Gizz

Amy grabbed her keys from the coffee table and made her way into the hall. As she pulled on her gloves, her cat Gizz shot through the open front door. She called after him, worried about leaving him out in the cold, but he disappeared from sight. He had been acting strangely all morning.

The first snow of the winter had begun to fall. Amy buttoned her coat to protect against the chill. It was a gloomy day and she resented having to make the necessary shopping trip. She decided to take a shortcut so she could return home as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for her the route included an old abandoned church, complete with cemetery. She hated the place and always tried to avoid it when possible. Convinced it was haunted, she was also fearful it was home to the lowest members of society. As she wove her way through the long grass and crumbling gravestones, she had the sickening feeling that something was watching her.

Walking beneath the shadow of the church she heard a strange noise coming from above her. Turning, she craned her neck in the direction of the noise. An ugly stone gargoyle was perched above a stained glass window. Thick black smoke rose from the eyes of the statue, and began to coalesce into the form of the small winged creature.

Amy stood frozen to the spot, her mind spinning with disbelief. The gargoyle was now fully formed. Its black scaly skin reflected the dwindling light and its green eyes stared into hers. It flexed its bat like wings as if stretching after a long sleep, and then took flight, screeching as it dived towards her. She fell backwards as it began to scratch at her face. Blindly she tried to hit it and crawl away, but the beast's attack was relentless. All she could do was cover her face with her arms in an effort to protect herself against the sharp claws.

Suddenly the attack stopped and the gargoyle let out a horrific scream. Amy pushed herself up, leaning back on her elbows. To her astonishment, the lithe form of her cat Gizz twisted as he jumped through the air and pounced on her attacker. There were cries as the two wrestled with each other, scratching and biting. Gizz managed to break free, and with a final leap and swipe of a powerful paw the gargoyle dissipated as if nothing more than a wisp of fog.

Gizz sat back on his haunches and looked over at her. She got to her feet, walked over to him and swept him up in her arms. Cradling him gently she checked his small frame for injury. Running her fingers through the soft, black fur, her examination revealed nothing but a cut on his nose. She wanted to take him to a vet for a check up anyway.

As she began to retreat from the graveyard, she noticed a figure from the corner of her eye. An elderly man stood by the door of the church. His clothes were old ant torn, and she assumed he lived on the streets. A white and grey cat sat at his feet.

“Quite a cat you have there” he called.

All she wanted was to return home, but a sense of curiosity compelled her to talk to the man with the kind eyes.

“Did you see what happened?” she asked.

“Yes. There seems to be an increasing amount of these demons around. Very odd.” He made his way over to a bench and sat down. The cat jumped into his lap. Neither of them seemed to mind the cold snow. She went to join him, still holding Gizz tightly to her chest.

“I don’t understand” she stated simply.

“Have you ever heard of the ancient car goddesses?” he asked her. She stared back at him blankly.

“I’ll take that as a no. Back in ancient Egypt, when cats were first domesticated, they were revered as holy creatures. There were two cat goddesses, Bastet and Sekhmet. They were twins, one good and one evil.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a packet of cigarettes. Sekhmet brought war and chaos to the world. She probably created that demon that attacked you. Bastet was the bringer of peace and harmony, she’s a protector.

Amy was speechless. The day was continuing to get stranger. The old man continued his story.

“The point is this. Most demons are afraid of cats. In return for the love and care we give them, they protect us from the demons, in the tradition of Bastet. Take good care of your cat, and he’ll return the favour.” Without another word the mysterious man took his leave and disappeared out of sight, the cat trailing after him.

Amy picked up Gizz and hurried home. It felt good to be back in the warmth. She gave Gizz some tuna as a special treat, and made herself some coffee. Contemplating the bizarre day and the man's words, she promised herself that she would always take special care of her treasured cat. It might have been her imagination, but she was convinced Gizz smiled up at her.