I awoke not with a bang, nor a whimper, but rather a long steaming tongue scraping its way up the side of my face.

It’s funny how while we sleep, we pay little to no attention to what’s around us. And in those times, we lay most vulnerable. And so when my eyes popped open, focusing on this large hairy thing hanging over me, I lay very still. Eyes wide, careful not to make a sound.

I could feel the puffy warmth of its breath, the sharp white teeth lodged in pink gums. It was bent, hunkering over me like it meant to protect its meal. Fuzzy caught the moonlight, hairs lined on its back.

It sniffed me, moved and nosed me. It was warm, a little wet and as shockingly cold as ice. I opened my mouth to scream, but only a squeak came out.

A guzzling growling sound came from the hungry creature’s body. It rumbled and quaked with fatigue. I took a breath in. Steadying myself for what was to come next. I had to break away and move to a safe location.

To support this, I slowly reached from my comfy bed, to my nightstand. I found a heavy oblong object and tossed it to the far corner of the room. The beast hanging over me lunged in hunger. It raced, pounding across the room on all fours.

With a screech, I stood and raced to the light switch, flipping it on, bathing the room in blinding light, and dancing to keep my toes off the floor.

My kitten meowed at me from the far corner of the room where I had thrown my phone.

“What are you doing in here?!”