Orange

At night once I saw the remnant of a small cat
She was perched on the sill in the corner.

She entered my dreams
Silently sitting just beyond my vision
Always partly hidden.
I was running.

"My God!" I thought as I jolted.
The rays of light cleared the shadows.
There was never a feline present.

I stayed after school that day for too long and missed the last bus home.
Walking was no stranger to me.
It was chilly, and birds flocked the air that evening.

The light shone from behind me, and my shadow lengthened.
I stood on the sidewalk outside my house. The sun shone from behind it.
For an instant, I saw the neighbor's curtain move.

That night I sat in the dark. My eyes widened at the laptop screen in front of me.
I tried to make sense of the nonsense I saw.

The screen blued. It booted up again, and I saw myself.
There were eyes over my shoulders, but I dared not look.
There was a glint over my head, but I dared not move.
There was a whisper in my ear, but I dared close my sight.
A cold nail whisked my neck.