After work, Daniel decided to stop by at the convenience store on the way home. He went inside to pick up a snack, but as he browsed the shelves, he stumbled on a small section of cat supplies. Rather than the diverse and varied display he’d scene at the pet store before, this was a small collection of handheld objects, along with a limited selection of cat treats.

  The young man crouched down to examine the objects closely. Now that he was committed to taking care of the creature, he had done some research in his spare time. Which is to say, he had watched a lot of cat videos. He wasn’t sure how the creature would react to these, if it did at all, but it was worth a try. Shrugging his shoulders, he picked up a toy fishing rod with a plush fish on the end, and a tube of some kind of paste. After paying at the counter, he left the store.

  As Daniel walked home in the cool evening air, however, he suddenly felt a drop of water on his skin. He looked up at the gray skies as the rain began pouring down. Keeping calm, he reached into his bag for an umbrella. It was getting colder, so it was raining more frequently these days, and it had taken him a few days to remember to bring his umbrella to work again.

  As the rain pounded against his umbrella, Daniel suddenly thought of something. Had he remembered to take the washing in from the balcony? Daniel frowned and started walking faster. Then he heard the crack of thunder, and he started jogging.

  The apartment door creaked as he opened it, and a flash of lightning illuminated the dark interior for a moment. The light cast long shadows, blurring his familiar abode with a web of darkness, before everything settled down. It was eerily quiet inside the apartment as Daniel set his bag onto the couch. He flicked the lights on, and the fluorescent bulbs flickered to life, bathing the room in a yellow glow.

  Daniel shuddered as he moved down the hall. This wasn’t a good night to be alone. Rain lashed against the windows, and the wind howled as it raced through the gaps in the door as he went further into the apartment. He arrived at the door to the balcony, and his worst fears were realized.

  What he was met with was simply horrifying – a flat piece of cardboard, flapping open in the wind, letting raindrops in to soak the carpet. A flash of light illuminated the outside balcony, showing Daniel what he feared the most; his laundry, soaking wet from the rain. He stood there in dismal silence as rain soaked his pants.

  The creature crept out behind him, looking on as it wondered what he was doing.

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  Daniel sighed with a towel wrapped around his neck. He’d managed to ‘rescue’ his clothes, as much as he could. He looked at them, dripping water in the bathroom, as he sat on the rim of the bathtub. He would have to take them to the dryers down stairs later. Jason had a coin laundry-esque system, so Daniel didn’t like using it if he didn’t have to. But he didn’t have a choice if it kept raining, and it looked like it wouldn’t stop until tomorrow morning.

  Daniel emerged from the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen. He threw a brief glance at the patch he’d made to the ‘window’. He’d reinforced the barrier with extra bits of tape, and put a plastic tablecloth in between the cardboard and the outside, to stop the water from coming in. It held up well enough, but he put a towel underneath just in case.

  Daniel took a piece of fish fillet he’d defrosted from the fridge, cut a bit for the creature, and fried the rest. He put it onto a piece of bread, dressed it with lettuce and mayo, and finished it with another piece of bread. Dinner ready, he cast a brief look at the creature close to his feet, noticing that it seemed to be eating well. It was important to watch a pet’s appetite, as fluctuations could imply something wrong with it. And indeed, after watching for a while, he noticed something wrong.

  It was as energetic as it usually was, but it did seem somewhat nervous, legs twitching as it ate its fill from the food bowl. Daniel couldn’t really think of a reason for its behaviour, so he returned his attention to his sandwich, bringing it up to take a bite. After chewing for a while, however, lightning suddenly struck, followed by a loud boom of thunder. The creature jumped, flailing limbs catching Daniel’s sandwich and smacking it out of his hands.

  The creature landed and skittered backwards, spooked by the lightning and the fallen sandwich. Daniel stood there for a moment, hands still grasping the invisible sandwich. He sighed, grabbing a paper towel to clean the mayo from his floor.

  Honestly, he couldn’t be mad at the creature; it was an educating moment, and a good lesson came at a cost. Once he’d cleaned the sauce off the ground, he threw the dirty paper towel in the bin.

  “Can you help me eat this?” He asked the creature, pointing at the rest of the fallen sandwich.

  It approached cautiously, but still obliged him with enthusiasm. As it tore the sandwich apart with its mandibles, Daniel pondered the issue. Many pets were scared by loud noises, and while the creature was one of the most courageous things he knew, even the bravest were humbled by nature. Thinking for a while, he planned his actions.

  Once the creature finished the sandwich, he picked up its bed and put it into his bedroom. He turned to the creature, who had followed him out of curiosity.

  “Stay in here for tonight, ok? It’s quieter in here.” He told it.

  The bedrooms in this apartment complex had pretty good soundproofing.

  While the creature didn’t exactly understand what he meant, an errant bolt of lightning scared it inside. Daniel nodded, and closed the door to the bedroom partially, leaving it open if it wanted to leave.

  “I’ll be back soon.” He said.

  And he went to go dry his clothes.