Alice Mare

The Hole in the Cabinet

Allen…

Allen…

You’ll catch a cold if you sleep here…

C’mon dear, go to bed…

I stared at the hazy pile of books by my side as my eyes shot open. I immediately looked around, my head snapping from one direction to another.
Was it all a dream? I immediately stood up and assessed myself. No wounds, no mud, no nothing. I sighed relieved. It  was only a dream.
“Allen? Are you still up?” I heard Teacher’s familiar voice and his familiar knock just outside my door. He must’ve seen my lights on from the hallway.
“Y-Yes Teacher!”
“Well hurry up and sleep it’s nearly midnight.” I heard him say followed by his footsteps growing softer. I sighed, both relieved and agitated. If it was all a dream it means that the thing with the butterflies talking to me in the upstairs storage was all fabricated thoughts, and that made me a little annoyed, that would mean I was back at square one. It would also mean that the thing I encountered in the hallway was fabricated as well. I could still clearly recall, its hungry eyes, its old raspy voice, and its long sleek black lounge wrapping around my throat, it sent shivers down my spine just thinking about it.
“Enough with the dreams.” I said out loud to no one in particular as I stood up from my seat. But as soon as I took the first step towards my bed I heard the soft sound of a cat’s meow. I stopped at my tracks. There were no cats here, at least as far as I know, pets aren’t allowed here. It reminded me of a long and heated discussion between Teacher and Joshua regarding his frogs, but were actually snails, and the no pets rule.
I searched around the room for the source of the sound, listening for it through walls, under the bed, behind the desks. I looked through every nook and cranny until there was only was only one spot left where it could be coming from. The cabinet.
Standing in front of the old wooden door, I gripped the rust colored handles, took a long breath, and swung the doors open.
The next thing that happened was so fast I didn’t have the time to register it. Something had jumped out from the cabinet, it was black, sleek, and fast. I couldn’t really tell if it was a cat or not. This dark thing ran around the room, perhaps startled from my actions, or maybe it was just plain crazy, but nevertheless it soon set its sight on me. It lunged towards me so fast that the only thing I had time to do was cover my face with my forearms. I felt its claws dig into my skin as it landed on my arms. But as soon as is landed on me it soon lunged itself up again and back inside the cabinet where it came from. I looked at it as it sat there on my pile of clothes its hair standing on end and its fangs and claws bared. Yup, it was definitely a cat, and a black one at that. Lowering my arms down I began to check the extent of the damage done by my uninvited guest. My chair was knocked over, books scattered everywhere, and my sleeve showing little red dots, probably from the scratches it made on my arm.
“Now how’d you get in here?” I asked with an exasperated look, which the cat returned by hissing at me.
“C’mon now out!” I commanded opening the door as I did. Seeing its chance for escape the cat quickly bounded from the cabinet through the door.
“Now that’s  done.” I said feeling accomplished as if I just evaded a disaster.
But just when I thought my troubles were over I heard it again, that soft meow coming from my cabinet. Oh no… don’t tell me it had kitten’s in there!
Quickly I rummaged through the piles of unfolded pieces of clothing inside the cabinet, then the strangest thing happened, I swear I was suddenly falling and all around me was nothing but darkness.

“Hello?” I had called out for at least the hundredth time since I woke up. After that weird free fall I experienced I woke up and found myself laying on the floor with nothing more than just the clothes on my back. I had looked around as soon as I was up and about but all I saw was darkness and this strangely glowing gold floor in front me. And so here I am now, calling out to the void, wandering for at least for an hour already, starving, and exhausted.
“Hello! Is anybody there?!” I cried out, more of an exclamation than a question. This new and profoundly eerie place was already getting into my nerves, the way that no echoes ever come back at me from all my screams, the way that there were no sounds at all unless I made some myself, the way that the darkness just waiting at the corner, the shine of the golden floor keeping it from swallowing me whole. This place was suffocating, it felt like I was buried six feet underground, but instead of a small, cramped coffin I get a wide, dark, nothingness. I was starting to panic now, What if I can’t make it out of here? What if I’ll be here alone in this still suffocating silence? What if I will die here alone and forgotten?
I felt my tears stinging my eyes and my heart bounding in my chest.
“TEACHER!!” I suddenly cried out. I don’t know why I called out for him. Maybe it was by instinct since he was now my guardian, maybe it was by chance since he was the only reliable adult I know, or maybe it was because I had unconsciously considered them back at the institute my family. I rubbed my eyes, wiping the tears that were blurring my vision. Trying to collect myself I focused on searching for something besides the darkness that was surrounding me, and the golden glow of the floor that I just considered sickly for some reason. Squinting my eyes and exerting much effort to look around I finally found what I was looking for a brown colored speck in the distance. Using what strength I still have, I dashed towards the brown speck. As soon as I got closer and closer I soon realized what it was. It was a cabinet! Slowing myself to a halt I quickly examined the huge furniture in front of me. The way it wobbled when I knocked it, the way its wood smelled like old houses, its small indentations at its doors, there was no doubt about it. This was my cabinet! But I wonder how it wound itself here? Brushing the question aside I tried the doors, a cabinet got me into this mess maybe it’s the way I can get out. Gripping the rust colored handles and gave it a small pull, to my surprise it was still held shut. I tried it again, this time with all the force I had in my little arms.
“You won’t get that open anytime soon.” A raspy but squeaky voice said from atop the cabinet.
I felt my hair stand on end as I slowly looked up and found myself looking directly into a yellow glowing cat’s eye.