Mr Pibbles

The doors opened into a wide room, what immediately greeted Kato was the stench, it was foul and all too familiar. As a child there was this stray cat he often saw around the estate, it was a scavenger, and a survivor just like him, because of this perceived connection Kato had more than once fallen victim to the scrawny little thing; its charms too hard to resist. He had given it some scraps, sharing his food when he was hungry himself.

The cat whilst not a constant in his early life had been present enough, that Kato felt it keenly when it disappeared, days past and the absence of the cat weighed on him, this was at a point on his life where it was fair to say the abandonment issues given by his dad’s sudden departure carried over to what happened next.

As an adventurous young kid driven by his need for company, Kato had embarked on a mission to find the stray, maybe it had got stuck. At the end of each day, he searched for it, a couple of hours here and there calling out with the name he had given it.

“Mr Pibbles, Mr Pibbles” he would call softly out, careful not to disturb residents, he had gotten more than one dirty look for his troubles already. Mr Pibbles wasn’t the most fear striking name, it was unlikely even the cat would’ve wanted it, but Kato was a kid and he liked it. So, he kept going calling for it again and again.

After a couple of weeks of searching and finding nothing, Kato had given up, he justified it by reassuring himself. Perhaps the cat had moved on, found easier pickings in the richer side of town, or been adopted by a loving family. He remembered thinking, ‘I bet that little furballs living it big, eating all the fish it can get, as it gets doted on. everyone knows that cats always land on their feet’ little Kato was not super satisfied with this, but he had never found the cat, so this narrative was certainly plausible.

The day Kato’s idea of what had happened to the cat was shattered to pieces was very similar to this day.

The stench you couldn’t forget it. Kato remembered gagging as his young self-walked into a non-descript alleyway, a shortcut he didn’t usually take, but he was in a rush. For whatever reason he pressed on, he didn’t remember why he was in such a rush, but he certainly remembered the journey.

There, lying in the middle of the alley, was the cat, casually discarded, ribs showing to the world. Flies crawling all over its blackened, rotting body.

Tears reached Kato’s eyes and he visibly recoiled. Memories he’d hoped he’d forgotten attacked him all at once. Forced to confront his past trauma, Kato shook his head vigorously in an attempt to clear his mind, yet the gruesome reminder persisted. He took a step back outside. As soon as the fresh air hit his lungs he began violently retching.

He stood their chest heaving for several moments, before turning and regarding what he could see of the temple’s innards. He saw nothing that made him want to explore any further, the morbid scene that must lay just out of sight was more than enough to strongly considered leaving the place, this wasn’t the day to be a corpse tourist.

For that is what the smell must be, the putrid odour of the long, but not too long dead, it explained a lot not everything but at least he now knew where the villagers had gone. For whatever reason someone had seen fit to lie their bodies in the church type structure, turning the temple to a mausoleum. Where they had lain peaceful and undisturbed until he had come along and broken the sanctity of death.

Kato was naturally curious, but curious enough to disturb the dead in pursuit of his lust for knowledge was a step too far. Whatever happened here, wasn’t for him to know he thought mournfully, but resolute.

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That was where he would have left it, where he wanted to leave it, and he was just about to turn away when he heard it.

“Thunk” it was unmistakable the soft thud of something moving. Something was in the temple and making sounds. As much as he wanted to leave, the loneliness that had driven him to this cursed place to begin with was still looming over his head and wouldn’t stop pushing him on.

He looked at the opening miserably.

“Forgive me Mr Pibbles guess I'm not done with the dead just yet.” He circled his chest, and with a heavy heart stepped back in.

The stench greeted Kato warmly, an old friend that did not yet realise Kato wanted nothing to do with them their actions too severe to be forgiven.

Even bracing himself he fought the urge to retch again. After the feeling had mostly subsided, he looked around the large open space he found himself in.

Torches lined the walls, flickering comfortingly. Their dim light bathing the chamber in a warm comforting glow. Their presence confirmed Kato’s suspicions unless fire had somehow learnt to keep itself burning someone else was here. Kato’s eyes darted around the room, he didn’t see anyone living or dead. There were no signs of struggle nor the sight of rotting bodies confronting him.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

This did wonders for Kato. His guilt over entering lessened, there were no bodies, no death here, no vengeful spirits were going to come and strike him down for disturbing their rest.

In his heart, he knew this wasn’t true, they were here somewhere. Maybe not in this room but the smell was a constant reminder of what must be lurking around the corner, memories of a time he wished he could forget. However, for now he could live in his own fantasy before further examining the place.

There was an altar made of dark glossed wood standing on a raised platform at the back of the room, Kato supposed this is where the religious sermons took place, the priest or other religious figure preaching to his flock. Who Kato supposed stood enraptured by their words, faith unwavering despite all the hardships that came with living.

While Kato had never been super religious, he had been to a few of Redusk’s churches in the past, and he had never seen one without pews before. It was a stark reminder that his home and the comforts that came with it were out of reach.

The bare stone floor conveyed a rather minimalist approach that clashed with the striking mosaic carved in intricate detail that stretched approximately twelve feet by eight feet across the back of the room.

The mosaic depicted a plant, suspended in midair its root ball clumped in dry, crumbling soil defying gravity. Vibrant green and budding leaves clung to a verdant, green stem emerging from the soil. Above that was a bright red watering can, water poured from its nozzle drenching the plant in much needed water.

Kato supposed it symbolised something important. A contemplative expression crossed his face. ‘Maybe you only need a little help in the worst times to make it to the good’ he thought. Then his expression shifted, turning into a grimace. ‘Who am I kidding? I'm not a philosopher. What am I doing? Trying to find reason in an everyday occurrence, someone could have created on a whim.’ He shook his head softly, disregarding any deeper meaning.

Apart from that there was nothing else to really say about the main room. There were two side passageways carved into the left and right wall respectively, but the rest of the room followed the same minimalist approach observed in the communal area.

With nothing else to do Kato looked over to the side passages they were identical in appearance. “Right is always right” he stated bluntly and without hesitation entered the right opening. It led to a closed off room, its centre occupied by a patch of dirt, dry and crumbling, a mirror image of the mosaic. He reached down, feeling it fall apart as he ran his fingers through it. no life was supported here the lack of water more than evident.

With nothing else to do he began his journey to the left passageway, “left is always right if right isn’t” he chuckled nervously, preparing mentally for the corpses that must be there.

He entered the left chamber and saw a pool of water, stood still in the centre of the room. Stagnant and murky, its surface was coated with a thin film of gunk. It smelt, but not of the death Kato was expecting.

“No bodies here either” Kato was surprised but somewhat relieved he hadn’t really wanted to find bodies; he was just looking for a friend.

Whatever had made the noise that drew him to this place to begin with was nowhere to be seen. “Must have been the wind” Kato casually stated. His reason to be here gone, he made to exit and resume his path away from the abandoned village.