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On May 2, 2021, a bald, ugly animal appeared on Tedros' porch.
He cringed and recoiled back behind the wooden doorway. At first, he didn't even register that it was a cat. It looked more like a human brain. Beady eyes, wrinkled pink skin... Tedros didn't care to find out what diseases were festering there. So he shut the door.
On May 5, 2021, Tedros came out to the same sight. A hideous beast, sitting in the precise center of the landing. He groaned. That's the price he paid for living on the edge of the woods. Rabid, needy animals expecting him to take them in. Haunting him. Taunting him. Well, he was lonely, but not that lonely. He shut the door. (Not before giving the cat a good kick to make sure it left for real.)
On May 6, 2021, grocery day, Tedros silently prayed he'd be able to leave the house with no trouble. But this just didn't seem to be his week. There the cat was, totally still, staring up as if it wanted something from him. No, not that, exactly - as if it expected something. And everything about the animal made him uneasy. The look in its eyes, its terrible posture, its terrible face - it couldn't be anything but a demon. Tedros shuddered. He closed the door. And went out the back.
During the commute, Tedros thought about Agatha.
She liked cats, didn't she? On one of their dates, he thought, she mentioned having a cat as a kid. Fitting, as she was quite catlike herself. She was dark and still and moody and her ears were a little pointed. If she were here, he bet she would let the cat in. She'd let it sleep in their bed. And she'd laugh when Tedros woke up covered in scratches.
When he got home - toting a bag of cereal, microwave meals, and maybe a couple Lunchables - the cat was gone.
Thank God. Good riddance.
On May 8, Tedros saw the cat again. This time, it was pacing the garbage bin in his backyard. Knowing cunning when he saw it, he begrudgingly tossed a few slices of Lunchables pepperoni into the woods. The animal ran after it.
On May 9, the cat didn't come.
Same on May 10.
But on May 11, 6:00 AM, Tedros opened his door to find it right back in its old spot. Fast asleep. As if it had been there all night. As if it had never left.
On May 12, Tedros called his wife.
"Hey! So, I have a question for you."
"What is it?" came Agatha's rough voice, muffled by familiar static. It would really be better if Tedros could see her in person, because, over the phone, her inexpressive inflection tended to come across like she was mad at him.
"Just out of curiosity, what was the name of the cat you had when you were younger? You had a cat, right?"
"Yeah. Uh, Reaper was his name. Why?"
"There's this stupid demon one that keeps prowling around the house. Reminded me of you."
Based on the hoarse wheeze from the other end, she was probably laughing. "Thanks so much. How's Gavaldon, by the way? Any news?"
"Never," Tedros grumbled. His back sunk into the couch.
"Yeah."
When she didn't continue, he chuckled awkwardly, and went on. "I don't know how you survived growing up here. Everyone is so… bland. I talked to that guy Radley the other day and he'd never even heard of MCR. I mean, everyone's heard of-"
Agatha coughed/laughed again. "Tedros, you don't have to pretend to like MCR for me. It's okay."
"That's not what's happening." (It was, but Agatha didn't need to know that.)
"If you say so."
...He changed the subject. "God, where are all the nutcases these days?"
"Sorry?"
"I mean- okay, so I'm a cop. You'd think I'd have loads to do. That's the whole idea. Keeping the town safe, right?"
A pause. "That's one way of putting it."
"Yeah, I- yeah, I mean, sorry, but I'm just sick of the speed trap. It's boiling hot, and miserable, and all I'm doing is trying to catch people speeding down a road no one drives on. Like, where are the nutcases, right?"
"Aw, baby, I'm sorry. Maybe they've got more crazies down in Nottingham. Uh, awful food, though."
Tedros chuckled, leaning into the sofa cushions. "It's okay. I just like it better when you're here."
"Only one more week. Hopefully. Sophie's keeping me busy. I'll tell you this - the size of the theatre community in Foxwood cannot be permissible by law. Can't wait to lie down in my own bed."
"Oh, believe me, feeling's mutual," Tedros hoped his grin carried across over audio. "When you get back-" He glanced at the clock. "Shit, it's 10. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Yeah. Take care," Agatha replied, in her usual brisk manner. And then the call was over.
If she'd asked, Tedros would have definitely gone on about his plans for the day. But maybe it was better as a surprise. And it was nice that she trusted him.
He had another call to make, phone hooked up to the car by a fraying wire, the sound of tires grinding dust becoming less stressful and more normal with each day. Driving around here made him feel sad and old.
"Gavaldon Veterinary, how may we help you?"
"Hey, I've got an appointment for 10:15. A check-up."
But what really ruined the morning was the ugly, bald cat who'd already managed to rip apart the passenger seat.
Tedros turned, pointing his finger so the animal knew who was in charge. "How about a little gratitude? I've got no good reason to take care of you."
It just stared while chewing a scrap of leather.
His fingers began to drum on the steering wheel. Now that Tedros really thought about it, this was the worst decision he'd ever made. And that was saying a lot. After all, he wasn't a very controlled person. It was in his nature to act based on what he already knew he loved and hated. He loved Agatha. He hated rabies. He loved power. He hated doing things other people told him to. He loved dogs. He hated being alone.
But even though he wasn't very smart, or very nice, he knew that you should always do something kind once in a while, even if you don't enjoy it at first. This he'd learned the hard way. And in Gavaldon, there were no big good deeds up for grabs. It was all the little things. So maybe today was the day he'd start doing small good deeds. A cat would get a home. A husband and wife would get to raise a cat.
Boom. Now that Tedros really thought about it, it didn't sound so bad at all.
So that bit of uncharacteristic rationalizing is how, on May 12, 2021, Tedros brought an bald, ugly cat named Reaper into his house.
He couldn't have known what it would lead to.