(January 30, 2025)

Where did all these cats come from? A second ago, this room had been empty, but suddenly there were five cats prowling around Tashwrites’s feet.

She frowned at the closed front door, at the locked window.

A fluffy little white kitten brushed up against Tashwrites’s pantleg, turning the black fabric grey, and she frowned at the furball. “Thank you so much.”

The cat mewed and padded over to the chair in the corner. Then fell right through.

Tashwrites raised an eyebrow. Illusions?

Oh no.

She turned towards the door and braced for the source of the magic to burst its way in.

(February 28, 2025)

When the burst didn’t come, Tashwrites took a hesitant step towards the door. She reached for the handle, her fingers shaking in apprehension. Or anticipation?

Before she made contact, the magic came. It pierced the gaps around the door and filled the room with a blinding pink light that turned the cats into wisps of air and transformed her ceiling light into a giant squid.

She screamed and darted out of the way before it fell, but as it dropped through the air, it too disappeared, leaving the room dark.

Breaths coming in panting gasps, Tashwrites turned towards the now-open doorway.