Cursed

I prowled through the shadowed alleys, feline senses acutely attuned to the eerie night. As I stepped over moonlit puddles, I watched my black fur ripple in the rain, my emerald eyes gleam with desperation. A year had passed since the curse had transformed me, but I hadn’t given up on finding its caster.

A year.

It seemed like yesterday that I was a boy in my mother’s warm embrace. But I was determined to feel it again. The death of the witch who cursed me would give me my life back. Unfortunately, she had proven elusive.

An hour ago, however, I had met a kindred soul, encased in a rat’s body by the very same hag. My desire for revenge now shared by another who knew the witch’s home, we wound toward our destination until the air grew thick with malevolence. Finally arriving at the seaside abode, the crash of the waves into the cliffside below chilled my whiskers, sending shivers down my feline spine. The sickly-sweet aroma of magic hung in the air. Excitement poured through me. This was it! Her house!

As we approached the witch's domain, a sudden rumble echoed through the night. Bright headlights pierced through the fog in the driveway, illuminating the winding cliffside road. I knew this was my chance. As a black cat, I had a single ability⁠—to bring ill fortune to any whose path I crossed.

I sprinted toward the road, my agile body fueled by unholy determination. I flashed across, then bounded, sinking claws into a tree at road’s edge. With a screech of tires, the witch’s car careened out of control, hurtling into the briny abyss.

As the dust settled, my eyes remained scant inches from the ground, however. I looked at my furry paws in confusion. Was this not my moment of triumph? Of vengeance achieved? Why was I still trapped in this wretched form?

My bewildered eyes fell upon an object lying on the edge of the road—an abandoned phone, its screen aglow. I ventured closer, tapping cold glass with a paw. There, frozen on the lock screen, was a boy⁠—me⁠—and his affectionate mother with matching smiles.

Behind me, a sinister squeaking laugh erupted over the wind's wicked howl. I turned to behold my rat partner transforming into none other than the witch herself. Her malevolent gaze pierced my tattered soul as her lips parted.

"Your mother, dear boy," she hissed, voice dripping with malicious satisfaction. "Grew far too close. She was as determined as thee to end my long centuries of life. When she finally reached my humble abode, I knew I had to remove her from the equation. What better tool to bring about her destruction than the very boy she aimed to save.” The witch cackled with unbridled glee as she disappeared into the house.

Eyes squeezed tight with pain, I unlatched my claws and let the leaden weight of despair carry me down to the grave of frigid liquid I deserved.

500 words