Winner of the “Black Cat” Fiction Writing Prompt Contest!

An image of a black cat

We’d like to thank everyone for entering last week’s writing contest titled, “The Black Cat.” We had some great entries that included everything from hideous monsters to lost loves. While we enjoyed them all, one stood out for its dark, Poe-like descriptions. Congratulations go out to Joshua Randolph who wrote his story as a haunting poem about the harbinger of death!

Prompt:

Brilliant, green eyes stared at her through the darkened window. Every night he came—the black cat, a shadow that haunted her every move. His plaintive mews echoed throughout the house, but she couldn’t give him what he wanted.

You have 1000 words to write us a story describing what the black cat wanted. You don’t have to use the prompt word for word, but you must touch on this topic in some way.

The Black Cat
By Joshua Randolph

In the night, that cat came calling,
Mewling, the sound softly falling,
On the floors of the house,
Reaching through the bedroom door.

As she lay down for sleeping,
There the cat constantly weeping,
Crying out for something, wanting,
Waiting always, wanting more.

Scratching gently on the wood,
Leaving a mark, misunderstood,
The black cat would stay,
Like some story, dark, Noir

The cat, crying at the window,
Mourning lost souls, spouses, widows,
Death’s cold harbinger, awaiting,
Signals death as cold mists roll.

Inside the house, a prison peripheral,
The green-eyed beast, guardian so dismal,
Retreating to the border, stagnant,
Patiently awaiting the bell’s toll

She had no fear of death persisting,
The cat, harbinger of death, insisting,
Coming all this way, transient,
For tonight, she would not lose her soul.

The cat marking the house, encircling,
She knew the ritual well, smirking,
The cat wanted one thing now,
Stopping near a telephone pole.

The night was dark, oppressive, diabolical,
Her house surrounded by symbols, alchemical,
This cat would not find success,
But on the devil now it would call.

For she knew something the cat had forgotten,
The way of the victim, passive, downtrodden,
Evil would not penetrate tonight,
Even as demons assailed its walls.

The house surrounded, by forces of evil,
Fortified walls to fend off the weevils
of evil that into it try to bore,
Closing around in a sinister pall.

The demons coming to take her soul,
Were unprepared for the defensive foil,
Taken aback at the holy symbols,
Burning as they contact the divine veil.

It was her time, but death she had cheated,
The cat, the messenger that she had greeted,
Tonight she was safe in her way
Death would not bring its cold pale

Holding the cat at bay, interceded,
She had intervened, perhaps even defeated,
The cat, the avatar of death,
Running away with a fearsome wail.

Tonight she would live, the enemy disjointed,
Leaving the harbinger of death disappointed,
She could not give tonight,
Of her earthly and mortal marrow.

[x_line]

Check out the audio version of the poem:

For more of Josh’s work, stop in and check out his blog, Arguments for Reason.

To celebrate the month of October, we’ve been posting a series of prompts celebrating fall and everything that comes with it! Including ghosts and goblins of Holloween! To learn more, check out our current active contest or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest in news and updates.