The only glow in the bedroom came from the nightlight, which cast shadows around the room. She gripped the flashlight for dear life. “Darling, you in bed?” her mom called. She let out a thin, “yes, is Snowball in here?” The young girl asked. “Yes! Honey, I found him outside. He’s safe now. Go to bed.” Underneath the door, she could see the light from the hall. Then she heard a scratch at the door and a meow. “No Snowball, go away.” She cried, her voice squeaked as she sobbed in her hands. The door creaked open. There in the entrance a cute black and white cat sat; its fur looked so fluffy and soft. It came closer. “Please Snowball, I love you.” She whispered. The door slammed shut.

       The shadow of the cat on the wall grew enormous. A cute cat that morphed into a large standing beast. Its fur covered its muscular arms and legs. It whipped its enormous tail. The eyes glowed a bright green. Its huge cat head looked at her and hissed. And then let out a loud, ferocious meow. Of course, her parents wouldn’t hear it. They were on the other end of the house; the TV turned up and probably snoring the minutes away.

      A foamy liquid covered its teeth, and its claws were razor sharp. He stumbled closer to her and then lifted a giant paw and smashed the life from her body.
“Danny, look what I found roaming the neighborhood.” Gina said as she stood holding a sweet, loveable black and white cat. Gina was Danny’s sister. “If he doesn’t belong to anyone, maybe we can keep him.” Wow, moving day and he already found a friend. The cat circled around his feet.

     Outside, a boy of the same size approached and said. “Hey, I’m Dillon. That looks like Snowball, Tiffanie’s cat. They moved away about a month ago. There was some sort of accident. They must have forgotten their cat.”
“Boys, stay out of Miller’s field. There were some cattle and deer found dead and pretty eaten up out there,” Dillion’s mother said. Dillon turned to his new friend and asked. “Do you want to go to the football field?”

 

 

     The football field is where he met a group of boys around the same age. Second graders mostly, but there were two third graders that joined in, one was Bobby. He was well built. Square shoulders, thick arms, and tall. He wore jeans, a blue shirt and a football cap that hid his spiked hair. The only first grader was Teddy, his little brother.

    Night covered the football field; three floodlights illuminated it, but the fourth, near the woods at the field’s edge, was burnt out. All the boys met on the center line. They tossed the football back and forth many times. While going for another touchdown at the field goal closest to the woods. Teddy stood ready as a goalie. 

    When suddenly something big emerges from the woods. Teddy turned, the creature stared at him and he ran as fast as he could. It thundered past the goal into the field where the rest of the boys saw it. The black and white fur looked very coarse and rigid. It got down on all fours and chased after the boys. Teddy tripped. Bobby turned back, lifted his brother to his feet in one swift move, and jolted him forward. As he stood to face the creature. It batted at him several times, tossing Bobby back and forth like a ping-pong ball. It ripped at his arms and legs and slapped him in the face multiple times with its claws. Leaving Bobby’s remains slumped over on the field, it charged after the others. They all scattered to their homes.

    Back at home, Danny walked in. “So, Danny, how was your night with the boys? I know you snuck out. Please don’t scare me again,” his mother said.
“Something horrible happened.” He rambled on about what he had seen. “That sounds like a scary story that those boys must have told you..” “No mom, it was real.”
The next day, in the afternoon. They met up at the football field to find cops everywhere. “Well, son, what did you see?” the sheriff asked Teddy. “It was a monster!” Teddy said in tears. “He’s telling the truth.” One of the other boys said. “It wasn’t a monster but some kind of wild animal,” the sheriff said.
In town they wandered the streets. Mr. Tanner was standing outside his shop. Sprinkling a bottle of ground gloves on the sidewalk and around the door. “It won’t get me,” he said.

      The smell was strong as they passed through the door. “He’s crazy!” Dillion said. Danny looked around the shop and there were old knick knacks and antiques. There were some old books on a shelf when he picked one up and wiped it clean. Dust flooded into the air. “That creature is coming for all of us,” Mr. Tanner said. Dillion sighed as they left. He headed home.

    In the dim light between two buildings, Danny thought he saw Snowball. The cat walked to the back and then turned, where the sun hit the corner of the wall. It disappeared behind the Building. Danny could see his shadow and then suddenly it grew larger and even larger. Danny slowly backed up and left.

    At home, he enjoyed dinner with his mother and sister. When it was bedtime, Gina snuck Snowball in. Danny’s eyes were closed. When he opened them, there was this massive creature towering over him, ready to devour the young boy. Its fur raised and the steamy heat of its breath warm Danny’s face. A few drops of salvia dropped on his cheek. It raised his paw high in the air, stuck out its claws, ready to swing. When Danny screamed, “I’m not afraid of you.” Suddenly, this giant beast morphed back down into a harmless house cat and meowed.