Cats have always been a constant in my life. When I was in elementary school, my family and I had three cats. An older one name Ariel, and two sisters named Patch and Brett. They were rather antisocial, as most cats are, and preferred to sleep on the ground floor on their own. As a young child, I desperately wanted them to sleep with me, as they were warm and fluffy and I just wanted to cuddle with them, but they refused to comply.

After another failed attempt to make Patch stay on my bed with me, I got up and shut the door to my room before turning off my light. I had a rather large window, so my room was never completely dark and allowed me plenty of light to see. I laid in bed and closed my eyes.

Several minutes later, much to my confusion, I felt a pressure in between my feet at the foot of my bed, as if something small was standing there. It was a familiar sensation, as my cats often walked on my bed for a few minutes before leaving. They were still for several moments before they padded forward about a foot closer to me and stopping.

I was delighted! Patch had come back to me! I never realized that she would have had no way of getting back in my room with the door closed. I lifted my head, excited to finally have a sleeping buddy. However, there was nothing there. No sign of the glowing green eyes that should have reflected back at me in the dim light, or of the dark shadow of her calico fur.

I was very confused. Had I really imagined them? I placed my head down again and shrugged it off, but the feeling of paws weighing down the sheets was a constant as I fell asleep. They were gone when I woke up.It didn't occur to me as a child, but looking back on, I realize that whatever it was had stood there all night, staring at me while I slept, only a few of inches from touching me.