Fred noticed Demon when she climbed onto the tub lip and paced between the two shower curtains. It was kind of hard to miss the bulge and rippling that pushed the shower curtain in somewhat. He didn’t mind. She wasn’t trying to peek in and she seemed comfortable. He imagined it must be nice to be close to water but not in the water. He remembered those late restless nights of being lulled to sleep with the gentle splattering of rain like water hitting the shower walls, floor and curtain. Many a night he recalled having the best sleep tucked warm as a baby chick under its mothers cozy breast while it rained outside. He briefly wondered if there was an app for rain sounds to go to sleep with but quickly ended his musings and turned his attention back to the cat when she crouched down and began pawing at the second curtain. Wondering why Fred faced her and reached forward but paused as he realized the cat seemed to be following his hand. Moving it first left, then right, then up and down he realized that yes the cat was indeed following his hand. He smiled. It was kind of cool. It reminded him of the fish at the fish tank. Scowling at the thought of the old man who had chased him away because he thought he was tapping the glass. He focused on Demon. She wouldn’t try to chase him away. At least he didn’t think so. Okay maybe she would but she wouldn’t succeed after all this was his home. So he might as well have some fun with her. Hiding his hand behind his back he began to play with Demon. Moving his hands out at irregular times doing the robot, jazz hands and that anime hand style that he kind of remembered watching awhile back. It was while he was on his second attempt to do the sequence that Demon jumped. Reflevily Fred jumped back but instead of his foot landing on solid flooring it instead slipped on some soap residue. Flailing his arms around he tried to grab onto anything to arrest his fall. But his hands only pushed outward the shower curtain and his other hand simply slid off the slick shower wall. Just as he resolved himself to his death by bathtub he hand brushed against it and grabbed hold. He turned his head and stared in both amazement and relief as his hand gripped the silver safety bar in the shower. He watched in voiceless horror as his hand slid down it and felt as his body continued to fall to the ground his feet sliding forward the once comforting water providing no grip onto water slicked surface. Only succeeding in increasing his body’s fall and forward slide of his feet. It was as his hand slide to the connecting wall and bar juncture that he felt the pull at his arm and shoulder that jerked his now horizontal body sideways arresting his fall. Fred stayed like that for what felt like an eternity just breathing. Feeling the accumulated fear and horror turn into disbelief and finally relief. He was alive. Jesus fucking Christ he was alive. Laughing he released he reached under the curtain and grabbed hold tub lip. Once it was secured he straighted his arm from it’s bent position on the bar and lowered himself to the tub floor. Only once he his back rested comfortably on the tub floor did he let go of the tub lip and safety bar. He laid on his back and stared blankly at the shower ceiling watching the shifting shadows that played across it and relieved to simply be alive. In the mental silence that followed Fred thought of nothing. Yet it felt like his senses were alive in a way that they had never before been. He could hear every single drop of water that still poured from the showerhead as it splashed against his body, the walls, and the curtain. He smelt the clean scent of his environmentally friendly and soft on the skin soap. He felt the welcomed coolness and hardness of the tub floor. He tasted the water as it splashed against his gapping mouth. In his closeness to death Fred felt for the first time to be alive. The desperate meowing brought him back to himself. Fred wondered how long he had laid there but he would never remember because in that second where there was no thought only senses he lived a lifetime.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Furrowing his brows Fred realized that the shadow on the wall was vaguely cat shaped. Why was that? Turning his head he gasped at the sight of Demon’s claws punching through the plastic shower curtain and steadily moving downwards. Sitting up he paused, his body briefly overwhelmed. He waited as the fullness in his head drained away and his vision that had gone black slowly faded back into color and clarity. Blinking he sighed and reached up and gripped the safety bar and braced left hand on the lip of the tub. He hauled himself up enough to get his legs under him. Now kneeling he looked up to gauge Demon’s location. She was still meowing and sliding down. The tip of her tail now visible under the shower curtain. Gritting his teeth Fred tried to think but quickly realized the futilitness of doing so. His mind too overwhelmed by the loudness of the shower water spray beating on his bent head, coupled with Demon’s meowing and the roaring rush of his own heartbeat and rushing blood. Groaning he resolved to first get himself vertical and out of the spray of the water. Blinking he braced his hands on their grips and stood. Making sure first one foot then the other was safely connected to the tile floor and would bear his weight without slipping from under him. Shaking his head to try and clear the water from his vision he reached forward blindly and shut off the water. In the brief quiet that remained he ran his hand over his face and tried to turn to grab his towel to get the remaining water off his face so he could open his eyes fully with no sting but found himself unable to fully turn. Looking down he realized he still had a death grip on the safety bar. He considered letting go of the bar but the fear that seemed to rise from the very tip of his toes to tighten his muscles and cause his stomach to cramp in the threat of releasing his bowels convinced him otherwise. So he turned the other direction shuffling his feet so that they never lost contact with the tub floor and only once he had the other hand gripping the bar did he release his other hand to reach for his towel that lay in a crumbled heap on the soap bar. Grabbing the towel he squeezed it dry with his free hand and used it to wipe off the excess water. Blinking he sighed in relief at finally being able to see clearly. He turned his head to take in the still meowing cat to find that she had slide further down now her entire tail was visible and dragged in the several inches of water that remained as it drained slowly out back into the world to continue on it’s never ending journey. Her black hind paw pads peeking out from the shower curtain bottom. He looked up at the jagged ripped lines in the curtain. And just stared. It was the outraged meow that shook him from his reverie. Shaking his head and muttering “get a grip Fred” to himself he dropped the wash cloth back onto the soap ledge and turn shuffling once more until he could switch his hand grip. Now facing forward he reached back his free hand out and slid the back end of the shower curtain open. Shivering at the most unwelcome envelopment of the cold air hitting his water covered body. He felt his skin pebble up into goosebumps all over his body and his body hairs rise to full attention all over his body. It was almost painful with how quickly they lifted and stretched out in an archaic attempt to cover his naked body in nonexistent fur and warmth. Grinding his teeth he ignored it and turned to look between the two curtains.