This week’s theme is: Madness
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Madness
Mickey prowled the house. She paced from room to room, flicked through all 60 TV channels. Nothing interesting after another rotten day at work. I can go to the gym. No, don’t want to.
She hadn’t realized how graveyard still her house had become till her cell intoned the tinny version of a Rolling Stones top hit. Having wandered into the kitchen, she peered at the wall clock. Probably a telemarketer at 7:00 p.m.
An excited voice droned into her ear before she managed a hello. Yanking the cell away, she made a face and sighed. “I can’t understand a word. Can you slow down? Please” Working fingers through straight cinnamon hair, she prowled the length of the room.
A few words jumped out of the garbled rush, “…cruise…skill…question…”
“No thanks!” Her voice hung in the air, loud and ugly, as she flipped off the phone. “Why’d I pick up the darn thing?” She threw herself onto the sofa, limbs loose and sprawled like a rag doll.
She sat up. Attentive. What’s that? At first Mickey thought she’d imagined the faint sound. A baby crying? None of her neighbours were associated with any. She waited, then jumped up rushing to investigate outside the front and side doors and the windows open to the cooling May evening. The dead-end street remained silent. Empty. Lifeless. Waiting. Waiting for what? Stop it! Back and forth she strode down the hallway from the living-room to kitchen and back again. Listening between floor creaks.
“Meow.”
“We do not have a cat.” A laugh simmered in her throat and she set it free till she cackled, beside herself. Wiping aside tears, she opened the front door again. Nothing on the porch or on the road. No cats anyway, which wasn’t unusual. The two old ladies with cats lived further up the short street and kept them housebound.
This is crazy. It’s as if a cat’s in the walls. She laughed again but didn’t sound merry at all. Ears plugged, head light, her heart bumped and ground.
“Meow.”
Mickey yanked the broom out of the cleaning cupboard and poked about the kitchen beneath the chrome table and chairs and into all the empty corners. She continued through the bedroom, dining-room, living-room, and even the bathroom. She listened at the walls careful not to scape an ear on the white stuccoed living-room.
“Meow.”
Where is the darn cat? Slashing her broom like a saber, she tore up the L-shaped stairs to the second floor. Inside empty closets, in half-decorated bedrooms, around and behind unpacked boxes she poked and crawled. Nothing. Down the stairs and two short flights more to the basement she raced. Lights on, she surveyed the rec room: burgundy carpet and orange couch. Bleh. No turning down free anything thanks to her husband.
A basement window stared half-lidded. The only one without a screen. Open. The only one not painted shut. Stupid. Stupid. Up on the milk crate beneath the window she’d last opened it, Mickey removed the supporting pole and latched the window shut. “All quiet on the subterranean front.” She giggled, a nervous vibration. A cleansing breath in and another one out, then another; her heart slowed to a steadier beat. Laundry-room. Check. Furnace room. Check. Closet. Check. Behind the bar. Check. “No cats and no mice. All is quiet. ”
The broom back in the cupboard, she realized night had fallen. A glance at the clock announced 10:15. Wow, over three hours gone. Is this place haunted or what? Work tomorrow. Bedtime calls. I’m talking to myself now?
***
“Meow.”
Wide awake, Mickey had no idea if she was dreaming or not. Heart thrashing like a revving rocket, her eyes shot open. She couldn’t breathe. Where are you? What are you? Lightheaded and limb-rigid, she drew in air a silent gasp at a time.
“Meow.” The tone sounded angry and much too loud and close.
If it’s real, I bet the darn cat’s on the window’s ledge. Almost confident the cat yowled on the other side of the screen, she leaped out of bed. Hands swift behind the curtain, she wrenched the window pane down.
“Miaow.”
“Shutup-Shutup.”
“Meow-Miaow.”
Hands over ears, Mickey shut her eyes and clenched her teeth. “You’re driving me crazy.” She grabbed her alarm clock-radio, pillow and blanket and slammed the bedroom door headed for the sofa. Sleep did not come. The plaintive meow persisted although weaker. She tossed and turned until the alarm jarred her into consciousness and onto the floor.
***
Tony sauntered in after his night shift as she finished applying mascara. “I’ve never been so happy to go to work as today.”
“Uh-huh.” He appeared tired as he kissed her on the cheek and headed towards the kitchen.
“Wait. I have to tell you— This house is haunted or something.” She rushed through the details until breathless.
Brow furrowed, her husband stared at her long and hard from the door jamb he leaned against.
“What? It’s madness, isn’t it. You think I’m crazy?”
”I hear it too. Wait here.” He flung the bedroom door aside. Mickey watched one-eyed around the corner as he pushed back the curtain. He roared with laughter, a belly laugh so deep he almost growled.
He called over his shoulder. “Come here.”
“Why?”
“Come here. You’re going to pee yourself.”
“Like I didn’t all last night?”
“Meow.”
Tony stretched out a hand towards her. “Come on,” he said shaking with mirth.
“Ta-da.” His eyes grew large and he rushed to catch her as Mickey folded into the floor.
A cat pinned between the inside window pane and the screen glared back with dark, curse-hungry eyes. “Miaow!”
#
May 5, 2015 at 1:51 am
Enjoyed this – first thing I’ve read this morning
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May 5, 2015 at 7:41 am
Thanks, Judith. Have a wonderful Monday. ❤
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Pingback: Madness #BlogBattle Week 8 Entries & Voting | Writing Rachael Ritchey
May 5, 2015 at 2:42 am
Haaaa! My eye started to twitch, I could hear the miaows in my head. Very hilarious ending!
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May 5, 2015 at 7:43 am
Glad you enjoyed the read. I was killing myself laughing at the end as well.
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May 5, 2015 at 2:53 am
If this was a real competition you’re a winner!
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May 5, 2015 at 7:45 am
Wow, Gilly. Thank you. Thank you. My heart is aflutter and I’m pink with pleasure. ❤ ❤ ❤
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May 5, 2015 at 3:28 pm
Just as you deserve my dear!
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May 5, 2015 at 3:46 am
Miaow… a nightmare… well written…
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May 5, 2015 at 7:47 am
Thank YOU, Rosa. This is my attempt at another genre from my usual. Hope I succeeded. ❤
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May 5, 2015 at 4:33 am
Madness it certainly is and with a cat it is scary.. great enjoyed this.. 😉
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May 5, 2015 at 7:49 am
Thanks so much. This is my attempt at a different genre. 😮 ❤ ❤
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May 5, 2015 at 6:44 am
Ha! I was waiting for the supernatural!!!!! 🙂 This was MUCH better!!!! THat’ll teach that cat!!!!!
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May 5, 2015 at 8:21 am
Cats can drive you nuts! This was hilarious.
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May 5, 2015 at 8:38 am
Well, at least the house wasn’t haunted. Of course, given how angry the cat is, Mickey just might get haunted yet!
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May 5, 2015 at 8:42 am
Oh, that poor kitty. Great story Tess. Having Mickey consider that her home was haunted put real spice in.
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May 5, 2015 at 8:48 am
Tess… Well written as always.
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May 5, 2015 at 9:48 am
Couldn’t imagine where this was going..but great ending 😀 😀
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May 5, 2015 at 11:50 am
Poor kitty!!!
“She giggled, a nervous vibration” …. and poor Mickey on the verge of madness.
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May 5, 2015 at 11:54 am
A cat meowing all night and if I couldn’t find it, would drive m.e. mad. 😀 😀 😀
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May 5, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Me too! When Theo gets in one of his chatty moods, he can drive me crazy … during the day
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May 5, 2015 at 12:42 pm
What a story. Look what you do when you get more than 100 words–amazing. Tess.
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May 5, 2015 at 1:03 pm
Thanks so much Jacqui. I’m pleased you enjoyed this one. ❤ ❤
BTW, love you new Avatar. Howdy. 😛
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May 5, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Loved it! I was hooked within moments, Tess! 🙂
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May 5, 2015 at 3:22 pm
My heart raced along with every word Tess. I really did think she was going mad. That must have been one irate pussy cat!
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May 5, 2015 at 5:45 pm
Haha! Fun ending! Love the description of her mad dash through the house! That poor kitty! 🙂
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May 5, 2015 at 6:04 pm
Loved this… Poor cat though! You ate a brilliant storyteller 😉
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May 5, 2015 at 7:14 pm
Hhaha~ This was great! I wasn’t expecting such a funny ending at first! Poor cat though.
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May 5, 2015 at 8:00 pm
I’m tickled to pieces you enjoyed this little scribble. I laughed myself silly at the end and hoped others might also. You have made my day. Thank YOU.
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May 5, 2015 at 8:04 pm
Nice comic relief after the tension. 🙂
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May 6, 2015 at 7:32 am
Thank goodness I have a dog, although he’s frightened of cats.
I wonder how that cat got stuck there? Poor thing. Nice ending and good that Mickey finally found out where it was coming from.
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May 6, 2015 at 10:50 am
Fantastic story! It reminded me of The Tell-Tale Heart (but that might be because of my feelings toward cats). 🙂
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May 6, 2015 at 3:04 pm
Glad the mystery was solved in the end. Wonderful story Tess, as always ❤ 🙂 🐻
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May 6, 2015 at 10:10 pm
No real cats were used for experimentation between window pain and screen. ❤ ❤ 🙂
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May 7, 2015 at 1:43 am
Oh, Tess, you had me worried! I’m so glad there was a happy ending for everyone, but it was quite tense for a while!
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May 7, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Tense is g.o.o.d. Madness is tense. Thank you for picking up on it. I’m always happy when a plan comes together an a reader gets the feel. {{{hugs}}}
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May 8, 2015 at 6:17 am
Poor Mickey, and poor cat! Graet story. i enjoyed the mystery of where the meow as coming from.
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May 8, 2015 at 10:28 am
Thanks so much! I appreciate your reading and comment. I’m pleased you enjoyed the read. 🙂
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May 8, 2015 at 2:08 pm
Great story! I kept wondering if it was all in her head, poor Mickey, but there really was a cat. This was fun to read. 🙂 Can a cat get stuck in a window? it wouldn’t surprise me if they could.
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May 8, 2015 at 2:16 pm
Oh that poor cat! Clearly Mickey was not a cat lover, or though it seemed. Great use of the word madness. Also, I was really drawn to the fact that you described her hair as “cinnamon” in color. I liked that a lot.
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May 10, 2015 at 1:59 pm
You’re probably right or wasn’t used to them.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
I looked at my cat and got the idea. He’s supposed to be ginger but he looks more like cinnamon. 🙂
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May 10, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Cats are one of the most amazing creatures. I am certain that if we followed a cat for 24 hours we would have an endless supply of creative ideas.
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May 8, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Happy to have caught up with this. Great story!
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May 8, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Tess, you are the woman! I saved this piece of fiction until I had a few minutes to read it since it is longer that the stories you generally write. Well done! I hope you continue to write the longer stories (in addition to the short flashes) because you bring a lot of good stuff to the table. I liked the tension, I liked the way you had the character determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, and I especially liked the ending. Good job, girlfriend!
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May 9, 2015 at 8:49 pm
Thank you much, lovely Kate. Your encouragement means the world to me. ❤
Need to blog less and write m.o.r.e. I have so many unfinished projects so I added another one…Go figure. 😮
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May 11, 2015 at 10:40 am
I have two of them and I forget they’re cats. Instead they’re like naughty two-year-olds: Lady Gaga and Dickens. 😀 😀
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