The Cat Man

Harold noticed a strange change in Richard. The two men were friends since Omaha Beach in WWII. Harold had dragged Richard to safety after Richard had his left hand shattered by a shell. Now old, they both joined the same retirement community. They had apartments across the hall from each other. Richard was a cat lover with a large gray cat named Shadow. The other man, Harold, had a lifelong aversion to cats ever since he was scared as a small boy by his grandmother’s cats. So scared that he never visited Richard’s apartment because of Shadow.

At dinner, the two began to discuss books that Richard was reading. They had previously talked about Shadow and how Richard admired the life of a cat. One evening, Richard showed particular interest in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. Could one make or buy such a potion? Richard sounded like he actually wanted to find such a morphing potion. But why would Richard want to morph? The next evening, Richard asked about how George metamorphosed during the night into a beetle. Metamorphosed without any stated cause. He just woke up in the form of a beetle. Had he wished to change? Harold tried to calm Richard and tell him Kafka was just spinning a yarn. Several nights later, Richard told how he had just seen a film clip on YouTube in which Larry Talbot* turns into a wolf at the rising of a full moon right in front of the camera. Fur grew over his face. His canine incisors grew longer. His nails turned to claws. His hands grew fur. He jumped up and ran to break out a window. Harold began to worry about Richard’s sanity.

Richard’s red hair began to change to gray. His moustache grew whiskers like a cat. A gray beard appeared and stretched around his neck. Gray hair-like fur covered his right arm. His fingernails grew longer. His voice grew weaker and sounded at times like a purr. He began to walk softly as if on paws. Each foot placed carefully, one after the other. Maybe due to balance problems of old age, maybe not. At night, Harold heard sounds like two cats from Richard’s apartment. Richard began to obsess on the full moon that would occur on Halloween next.

Richard stopped going to meals. He had them delivered. Harold never saw him again. Harold knocked often, but Richard never answered the door. He called often, but only got a recorded message. Richard must have been OK because no one ever came to check on him. He evidently pressed the morning alarm each morning before 10am. Harold did not like snoopy busybodies, so he didn’t try to force the issue. Richard had a right to his self-isolation.

On Halloween eve about midnight, Harold heard loud noises coming from Richard’s apartment. Then quiet. Next day about noon, Security came to check because no morning alarm had been pressed. Harold entered the apartment with Security. No one was there. Richard was gone. Shadow was also missing. The balcony door was open. Cold air was blowing in. Harold stepped out onto the balcony. He looked down to the ground, one story below. A light early snow had fallen. A faint full moon was just setting. Harold saw large paw prints leading to the nearby woods. Searches of the woods and surrounding area found nothing. Richard had disappeared without a trace.

 Two weeks later by impulse, despite his fear of cats, Harold went on a group tour of a nearby Big Cat Refuge. One big cat came close to him as if it knew him. The big cat looked like Shadow, but larger. Maybe a wild cat from the Blue Ridge. The wild cat purred to him. Its whiskers looked like Richard’s. So did its blue eyes. The keeper told him that the wild cat had appeared on All Souls Day two weeks before. It was only then that Harold noticed that the wild cat was missing a left paw. Harold spoke kindly to the cat. The wild cat purred in response. Harold’s heart softened towards cats and he visited the wild cat every week.

 

 

© Sherman Poultney  12 February 2013

 

 

 

*Note: Larry Talbot is morphed into Wolfman in the film “Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein and the Wolfman.”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr9_dJ6TPPQ