#and a few minutes after i heard meowling and I opened the door

[anawkwardlady]

I once cat sit a kitten who was so overly excited I cried because he wouldn’t calm down.

Anyway.

[nineteenninety-six]

A Stray and A Baby

This wasn’t meant to be so long but at the same time, it was meant to be longer so lol. Repost since tumblr sucks

(Y/N) had heard soft meowing ever since she had woken up but despite looking around, she could find where it was coming from. They didn’t have a cat so there it was definitely not coming from within in the house and she had checked the back garden to the best of her abilities but she couldn’t find anything there either and Cyril was off with Alfie so it wasn’t anything he could have possibly dragged in. 

The meowing had continued for the entire day and it was driving (Y/N) crazy as she tried to figure out where it was coming from but being pregnant had hindered her from turning the place upside down trying to look for it, so she waited until Alfie returned home, hoping that he would be able to help her.

.•° ✿ °•.

Alfie came through the front door just as (Y/N) finished dinner like clockwork. He fed Cyril his dinner and washed his hands before he joined her at the kitchen table and they completed dinner in between asking how each other's day was. 

Just as Alfie stood up to take their empty plates to the kitchen, (Y/N) heard the meowing again.

“Alf, wait! Can you hear that?” 

Alfie paused and once again there was a meow, “Sounds like ah cat”

“Mmh” (Y/N) agreed, “I’ve been hearing it all day but I haven’t been able to find out where it’s coming from.”

“Where have you been looking?”Alfie asked as he made his way into the kitchen.

“I don’t think it’s coming from within the house so I checked the back garden but I couldn’t see anything”

“You haven’t checked the front?”

(Y/N) shook her head.

Alfie let out a hefty sigh as he walked towards the front door, “Well, c’mon then, I know you won’t let this go unless you find the thing that’s causing the noise”

(Y/N) grinned as she pulled on her coat and slipped on her outside shoes as she followed him.

The two of them paced in front of their house, making noises in hopes that the cat reacted but no cat appeared. They got odd looks from people walking down the street but they didn’t care. 

Just as they were about to give up, a shuffling noise came from one of their bins and (Y/N) made her way over to investigate. When she peered into the bin, she gasped at what she saw, 

“Alfie, it’s a kitten!”

She reached into the bin to try and take it out but the scared kitten freaked out causing the bin to topple over to its side.

(Y/N) let out a small whine before she got ready to bend down and pick up the cat but Alfie interrupted her before she could.

“Ah fuck, don’t bend down” Alfie called out, “I’ll do my back out trying to help you up and then we’ll be both stuck on the fucking floor”

“You wouldn’t try calling for help?”

“And ruin my reputation? No fucking way”

“So you’d just let your heavily pregnant wife stay on the ground until what? You’re able to get up or one of the neighbours finds us”

“Nah, I’ll send Cyril to go get Ollie”

(Y/N) laughed at that, “If anything, Cyril will join us on the ground, thinking it was a cuddle session”

“Fucking dog” Alfie agreed with a grumble, “Stay here, I’ll be back in two minutes”

(Y/N) waited like instructed but made attempts to coax the kitten out which failed but just like he said, two minutes later, Alfie returned with a little parcel of ham, still wrapped like how the butcher gave it to them, meaning that Alfie took the ham straight from their cooler. 

Alfie tore a little piece of the sliced ham off and chucked it near the mouth of the toppled bin and together they waited to see if the kitten ate it. It took awhile but the kitten did slowly creep out and eat the piece of ham. It gobbled it up as it had no doubt been starving.

Alfie chucked another piece down and the cat quickly ate that up too. Alfie created a trail of pieces of ham that lead into the kitchen and the kitten followed the trail until they were in the kitchen.  Once they finished the last piece of ham, the cat looked up at them in suspicion, cautious of everything.

“What do we do with them, Alf?”

Alfie turned to her with a scrunched brow, “You’re the one who wanted to bring the damn cat inside and now you’re asking me what to do with the bloody thing? Fuckin’ hell”

“Alfie..” (Y/N) whined. Her back, feet and ankles were killing her and the last thing she wanted to do was get into an extended discussion with him.

Alfie saw the exhaustion and pain on her face and backed down, “We give it the rest of the ham and see what it wants to do tomorrow.”

(Y/N) nodded and they left the rest of the same with the cat and went to bed, Cyril right behind them.

.•° ✿ °•.

The next morning, (Y/N) found the kitten curled up underneath one of the chairs in the kitchen. It bathed in the morning sun, it’s dark fur appearing almost brown. It didn’t even stir as (Y/N) moved around the kitchen making breakfast for herself and Alfie and she also set out some food for them as well, in case they woke up. 

Cyril tiptoed into the kitchen, right behind (Y/N) but his focus was on the small cat. The way he moved around it, avoiding it, was almost like he was afraid of the tiny thing and did his best to stay out of their way.

“Where’s the little bastard then?” Alfie asked as he entered the kitchen, collecting the cup of tea that (Y/N) held out for him.

“Underneath the chair” (Y/N) nodded towards it, “Still sleeping”

“Hm,” Alfie let out an unamused grunt before he downed his tea and put his coat on.

“I’ll be back by dinner” He wrapped (Y/N) in a hug and gave her a kiss, “Be careful. Stay off your feet.”

“I will.”

After one last kiss, Alfie was out of the door with Cyril and (Y/N) retreated to the living room to read the newspaper. An hour or so later, the kitten padded into the room, sniffing at the furniture as they walked around, getting used to its environment. (Y/N) stayed still and silent, not wanting to spook the cat and watched as they walked around before silently coming to a stop in front of her.

(Y/N) tapped the seat next to her, unable to bend over due to her belly and the cat took the hint and jumped up. She held out her fingers allowing the cat to sniff at it and when the cat rubbed their head underneath her fingers, (Y/N) took it as a hint to pet them, which the cat enjoyed pleasantly. 

Over the next week, the cat had gotten accustomed to the house, they mostly stayed on the windowsill enjoying the sun or was curled up next to (Y/N)’s feet. The cat, which they still hadn’t named was a comforting presence in the house as (Y/N) got closer to her supposed due date. 

.•° ✿ °•.

(Y/N) had the biggest grin on her face as held her son in her arms, despite how exhausted she was. Alfie was sitting next to her on the bed with an equally big grin on his face as he looked down at the baby boy.

“He’s amazing” (Y/N) whispered before she looked up at Alfie, “What should we name him?”

“Benjamin.” Alfie had tears in his eyes as he spoke, “Benjamin Solomons.”

“Hello, Ben” (Y/N) cooed but the baby merely pursed his lips as he continued sleeping.

The door to their room creaked open and the cat, which they named Lucy, crept in before jumping on the bed. Alfie moved to go shoo that cat away but (Y/N) stopped him, Lucy had settled at the end of the bed, far away enough from the baby, so she saw no harm in her being there.

Over the next few days after Ben was born, Lucy was constantly next to (Y/N) whenever she had in her arms, twisting around her feet or sat in an adventurous position that gave her a great view of (Y/N) and the baby and whenever Ben was in his cot, Lucy will be curled up, right by the legs of the cot, as if she was standing guard. 

As he grew, wherever Benjamin was, Lucy would be right next to him.

.•° ✿ °•.

1 YEAR LATER

One year old Benjamin toddled into the kitchen where his mother was preparing lunch, Lucy right behind him as his bare feet slapped against the floor informed (Y/N) of his arrival. It also told her that he pulled off his socks for the 5th time that day.

Ben had learnt to walk a few weeks ago and most alternated between walking and crawling to get around.

He took a few steps forward before he reached her and clung to her skirt and looked up at her with the eyes he shared with his father, “Lun’?”

At the same time, Lucy stopped in front of her food bowl and meowled at (Y/N), no doubt asking the thing Ben had asked.

“Give me a moment Lucy, let me get Ben’s food ready first and then I’ll feed you”

“S’Alright” Alfie stepped into the small kitchen, his cane clicking against the floor, “Give me him and I’ll get him sorted”

Ben looked over at his father with a bright smile, “Da!”

Alfie’s back had been playing up recently so he wasn’t able to bend down and pick Ben up, so (Y/N) picked him up and placed him in his fathers arm. 

When they disappeared into the dining room, (Y/N) bent down and gave Lucy a few loving scratches and pets, “You’re the best, Lucy. I love you very much”

Lucy let out a meow as if she understood her words and (Y/N) gave her one more pat before she put her food in the bowl and left her to eat. 

(Y/N) washed her hands and collected the plates filled with their lunch and joined her family in the dining room, leaving the door slightly open knowing that when Lucy was finished, she’d join them, or more accurately, go back to Ben’s side. 

[dreamescapeswriting]

Bleeding Hearts ~ JJK [Part 2] [Request]

↱↱↱Word Count: 1.5K

↱↱↱Genre: Angst, revenge?

↱↱↱Paring: Jungkook x Reader

↱↱↱A/n: Hope this is something what you were wanting, I didn’t want to add the smut in as I’m trying to limit my writing to just y/n x guy or with another inside I hope you understand

 Jungkook walked up the hallway towards the changing rooms of the church, he'd heard from Namjoon that that was where you were hiding out for the morning and he didn't blame you. Not wanting to see him or be near him was probably the best thing for you, Jungkook knew what he did to you was wrong but he still couldn't help the feelings he had for Anna.

"What are you doing?" Jimin's voice rang through the air and Jungkook turned to look at him and he was standing there in his suit, a white rose attached this his buttonhole, he looked great and he should do it was his wedding day. 

"I was just walking around." Jungkook lied knowing how close you and Jimin had gotten since the breakup even though that Jimin and Jungkook continued to work together for the sake of the band there was still some tension between them. Jimin would never forgive Jungkook for what he put you through and he wasn't about to let him undo the healing you'd been going through for the last two years since he broke your heart, or rather ripped it from your chest threw it onto the floor and stamped it into the ground as though it was nothing to him. 

"She doesn't want to see you Jungkook," Jimin said blankly, it was his wedding day and he didn't want anything to go wrong and if that meant being a little tougher on Jungkook than that was all it would take, 

"I just want to see if she's okay-"

"She's fine now go and stand with Taehyung outside like the usher boy you are." Jungkook was about to leave when the door he was standing in front of creaked open, there you were standing there in one of the most gorgeous dresses Jungkook had ever seen you in. It was a simple pale pink A-line V-neck dress which was Floor-Length with a front split showing off your legs. 

"Jimin I was- Oh." Your eyes locked on Jungkook and he stared at you biting down on his lip as he stared at you, you looked almost as good as you did on your wedding day. The day he married you and his world clicked into place but then he threw it all away, 

"I was just asking him to leave," Jimin said reading your face as you stared down at the floor, you'd mentioned not wanting to be sat anywhere near Jungkook not because you hated him but because if you saw him you knew your stomach would turn into the mess it was now. He could still give you those old butterflies despite everything he had done to you,

"Where's Anna?" You asked which surprised both of the boys Jungkook shook his head at you trying to think of something he could say, 

"We broke up," You nodded and looked up at Jimin who was staring at you wondering if he was okay to leave, he was supposed to be checking everything out, you nodded at him and he left you and Jungkook alone to talk. 

"Y/n I just wanted to say-"

"When did it start?" You questioned, it was something that had bugged you since you found out about them but you never wanted to know until then. You knew you would be able to handle it if he told you now, you were in a secure place in your mind,

"You want to know?" You nodded and moved into the changing room to allow him to come in with you, he sat down on the sofa and stared up at you getting ready to explain it. 

"It was two years into the marriage..."

Anna had gotten a job for him at the studio because she'd been desperate for work, you sent her to Jungkook knowing that he was looking for a receptionist to work for him and for the first year of her job it was great but as time went on she began to develop feelings for your husband. Anna had tried to keep them inside but it was hard whenever she saw him, seeing him every day and when he would come back to the studio with nothing but a sweaty tank top on it only made he feelings for him grow stronger until she couldn't think about it. The skirts began to get shorter, the shirts became more open to reveal her lace underwear until Jungkook began to notice and he began to engage with her more, both of them knew it was wrong but it was hard to resist the sexual tension between them until one day it erupted into them having sex over his desk. His wedding ring discarded in the drawer, your photo face down so they didn't have to look at you while they made love. 

After the first time, it got easier and easier for them to forget about you falling into their own world where the only people that mattered were him and Anna, not caring that they were ripping apart a marriage one day at a time.

"You took your ring off?" You asked thinking back to one day when he came home from work without it, saying he took it off for a dance routine but now it was clicking that'd he'd fucked her before coming home to you and acting as though he was fine. 

"Yeah..." Jungkook said slowly looking up at you, silent tears were rolling down your face. You'd been strong for so long that you didn't even notice you were crying,

"Why? Was I not good enough for you?" Your eyes locked from across the room and Jungkook felt his heart crush at the look on your face, you'd looked like you did the first time you found out about them being together.

"No, that wasn't it-"

"All I ever did was love you Jungkook." He felt a stab in his chest as he heard your voice crack at the words you were saying to him, 

"Did she love you better than I ever could?" You whispered sitting down on the sofa behind you and looking at the floor, you'd tried to be happy for him but it was hard knowing that while your world was falling apart he was building his back up. 

"We broke up...She was cheating on me with another married man." You tried not to laugh at the thought, she'd always been the type to fall for people she could never have,

"I'm sorry." You lied looking at him, he shook his head at you and stared into your eyes. 

"It's what I deserve,"

"No one deserves to be cheated on Kookie, not even you." You admitted which was the truth, no one needed to feel as though the rug was swiped out from underneath them and that their world was coming to a crashing halt. All of the trust they had for one person gone within a few seconds of finding out what they did.

"Y/N? Five minutes," The door was open and Jimin's wife to be was standing there in her dress, Jimin must of text her to tell her that you were with Jungkook and it was their way of checking up on you. 

"You've been crying!" She yelled rushing over and grabbing some tissues from the desk that was inside of the room, she began cleaning off your face and then looked over at Jungkook. 

"I'll be in my changing room when you're done," She kissed your cheek before leaving the room, you cleared your throat and looked around the room awkwardly trying to get out of this conversation quickly. 

"I guess I'll see you out there-" He grabbed your wrist to stop you from leaving and you stared down at his fingers around your skin, 

"Jungkook let me go." You said blankly with no emotions in your voice but he continued to hold you, dying to kiss you one last time or at least hold you. 

"No...What- What if we gave ti another shot?" You scoffed taking his hand off your wrist and rubbing where his hand had been it was like something had ignited the skin and it was on fire but not the usual fire you would feel right before sex. But as if someone was burning your skin a sign they weren't good for you, 

"No." Your back straightened and you took a stand for yourself not wanting to go into this conversation with him not here, not no and no ever. 

"There's nothing you can do that will make me come back Jungkook. We're over and we have been for some time, don't think for one second that because Anna walked away from you that I will come crawling back because I won't." You stared at him before leaving the room and leaving him standing there watching after you and he knew he'd lost you for good which was probably what he deserved for what he put you through.

Tagline: 

@writingdreamsnottragedies @snowy-meowl @yoongisdumplingcheeks @lynnthevirgo @jooniesdarlingdimples @kpopfanfictionhoes @lyoongx @callingmyangel @rjsmochii @fan-ati--c @mitzwinchester @btsiguess-kpop

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

I Like Surprises Too (Sriracha, Part 44.)

Series description: A problematic college student gets the worst summer job of the ‘83 - Jim Hopper, the Chief of police in your hometown will have you as his secretary since his old lady Flo has two months lasting holiday. It was agreed so Hopper could keep you far away from all the trouble.

Part Summary: Diane was gone just right after she came for a visit, but there was still more to go through.

A/N: I just wanna be done with the series, tbh.

Word count: 2.4 K

Tagging:  @nemodoren, @missdictatorme, @ysljordy, @creedslove​, @hopperlover, @btchsm, @rita-lean

Master list: H E R E

Series playlist: Jim Hopper 😠

IMAGE SOURCE

For the first time forever, you were afraid to come home. The last time you were so terrified of opening the doors was when Hopper drove you after you've puked all over his beloved Blazer. It was logical for you not to come home - you were standing in front of Harrington’s house, more specifically in front of a building where he had rented a flat, and waited for Robin to open up the door for you.

She came there only in her t-shirt and pajama shorts, her eyes were still glued together by sleepers and she was looking... Awful. Both her and Steve were extremely worried about seeing you at their hour in such an unholy hour, but she ran down to open the door for you. And the worse it got when Robin noticed that you had mascara all over your place, your face was colorless and your hands were shakily holding three cups of coffee and doughnuts from a Dunkin' Donuts. It was obvious that you and Hopper argued.

Without questions, Robin took you in and helped you with the sweets you brought. Steve was pleased to see you, so after he hugged you, he took off your coat and offered you a shower, getting you some of his clothes. Which was something so nice of him that you cried again? And the boy was wondering what did he do wrong.

"Spill the tea, sister. Let the council judge you." - Robin said, already spread all over the lazy chair while eating one of the donuts. So, you talked - about Diane just appearing out of nowhere with a kid, about Hopper drinking... And the small part when you shouted at him that you're pregnant.

"Oh, fuck." - Robin sighed, sitting straight by the end of the story. - "Oh, fuck indeed." - You answered, drinking your cup without caffeine. Steve was looking at you with a shocked furrow. - "You're pregnant? I'll be an uncle?" - Suddenly, he was on his feet, walking around the room. This was the reaction you expected from hopper - pure happiness.

"Robin, you and I will be the best uncle and aunt in the Hawkins, I tell you. Is it a boy or a girl?" - He sat next to you, his eyes shining at the question. Jesus, the boy was something, but you loved the energy. With tears in your eyes, you smiled at him and shook your head.

"I'll tell you as soon as I know something, deal?" - You asked back, having steve falling into a rant about taking the kid to restaurants, swimming pool, teaching them to play basket, and how to pick up girls... And Robin was just laughing at that. In the middle of his ranting, you've fallen asleep - night shifts were a bitch. It was quite funny when Robin and Steve was co-operating to get you into his bed, whisper-shouting at each other because Robin thought you'll bang your head into the doorframe every second. In the end, you were there, safe and sound.

It was around midday when Hopper called the if they have seen you. Eleven reported to Jim that you hadn't shown up the whole day, so Jim rode his daughter to your mum's - so she wouldn't be home alone since it was fall break starting.

Since Steve would tell Hopper all he wanted to know, because that boy was a little bitch, Robin told James the most innocent 'no' of her life before promising she'd call him when you'd appear at their place. You got up around two in the afternoon, smelling something Robin was cooking. Steve was nowhere to be found, presumably being at his shift in the VHS store.

"That looks good." - You hummed and realized how hungry you were. Robin nodded at you with confidence, serving you a plate of her risotto. - "I should go home, shouldn't I?" - You asked silently when you had half of the plate inside, having Robin look at you carefully.

"I kinda wanna tell you you can stay here... But you should go home, yeah." - The girl fixed a few strands of her hair. - "Listen... This isn't a thing about which someone calms down in a few days. This is a baby on its way. A new life you and he created. Even if you'd keep him in the dark for a little longer, he'd get to know eventually. You'd got bigger, you'd have swollen feet and Hopper isn't a dumb guy at all. So, go home, wait for him, talk to him. You'll make it work, at least I hope so." - Robin supported you with the purest tone you've ever heard. - "And if don't, we and Steve can help you with the baby. He's a damn good babysitter." - The girl tried to cheer you up once she saw other tears in your eyes. Geez, these hormones were doing things to you, didn't they?

Soon after the delicious lunch, you set on your way home. What should you expect? Him yelling at you? Will it be a heated argument full of bad words? He already told you that you were acting like a bitch into the phone, so it was quite possibly the words will get harsher from face to face. Was he looking for you when you were gone? Or was he at home? He was sure worrying for you, you knew Jim wouldn't be calm about you just disappearing even for the morning...

It was quite a surprise to find his car missing in the driveway. He had a day off, or at least you remembered so, so it was quite surprising to finding the home completely silent. El was at your parents'  and you let her stay there - it wasn't a good idea to call her to come home before talking to James about the whole baby thing.

You were nervously looking around the house, calling out his name to see if he isn't hidden somewhere out there, but the house was empty. - "Well, fuck." - You whispered to yourself. It was an hour later, an hour of nervous waiting later, when you heard him pulling onto the driveway. And at that moment, it didn't seem that you were sitting in the kitchen for an hour. The panic inside of you intensified almost instantly. Every sound coming from the outside was strumming through your ears like fucking Chinese gong. The stopping of a car motor, the opening of the door, and James' frantic footsteps as he realized that you were finally inside the damn house. You would swear that you heard him talk to himself, but you wouldn't swear that.

The front door opened in the following minute. This sound made your heart stop. Were you ever so scared? No, damn, this was horror at its best. Dear Lord, you closed your eyes for a second - your palm gently rubbed your belly, please don't let us argue. And don't let this relationship end. It would mean the world to me. There was not a single percent of you being religious, but when you saw Jim's shadow in the main hall, you suddenly started to pray to every god you ever heard about.

When he saw you sitting at the table with your nose red, he almost started the conversation by telling you that you look like Rudolf the reindeer. Yet he rather just put his bag down and went to hug you with a great force. One of his palms ruffled your hair as he took in the scent of your perfume. It was just one day and Jim was already going crazy from not smelling it. - "I was lookin' for you everywhere. Jesus fuckin' Christ." - The man pushed you off his chest just so he could palm your face, looking you in the eyes. Your face was already falling into an emotionally unstable expression as you started to cry almost immediately.

"I was worried to come here." - And there you were. There it was. The quiet, basically meowling, tiny voice which indicated that you're not only terrified but guilty as well. This side of you was not to be seen too often. It was possible for the second time Jim was ever seeing this behavior. You shut up, listened, and you were able to say 'yep, I've fucked up too, I've messed up, let's just talk about it'. And honestly, it felt very good. - "I didn't want to argue, again. After you called me a bitch... And the stuff I've said." - You almost rolled your eyes out when Jim chuckled at what you've said, yet he was quick to smooth your shoulders to calm your down. - "We've argued way worse than this. Come on. This was nothin'."

"But the matter is something, Jim. I should've done it differently. I should've told you maybe... Before Diane came here. But I was shitting myself with fear." - The way you clung onto him was almost heartbreaking. It was incredibly sweet, yet done out of fear - it was the fear of losing him. - "I would be terrified too." - The man mumbled into the back of your head, closing his eyes. If I would be pregnant, I mean. Tellin' you would be the worst thing that had ever met me, probably." - The man whispered. This speculation made you grin.

Sure, you two could argue. You could yell at each other for hours to come to no avail. You could tell each other rather nasty things, be very mean and angry. Or you could turn it into a joke. A happy occasion if you will.

Sure, having a baby was far from an actual joke, but you got what Jim was trying to do. He wasn't the most excited to do it again, mainly because of the everlasting fear regarding Sara, but he was happy that he was going through this by your side. A kid. Wow. A damn kid.

"I'm sorry for gettin' so drunk. I fucked that up." - The man whispered as he moved strands of your hair from side to side. - "Sorry for acting like a hysteric bitch. I should've trusted you with Diane. And I failed." - You answered after a while, sighing quite loudly. Carefully, you tiptoed to kiss him, closing your eyes as you leaned into the kiss itself.

"'s alrite. I was probably more confused than you, baby." - Jim's thumbs gently smoothed the sweet spots under your eyes, massaging your skin in the process. He was unbelievably gentle with you. As if you could break under his fingers any minute. - "You acted without thinkin', but yeah, I can be a fuckin' asshole sometimes." - James admitted sincerely, having this small sweet small light inside his eyes.

This man has admired you for some time now. And the more time passed by, the more years you've spent together, the more love he had in himself. It took him a few more weeks to adjust himself to the whole pregnancy situation. And yes, occasionally, there were some misunderstandings and small arguments between the two of you, but would you be a married couple if you didn't have these?

Diane called here and thereafter her visit, still climbing on Jim's nerves and getting inside his head, but these calls lasted less and less time every time it repeated. Eventually, she stopped calling completely. And since then, there was no doubt in your mind about James and his intentions.

What about the other acknowledging that soon, you'll be a mom? Eleven was over her heels. The girl always adored small kids. She loved spending time with them and every time she met some downtown, she stopped just to chat with the kid or to make faces at them. Having a younger sibling almost sent her to another dimension.

Mike and the other kids were regularly happy. Kids were cool... Unless they were younger siblings. Lucas had miss Erica as his sister while Mike had Holly, of both the brothers had to occasionally had to take care. Both the boys realized that over time, Eleven will have to spend her time with the small kid too. And they would most likely have to look after them.

Yet the young gentlemen were so cavalierish that they managed to overcome themselves and to promise you that they'd sometimes look after the kid. You managed to seal a deal with them, pre-planning them as occasionally, fully paid nannies - although your concern about what they'd do with the kid was growing more and the time as you heard what they plan to teach the kid.

Over time, as expected, you grew larger and larger. You grew so much that you had to move your seat in behind the steering just to fit there. Any of your coats and blouses didn't fit you anymore and over the time, you needed to buy some preggy jeans. When you had a worse day than you usually did, which you could recognize based on your back pain, Jim tried his best to help you with the household - he could do dishes, do the laundry and when he was feeling courageous, he tried to cook something. It was nice of him, yes, but he didn't know how to cook at all. Even Eleven could cook better than him. Sometimes, when you woke up from your slumber, you just saw black smoke coming from the kitchen and you knew what James was up to.

Slowly, the time when you couldn't go to work anymore came by. It wasn't that you were sat down on a wheelchair all day or something - but it was quite hard to run around the hospital and to interwiev kids all day. But that didn't take anything from your charming personality - James made sure he behaves or he could be schooled like a small kid. You didn't care how long would it take, but you would have an elaborate lecture all night if needed. It was one silent, calm night when it came.

[btk-lyrics]

The Mounting Dread

I have never been one to believe in ghost stories, hell, I don't even believe in God. I've not believed in anything of that sort in I don't know how many years. True, there have been times in my life where I've begged and pleaded to this almighty God and received no answer. So, I'm a firm believer in not believing. This isn't about my religious backgrounds though. This is about the time my non-beliefs were shaken to the very core. I'd just finished a physical exam with my doctor at the local clinic. I had made the appointment, gotten time off work, and made it there on time. Only just barely. I was driving down through a semi-busy morning commute street, when I was cut off by some asshole in a luxury sedan talking on his cellphone. I slammed on my brakes, gave an angry yell through my car's horn, and cursed his ass to hell like a pagan witch angry with the world. The doctor's appointment itself was routine, no fatal diseases or deadly sicknesses found. Lucky me. Though the doc did ask me, at one point during the exam, if I had a cat. To which I answered that yes, I did have a cat. The furball is about as crazy and volatile as its owner. Which is all of zero percent in total. I asked the doc why he asked me if I had a cat, he shrugged it off and said it was nothing, so I shrugged it off and thought of it nothing. So I get home, right? Now, I'm not the most superstitious of people. Like I said, I'm an orthodox Atheist. When I got home I immediately felt something was off. You know that feeling you get in a dangerous neighborhood of being more cautious than any other part of town? Where you're just looking around you to see if anyone will start trouble. That's what I felt when I stepped through my door. Maybe it was the fact that my cat, who usually lays under a ray of light at this time of day on the couch, was nowhere to be found. The ray of light was there, but Furball wasn't there. Yeah, I named my cat Furball, what of it? Anyway, I called out to the little furball, looking through every room, but couldn't find him. He's usually very responsive, almost like a dog. After the quick glances into rooms, I had to do more thorough investigations in each. He's not an outside cat, he rarely goes out, as I said, he's lazy like his owner. I went into the guest room, having checked my personal bedroom and finding nothing, and began my search. Closet was empty, obviously. Not behind any dressers or cabinets. So I got down on the floor and checked under the bed. There he was. Cowering with big staring eyes. He didn't register my presence until I called him a few times and tried to get him out. "Hey, Furball, what are you doing down there?" I said. "Furball." I tried to reach under and pull him out. His strike came so quickly I couldn't react in time. He hissed as the claws ripped through my delicate skin like a razor blade. I pulled my hand back, obviously too late, and assessed the damage. 4 evenly spaced fine, red, bloody scratches. "Ow." Ignoring the stinging pain, I got back down and looked at the murderous little shit. "Hey, Furball, what's your deal." This is actually the first time he's ever attacked me. He's usually calm. He turned to look at me, finally. The realization of having struck me must have made him come to his senses, because as soon as he laid eyes on me, they softened. They were less fearful and more focused. He got up, walked over to me, rubbed himself on my arms, and purred like a kitten. "Well, okay then." I picked him up and took him over to the couch in the living room, then set him down in his favorite sun spot. Then I went to the bathroom sink and cleaned out the bloody scratches with some hand soap. Wrapping my hand in some paper towels was sufficient enough bandaging for the wounds. I held them in place for a spell, while my blood clotted. Back on the couch, next to the warming up furball, I sat petting him in the least aggressive way so as to avoid another murderous rampage from the mostly docile mini killing machine. "What happened, Furb?" I cooed the calmed killer. I continued stroking his fur until he was satisfied and shook me off to get some food. The original feeling of slight paranoia still lingered. Something had scared the poor little thing and its attack was only a defense mechanism from that fear. What had scared it? Time went slowly into evening and still I wondered about what happened earlier. I watched television to pass the time, distracting myself. Furball had come back to his spot on the couch and laid there until I felt it was time to go to bed. He knew my routine and when I would usually head to bed, so he hopped off the couch a moment before I got up, and he trotted to my room. I followed behind him, watching his tail loll back and forth. He stopped at the threshold to the room, which made me stop in my tracks. He looked back at me, turned back to my room ahead, then turned to walk to the guest room down the hall, meowing at me as he did. "Where are you going, Furball. My room is in here." I didn't follow him down, so he stopped halfway down the hall to turn and meow at me, a little more urgently. "Hey, come on. What's your deal?" I went over to pick him up. He didn't protest or put up a fight until he realized I was taking him back to my room. He hissed and sputtered and meowled all while struggling to get out of my arms. It wasn't until he brandished his claws and started slashing madly. I let him go and he fell to the floor, landing on his feet. Then he ran off into the guest room once again, probably hiding under the bed. What is wrong with him? Forget it, I need to get to sleep. No idea what's wrong with him. I turned towards my dark room, with its door open, and wondered why the little furball was so terrified. I had work in the morning so the threat of losing sleep drove any concern out of my mind. Ugh, I hate waking up early. I took a few steps towards my room and heard Furball meow from his hiding place. I smiled to myself and thought he was being ridiculous. The ridiculousness followed me along until my entire body was within my room. I had closed the door behind me, and as soon as it clicked closed behind me, I felt it. My room had grown. Or, at least, it felt like it was larger. The light on my ceiling had plenty lumens. Don't ask me what that means, I just know it's a unit of measure for light. But now, the light didn't seem to reach certain corners of my room that it had before. I know it did. There were shadows in places that didn't belong. I know that for sure, I made sure this light touched every corner of this room. I could hear Furball's muffled meows from outside my door. He came out of his hiding place, huh? I can't let him in here. These shadows, there's something about them. Familiar. More meowing. I remember when I was a kid, I lived with my mom in a house a little ways away from regular neighborhoods. All the kids at school lived within the normal neighborhoods, with houses and yards basically touching, but I lived down the street, up the road, and past the trees. Every time I had to break away from the group of kids going home they'd yell 'weirdo!' and laugh. Jerks. The house I lived in was rather worn and raggedy, any friend I would invite over that saw it would then say he's got something to do and quickly leave. I stopped inviting people over after a while and just went over to their house. It was easier that way. Anyway, my room in that house was lit by a very weak light bulb, back then most were lacking in the lumens department but I think might may have been defective. Candle light might have honestly been better than it. The shadows I or anything else in my room would cast looked so ghastly, I couldn't even count how many times I got scared over my own movements or a simple chair positioned in a way as to look terrifying. I would always tell mom that there was something in my room. Something or someone, I could never tell which. She would always brush it off and say I'm imagining things, but I knew. How I knew, I can't tell. It was just a feeling. Having to deal with that sort of paranoia day in and day out for so many years puts a toll on your sanity. There was no way I was going to live in that house for long, I vowed this when I got into high school. I did after school activities, got a part time job, tutoring just so I could spend less time in that house. We didn't even have a television set or anything that could distract me from the mounting suspicion that our house was haunted. It was haunted. I came to this conclusion in 6th grade. My mom was off god knows where, work probably, and I was going to take a shower one day after school. I turned the water on, let it get hot, steam filled the drab little room, I got in and went about my business. Had no issues at all until I stepped out. The mirror, that is the staple of any bathroom around the world, was obviously fogged up. Except that it had three small strips, two going from the left to down and right, and one going from the right to down and left. A weird 'X' shape. Now, this wouldn't have confirmed anything for me on its own, but as I stood there staring at this shape, the second line, going from right to down and left, started to take shape. Something was dragging their whatever on the mirror as I stood staring. My breath caught in my throat, my heartbeat was in my ears, and my brain screamed at me to run. I stood there naked, frozen on the spot staring as the condensed water began dripped down from the shape on the mirror. I have no idea how long I stood there, naked with my breathing ragged. I was stuck in a daze until a knock on the door made me jump. "Are you in there? I've been calling your name." My mom said from outside. I swallowed hard, then answered. "Yeah, I'm here. I'll be out in a minute." My body had dried, for the most part. My hair was still damp but not as though I had just stepped out of the shower. I used the towel on myself but I was mostly dry, so it was pointless. I dressed and left the bathroom. In the meantime, my mom had walked back to the kitchen to prepare some lunch. I had gone back to my shadowy room, watching the shadows dance on the wall. One of which looked like a laughing face. That day felt like the first time really seeing my house for what it was, a broken vessel with demons dwelling inside. I didn't spend much time in my room then, I closed the door behind me, and found a couple sandwiches on a plate on the empty table in the kitchen. I became afraid of that house, that day. I never mentioned this episode to my mom because I would only get the same response as always, "you're just seeing things." Uh, duh, that's why I bring it up! But whatever, this house is not mine, or ours, in any way anyway. As soon as I graduated high school, I moved out. I saved up money to move into an apartment closer to downtown and got the hell out. My mom was, of course, upset, but she agreed that this is just part of growing into an adult. She visited me regularly at least once a week, sometimes more. This went on for a few years, until she passed away. She actually passed away one day when she was over at my place. After making me some dinner, she said she would take a nap as she was feeling tired, so she went to the couch and fell asleep. She never woke up. I was distraught, of course, when I found she would not wake up no matter how much I shook her. Everything was standard procedure when the paramedics came in. They consoled me as best they could as they went about their business, though I didn't really show my sadness outwardly. Thinking back on it now, I don't think I cried about it until the funeral. I was the only one there besides the standard issue pastor of a local church. Neither I nor my mom were all that religious, but the proceedings required some sort of reading from the bible so whoever handled my mom's funeral just hired a catholic priest. I think that same day, as I walked home, I found Furball wandering around the streets. He followed me home, stalking along at a safe distance and thinking I didn't notice. I can't remember exactly, but I know it was soon after she passed on that that furball came to be my room mate. Now he stood outside my room's door, meowing his head off. Why? There's nothing wrong. Just the usual. Shadows dancing, shapes shifting and warping, the chair in my room slowly inching across the floor. He kept meowing. The light dimmed. The shadows got longer, the faces on the wall got angry. I didn't do anything though, why are they mad? Furball started scratching at the door. Stop. The light in the room slowly dimmed to a shadowy yellow. There was now more shadow than light in this room. Is the room growing? Or is my light just slowly dying? My feet were on the floor right? I didn't dare look down. From fear of seeing no floor there, or from the shadows seeing an opportunity, I'm not sure. I wrung my hands together, seeing the darkness slowly close in on my sight. Not long before it completely took over. It felt like that day in the steamy bathroom. I was naked and powerless to whatever force was in that room with me. I felt a sharp pain across my back. From just under the left shoulder blade, down and to the right towards my right kidney area. I spun on the spot, the door should have been directly behind me but I saw only darkness. All around me the darkness had taken over, I couldn't see. Then the second slash came. Within the same area, same direction, just slightly off to the side. I shot my hands out into the darkness, searching for the door and an escape. It wasn't there. It was too dark in here, even at the darkest hour of the night my room was lit up by the moonlight outside. Was the moon not out tonight? Were there clouds covering it? Or was the dark just that complete. My eyesight hasn't adjusted despite all this time. Then came the third scratch. Just under my right shoulder blade this time. I tried to move away from whatever it was that was cutting into my skin, but that didn't stop it. I ran, even in my small room I started running. I never hit a wall or an object like my bed. Where the hell am I? I stumbled on whatever it was I was running on. It wasn't my room's floor for as soon as my hands touched it, it was cold. Stone cold. Concrete? As I lay there on the stone floor, the fourth slash came. Deeper. Slower. More excruciating. Tears fell but I didn't cry out. "Mine." The childish voice came and jolted me into alertness. Still in the darkness I could see nor feel anything besides the pain on my back. Then, from out of the nothing, a blow hit me full force in the face. I could feel blood gush out of my nose. It fell to the stone floor as I groaned in pain, holding myself up. As I brought my arm up, to wipe away at my face, came another hit that slammed into the same part of my face. I lost consciousness and knew no more. --- Furball sat meowing sadly outside the door.