The Black Gz Tknow you will not believe this story. Only a madman could hope that you would believe it — and Lam not mad. But as Lam going to die tomorrow, I would like to tell my story to the world today. Perhaps some day, somebody more calm and less excitable than me, will be able to explain it. Thave always loved animals. I loved them deeply, from the very first days of my life. When Iwas young, we always had many animalsin our house, and so [used to spend most of my days playing with them and taking care of them. As the years passed, I grew into a quiet, gentle man, and my love for animals grew too. I found that they were more friendly, more honest than most men. Animals were always my best friends. I got married when I was quite young. Luckily, my wife loved animals too, and she used to buy me many animals as presents. In fact, our house was always full of animals — we had birds, fish, a dog, chickens, and a cat. This cat, whom we called Pluto, was a large black cat. He was a beautiful animal, and he was also very clever. I loved Pluto more than loved all my other animals, Iwanted to do everything for care of him. Tused to play with him and give him his food, and he followed me everywhere I went. Forseveral years Pluto and I were the best of friends, but during this time my life slowly changed. I became a heavy drinker, and my need for alcohol soon grew into a terrible myself, so Inever let my wife take The Black Cat 7 Our house was always full of animals disease. I was often angry and violent. I began to shout at my wife, and Ieven started to hit her. My animals, too, felt thechangein me. Istopped taking care of them and sometimes Iwas even cruel to them. But I was never cruel to Pluto. As time passed, my disease grew worse, and soon even Pluto was not safe from my violence.“arp on auaqe sofa] pun vous 9 mod) prusiun so0d aya Bung [ Appprr] pinoam se asez se asnoy axp joano wer] pue afm APY “usoospag ayp paysvas Apeauye pey o1yj aya JEM puNog [ “S949 Aus pouiado | uay jy .j21KJ, Jo sINOYS roy Aq daays Kur wosy uayjom sea | ‘asnoy Ino UF ary e peYTam TgsU sures ey, “Buorm pur aq}si91 Supsuios: Butop sem | rey sUy f asvy2—0q WaKa ‘OUT UNY aUpey a er 4D) YOM A4L asnpeg ‘aut paso] PRY MAUY J asHv29q 1 PAYAL PA|L}L ang ‘Aavay pur 9e7q sem areay Aus pue sien Yat 19M sea aoey Apy Surep ayqessaa srep pip [se pauso [ ‘ap 02 az94p131349] puv oan v wory jeunue 100d ayp Bung y uay, “yeu somg punozat pan Ajwiyes pue adoxe puno ‘40s [SuIUIOW! BuO +o Supp pas axou seep pap [7eqp “Jjaskur amy o1 poou step “siya JO asneoeq sem J g3] Op 10U P[noys am aI MoUy am asneoag 1sn/ {142 30 pidmas Sumpowios ouop ‘sou paspuny be om 2.uERepY “saaqasmo Sunany ax] o2 wra2s suEUMY 2a “Mey uEUMY ap Inoge oSuERs Sunpoutos st ar94,f, “4aBue apn & [poy 01 uesaq | way] “aut paddy os a0u0 pey, ory [euue ue ~ Keave una unry aas 02 pes seas ] ast IY cureSe winy any pjnoa | yey pouarysuy ‘ou wes oy uoyAN dur uroay Avave ung 02 pasn ay ‘K{Butsuadis ony “g10W uw ured ut 3,usea ay asvay 28 Ing ‘ayqursay payor [1s 194903 ako Aaduta sypy rex0q 308 omjg ‘posed syuow a2 sy ‘auop pey [224m wonosz0g peg | “UoOg ‘dors 02 our 105 3IHOYyEP 001 seas 11 asne9aq UEP 01 ponuTyUos | “apt Au aBuLYD aut aypur 01 ynous Suons ou sem SuTJ99} STI INg “aUOP Pry] yeyas jo poureyse ajay | SurusousaxsU sp dn syos [HOY AL ~ured pur ssaupes jaoy [fas | “ep 2eq saquratuas | aur Azaagy “UMOP SpsOA asoyp ATM | SB AEPOI 2 yeYs [Jers sit wos sada som Jo 3u0 INO IMD AyTyaIED ay pure “a1 pauado Sax90d Kur wiosy apUy B 4003 | ApOIS -aney Surumg ad2oxe Sunppou [294 pinos] pue ‘oun payfy 138ue [quar ‘pyin e 2000 ry “prey ayp uo aur nig Iystay sty UE apy “uy Yooys pue you sty Aq HY 1yBNed | AsBue our apeur siyp pue ‘our wogy Aeave UN 0} Para ay ‘UT Mes Orn} LOY AL “yumup d19a “roa seas | -ove] ewoy poaue [2y8ru uO) uopouiouy pun Caaskyy Jo 9/2, St20 Tales of Mystery and Imagination we escaped death, bur the house and almost everything in it was destroyed. The next day I went back into the house and saw several people standing in a group, looking at a wall. It was the only wall of the house that was still standing after the fire. I was one of my bedroom walls, the one where the head of my bed had rested. As I came nearer to the walll I heard someone say, ‘How strange!’ and another person, ‘That’s impossible!’ And then I saw it~ a huge cat. Not a real cat, but the shape of a cat outlined in the white bedroom wall. Itwas as clear as a picture; I could even see a rope around the animal’s neck. I stood there in horror, too frightened to move. Then, slowly, I thought back to the night before. Ihad left the cat hanging from a tree, in the garden at the back of my house. ‘When a neighbour had first noticed the fire, many people had run into the garden. One of them had probably cut the cat from the tree and thrown it through my open window, in order to wake meup. Thecat’s body had hit my bedroom walland leftits shape there, because the plaster on that wall was new and still soft. Although I thought that this was a very reasonable explanation, the strange shape on the wall still worried me. Ithought about the cat day and night. I began to feel sorry that I had killed it. I started walking around the streets at night looking at all the cats, to see if I could find another one like Pluto. One night, I was drinking in. my favourite bar when I suddenly noticeda large, black cat. Iwentup to itand touched it. Irwas very large~as large asPluto had been. Italso looked The Black Cat 24 very like Pluto. Except for one thing. Pluto had been black all over, but this cat had a white mark on its front. I touched the cat and he immediately lay down against my leg and seemed very friendly towards me. This, Idecided, ‘was the cat that I wanted. | offered the barman some money to buy thecat from him, but hesaid that the cat didn’t belong to him. In fact, he had no idea where it had come from. Sol took the cat home. My wife liked itimmediately, and it stayed with us from that day. But soon ~I do not know why—the cat started tomakeme angry, and, as time passed, I began to hate it.I did not hurt it in any way, but I always tried to keep as far away from it as possible. Iknew one reason why I hated this cat so much. On the morning after [had brought it home, I saw that, like Pluto, ithad lost one ofits eyes. My wife, who wasthe kind, gentle person thatIhad once been, orily loved the cat more because of this. But the cat didn’t like my wife. It loved me alone. Every time I sat down, it used to jump onto my knees. ‘When I went out of a room, it used to run out in front of, me and get between my fect, or climb up my legs. At these times, I wanted to kill it. But I didn’t, because Iwas too afraid ~afraid of the cat, and even more afraid of the white mark on its chest. Thave already mentioned this mark. At first, there was nothing strange aboutit. It was usta white mark. Butslowly this mark grew and changed until it had the clear shape of a terrible, a horrible thing I find it difficult, here in my prison, to write the word. It was the shape of the GALLOWS! Yes, those horrible wooden posts from which they hang men by a rope around the neck!Mouasnur ‘00s 41 0s pur ‘ofr Aus ontn ssauddeyum yonur oor ay8nozg pey.y “I TTPF 03 “289 auf 103 punose poxoo] ways | Ayddey sjaskur or ples [ p}t0m Jo aoard romaq e auop saAauaa,y, saised oqn3e payooy [20a Aca paystuy pey [ uay,A\ ‘s]]eM Joyo ay Te Se utes ayp ysnf payooy [JEM ay UOOS pue ‘mau Yoo] 10u PIP saaseyd oyp rey ams apeur | aisejd atm uray pasoaoo pue ssplag stp ypeq and yuou Tpeas yoeq ayp asUIESe Apog ayn Aqinyores pue jem au0yy ayp tory S3913q 24 Jo aus INO YOOI | “200 28 AOA parzeas | “o|Ppra oy ur Aadwra sea ing ye pue ogy ays ur syDtaq peY [JEAN SIH “pasn JBu0y ou sem yptyas ‘Couutyo pjo ue jo wonogatp punor zeyje9 au UTE, B Sem ara], ‘2SO0YD OF Tem YOR APIeIpIUTUAL MOT | rejFeo ay Jo sifem ay puryaq Apog ay apry 01 papiap | “eapt jaz19q B Jo 3ySNOYy? [peur ** + deme xog ayp Aaze> 0} auOaUIOS Y{se LOY PUE, xg € ut Apo ayp and pjnos J 1O Yoo] ayp zepun Apog ay opty pinos | ‘ary e ur worp umg woyp pue saoard yews A194 oaurdn kpog ay ao pjnooy** sea roqpo Jo uN 01 pey og ‘aur aas pjnom simoqysiou ayp asnesag ‘aystE 10 ep kq saypie ‘asnoy 9yp Jo INO 11 ayes I,UP|MO> | Mouy [ “Apog 43 apry or sued peur Ajuuyeo | Sopmnur ayquzoy sep ayy “punos & joy JOO ap Uo Pesp []>F>YS “Peay zy ru daap axe ay aaoxp pue pousna | ‘purur Aur ut pepodxa sadue way pue ‘our doas 01 wire Aw aySne9 optim Cur yng “yeunrUT ayp |]P{ OF paLn pur axe ue Jo pjoy 002 | Te8ue yam pew ‘pur ooey Aur Wo 1fay ouNTe | “aur JO JOST ur Josit ALoay pu sdors 241 UMOp sn pamoxjoj3e9 94 “asnoY axa YAkausapUN Fea 2x wos Sumppeutos 398 01 papaau pur ayia At Avp 2uQ “yasu ayy] pur — Apoqdzens “Surpézoas porey | “s1yZnowp fas Spep o3 powm purw Aar pur “surearp ayqrsza1 sour ays pey J “3891 OU 98 PN | ‘qy8tu pure deq gqeunue pidms e Aq porsz0m os ‘pousrysiy os | Sea AY, j289-¥ JO prexye ouOD9q peY ‘ueUI SuONS e Sueur e {[ “max pu mor reay Aur ‘passed Aep yore sy smorty9 aqy fo advgs aq2 som iy, & WD PPE PAL cronouiBouy pu Cask Jo FL, Si24 Tales of Mystery and Imagination = et MO se : Anger exploded in my mind. die. I looked for it everywhere, but it had disappeared. I was free at last! That night [had a deep, peaceful sleep —I, who had just killed my wife, slept well! Three days passed and still the cat did not appear. 1 was now a happy man, happier than I had been for 2 long time. I wasn’t worried by what I had done. People had asked a The Black Cat 25 few questions and the police had visited my house, but they had found nothing. On the fourth day the police visited again and began to search the house. They looked into all the rooms and then went down into the cellar. I went with them, feeling calm and safe. Iwatched them as they looked everywhere. They seemed quite happy that there was nothing there and they got ready to leave. | was very happy. I was sure that I was safe, but wanted to say something, just a word or two, to show how unworried I was. “Gentlemen, Isaid, ‘I'm pleased that you've found nothing, here, and that you are now leaving this house . . . But let me show you something, gentlemen. Do you see how well built this house is? These walls, you will notice, are very strong,’ As I said these words, I knocked on the walll with a stick ~ the wall where I had'hidden my wife! Atthatmomentwe heard a sound. Itwasa strange sound, unlike anything I had ever heard before. The sound was soft at first, almost like a baby crying. Then it grew louder and louder and turned into one long, endlessscream. Irwas like a cry rising from Hell. ‘The policemen looked at me, then at one another. They ran to the wall and started pulling out the bricks as fast as they could. In minutes the wall was down and there, for all to see, was the body of my dead wife. On top of her head, with a red, open mouth and one burning eye, sat the black cat—the animal which had made mea murderer, and which would now send me to my death. Thad putthe horrible thing into the wall, alive, with my wife!‘{uo}s oi Jo pure ou equoseq-o¢ gq"esnoy peyonnisuod jar Mian @ S} SUL. :KeS uy pip AUN-6Z guoneussesse ouj Joye Aep gp ot) paueddey UM-8z Zasdid9 5,5} SiY Una Op AHEUL SY PIP EY -2Z {fioys uy Ul pouojiiow axe asdioo e Buipit Jo SKEM YOM -92 {svyod ip 0} uant BJM Siy pue JOJELIEU euy Kep eu Poueddey YeUN-Sz {41038 4) Ul UELOdUiT OF SiLB Sem AYA. ESMOTIVD POM ‘24 Jo Bulueow 94) SJ2UM SMOTIVO oY) ““aUieLr 0} JappNYs | 72U7 198/90 Ue JO UORe}UeseIdo! ‘2uy mou Seay ““ajqndeaiodiar AjeuiByo useq pey yeUN Sy) Yeu) soquIaLuaL jim JOpeEs OL, -Y~ {320 pUodes Uy inoge BjqeHsewe! Sem TRYAL-CZ ZoInlg o} 1S 19 pz OLY Sem Kean YOIUM UI-Ze Cuontiedde ebuess 24) WeIGKe eu PID MOH-1Z Eero eto pesudins a1am ayp pue 91aun pereyreS ojdaed 40 39) @ “euy yYBNeO Ssnoy'oLp 4eUY-OZ 2988] B Jo Quay uy G) Jeo @4y BueY ey PIP AYM-BL {_ssouseioniod ynoge Aes 24 S30p 12M BL suyoos sy Uo yuouNOg ZUIN}a! 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