That cat and Stefan were a study in contrast. Where the cat's fur had a shiny, clean look to it, Stefan's hair was dirty and matted. His clothes were dirty too and bruises were visible through the holes at the knees and elbows. The cat stepped in Stefan's lap and proceeded to prepare a comfortable spot with her claws. It hurt the little boy just a little, but not like some stuff. Besides in another moment he knew how good it would feel to have the cat curl up on his lap and that closeness was the best thing in the world.

The tree he had chosen to sit behind had rough bark and it dug into his skin. There was no way he would disturb the cat though. This felt too good. Both his hands were alternately stroking and scratching favorite places. He worked his way up to the ears and as he moved down to the neck, the cat lifted her chin to allow greater access to that place. The big eyes were half closed and looked lovingly into Stefan's own. Somewhere close a screen door slammed and the cat's eyes went wide with fear, mirroring Stefan's own. Frozen in place, he held his comforter close enough to feel the quick beat of her heart against his cheek. Drunken footsteps went past his hiding place and as they went around to the other side of the house he dropped the cat and they ran into the wooded area.

The cat outdistanced his own little legs quickly. Hurrying and desperately hopeful that he would catch up to his friend Stefan could see the old stone farmhouse through the trees. It was a place that he had been told to stay away from, but there were so many places and rules like that he just couldn't remember them all. As he came into the cleared area near the building he could see the cat had stopped near the opening of an old basement and was looking back at him as if to invite him in. She disappeared into the darkness and the fear began building again to the point that tears started rolling down his little cheeks and crumbled to his knees. It was so dark in there and bad things happened in the dark. He was six and knew all about bad things.