Me and My Shadow: A Fictionalized Account of My Life with a Cat

The hallway outside the HR department was dimly lit by the building’s night time security lights. I could hear the echo of my foot steps as I made my way towards the building’s exit. I paused briefly at the foot of the stairwell by the exit door. I was torn between my desire to return home to check up on Shadow and my need to find answers to my puzzling and somewhat troubling state of affairs. 

Curiosity finally got the better of me. I knew deep down that there was something that I needed to see in order to put to rest the turmoil of strange thoughts and emotions that rocked my soul to its core. I climbed the stairs with a slow and even cadence which belied my fear and anxiety. I tried to whistle in order to distract my troubled mind, but my lips were dry. I started to hum softly to myself. The faint echoes in the stairwell just added to my malaise. 

After what seemed an eternity I reached the third floor. I cautiously opened the fire door and looked down the deserted hallway. First I looked to the left taking careful notice of the line of closed doors facing outward into the dimly lit hallway. As I slowly turned my head to peer to the right I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A light cool breeze with the scent of ozone brushed my cheek. 

To my right a single flickering light bulb hung downward from the ceiling partially illuminating a dark shallow alcove . Strange figures and graffiti covered its side walls. The rear wall lie in near total darkness. The bulb flared slightly brighter as I cautiously approached the alcove. The crackling sound of its arcing electric circuit was ringing in my ears. The ozone vapor made it more difficult for me to breathe. My heart was pounding as I gazed in horror at the specter before me. 

Against the rear wall an old wicker basket lay on its side. The basket was encrusted with dust and covered with spider webs. Nearby an old broken broom was leaning at a precarious angle. Its bristles were bent and broken. Beside it on the floor lay an old bent and broken dust pan. Strange markings on the outside walls were illuminated by the rapidly fading light. 

Slowly I turned towards the stairwell. I could almost feel the agony of the dying light behind me. There was one final pop and hiss. The light behind me was no more. I dared not even look back over my shoulder. I made my way down the stairway holding the railing in a death like grip to help steady my trembling legs. Pushing open the exit door I stepped outside. 

Staggering across the sidewalk to the parking lot I waited in breathless anticipation for the security alarm to trigger. I waited for what seemed an eternity for that wailing sound and the police it was certain to summons. Trembling I turned around to face the building once more. 

Through the wire screened door window I could barely make out the face of the janitor busily engaged in resetting the alarm. He paused for a moment, looked up and smiled at me. I ran into the empty parking lot. My hands were shaking so hard I could barely turn the ignition key. 

I don’t remember anything at all about the long drive home. 

As I turned into the driveway I saw Shadow sitting on the window sill waiting. He looked as if he had not moved an inch from that spot since I had left him earlier that morning. I fumbled with my keys for several minutes trying to recover my composure sufficiently to be able to insert the correct key. 

I was comforted by the sound of that familiar click as the bolt disengaged from the door jamb. I took a deep breath and pulled open the front door.