going to have to go into the eye doctors after all…” With a sigh, Charlotte turned around, keeping her arms clamped tightly around the cat and her eyes firmly closed, hoping that the floaters went away. “What should I name you, kitty…I can’t just…I mean…I guess you’re not really a kitty, are you? You’re a cat…a fat cat.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:17 am
Oh man, score. Not only did he find someone who gave decent back rubs, but she was offering to take him home to her fridge---errr---house?
Yes.
He purred happily and contently in her arms, up until the point the kid decided to look back in the direction of the swamp. She seemed to think that all the lights were imaginary, even going so far as to rub her eyes in an attempt to make them go away. No... no, did that mean she wasn't going to go check it out???
Meowing loudly, he squirmed in her arms, doing his best to draw her attention back towards the park. The park!!! They needed to investigate the park before they found dinner!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:39 am
No…no the cat couldn’t leave! What…”No, it’s okay, kitty. Don’t squirm like that…you’re heavy enough as it is…are…are you upset that I called you fat? I’m sorry…I take it back, honest!” Charlotte had been so utterly excited when the cat had jumped into her arms, sure that this was some form of destiny or something. But…now it seemed much more likely that she had smelled of fish…or just…had been lucky.
“What is it you want?” She glanced back towards the park and again there were those floating lights. “…I don’t…think you should be going in there, kitty. It might be dangerous? Don’t you see the caution tape? That means it’s unsafe…”
…Perhaps the lights she was seeing weren’t floaters at all…and that thought sent a shiver down Charlotte’s spine. “…We should go home now…I’ll get you a nice meal and you can meet my sister and you’ll make her feel better…come on, there’s no…no point in checking out anything creepy like that…right? If it’s…if it’s ghosts or something…then we really don’t want to check it out…”
At least she sure as heck didn’t.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:34 am
He thrashed and squirmed in her arms, determined to get his way and investigate the strange smells and lights that were coming out of the park. The stench wasn't pleasant... then again, was it really supposed to be, considering the backup water that wasn't draining?? So his nose would wrinkle up - big deal. Still didn't explain the weird lights, right?
Once free of her grip, he darted forward several yards in attempts to get her to chase him. He glanced back to make sure she was following, only to turn his head back around and see a... something.
And it sure wasn't a friendly looking something. No, it looked like the kind of something that wanted to eat cats for dinner, not have them over. No... no, Bob had made the wrong decision about checking out the park.
Letting off a startled yowl at the lumbering monster that was headed their way, Bob turned on his fat little paws and raced straight back towards the teenager, yowling and begging to be picked up and carried.
He needed out of there and fast - lights be darned!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:50 am
The cat finally made it out of Charlotte’s arms and she hesitated, taking a few steps after him, but then stopping and sighing heavily. He obviously didn’t want to go home with her. It had just been some sort of reflex or something. She turned around and had taken a few steps back away from the park when she heard the first yowl. Quickly, she turned, wondering if she should go into super hero knight mode to see what was going on or if she should just…
…Run. She should run.
Her eyes widened as she saw what looked like a monster heading for the both of them. Quickly she scooped up the terrified cat and bolted, not stopping until they were several blocks away.
Perhaps…she would stop going out around Halloween time. Perhaps…this was a good time of year to just stay indoors and not…live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
