Adele, a sweet, youthful young lady soon succumbed to the dreariness of winter. On the winter days her father, Mr. Souvie, was out of town on important matters for his ongoing company, she would often sit alone at home, reading to her felidae companion as she waited for her fathers arrival.

But one day stuck out to her more than the rest. This snowy noon seemed unnatural to her. The ground was covered in an icy shield, one that kept things serene and still on the land. She’d planned to frolic with Morise, the long-legged burmese that mewled at her ankles, impatient and waiting for Adele to release him into the wild.

“It’s far too chilly for your short coat, Morise,” Adele sighed gently, returning a neat pat on the felines temple before dragging her fingers down his spine and off the tip of his tail. The tall feline chirped and hummed, creating soft circles around the front door with his small, round mittens. He wished to go out.

Adele threw on one of her fathers old leather coats, placing it over her pale shoulders before she glanced down once more at the garish felidae. “Are you sure?” she’d ask, however, not receiving a response other than a tilt of the head from Morise. She sighed with a smirk, opening the doors as they pulled away from the sticky doorframe that was laced with ice.

Morise frolicked into the snowy sod, hopping from place to place as Adele watched him vigilantly. Something still kept her distilled. That same unnatural suspicion still haunted her awareness as her eyes fixated from the cat to the exterior of the property. Nothing looked out of place. The trees were mature, trickled with heavy snow; the grass crisp with ice; her skin instantly blushed once the air kissed her flesh.

All appeared pedestrian to Adele as her worrisome curiosity seemed to fade over time. Her skin grew fragile and tender the more she laid in the frosty air. Adele called to Morise, patting her skinny ankles as the feline approached her obediently. She guided the two back up to the brick porch, reaching for the golden doorknob. Her skin sticked to the metal once the hefty door opened, peeling her hand back off with rushed ease as she closed the vast doors behind her.

“I don’t see how you enjoy being out in that glacial setting, Morise. You’re not like the cats we would typically see.”

Morise still had yet to understand the mutters Adele spoke, and she didn’t mind. Honestly, in the empty house, she sought comfort in speaking to something alive, something that could react. She hadn’t noticed how alone she truly was, not until now.

The serenity of the old house pained her, and she sat on the staircase stilly, watching Morise mount her lap, his vibrant purrs warming her ears. Her eyes twinkled brightly, glancing curiously at the ominous, broad front door. Something awaited her behind the frame, or so she thought as Morise sat up in her cold lap, starring with her at the door.