Alley Cat

(Signs of the Times is a work of fiction based on true events. Views expressed are the characters’ own. Viewer discretion is advised.)

I was kicking stones down the alley the other day when a cat crossed my path. Just a few steps in front of me. It had a jet black back with a white belly and long green eyes.

It hissed at first. As if I was cutting it off. Then it rolled onto its back. Belly to the sun. I walked closer. I reached out a hand and crouched low.

The cat needed to meet me where I was. I didn’t want to scare it away. I wanted it to come to me. But it stayed on its back, looking at me sideways. Gravity pulled on its cheeks. Looked like it was smiling.

I scratched the pavement with my nails. Made clicking sounds. It just stared at me, giving me that strange grin.

The sun peaked out from the clouds above and the shadows started to grow on the ground into dark, inky blots. I stood up. Moved a few steps closer to the cat. Crouched down beside it. Reached out.

The strike of a paw came quick. I pulled my hand away. But the cat’s claws were trapped in the fiber of my sweater. I shook my arm violently. The cat thrashed about my body.

Then the fiber ripped. The cat went flying to the far side of the alley.

Goddamn, I yelled. The cat hissed back.