SVU Scares: “A Very Careless Mistake”

Submission by Anna Liu

Mulberry Street was only lit by one lonely street lamp, bowing its head over the little red house at the end of the lane. That’s where Mae lived.

Mae was a good little girl. Every morning, she would toast a bagel and smear both sides with cream cheese: one side plain, and one side strawberry. The plain one was for Dad. After eating her half of the bagel, Mae would shoulder her backpack and walk to the bus stop. She never missed a day of school, which was impressive for a nine-year-old.

It was a typical October night when Mom arrived home from a long day of working at the pharmacy. She parked their station wagon in front of the house and waded through the dying leaves crowding the yard.

Mae was at the kitchen table, coloring a picture for Dad. She sat on her chair perfectly straight with her legs crossed. Her brows were furrowed in concentration. Mom collapsed next to her daughter. “What’s for dinner, love?”

Mae didn’t look up from her crayons. “There’s a pizza in the oven.”

“The oddest customer came in today. Looked just like the doctor from Frankenstein.”

“The doctor’s name is Frankenstein, Mom.”

“Yes, well anyway. Wild hair and crazy eyes, you know the type. Your father knows what I’m talking about, don’t you, Albert?”

Dad didn’t answer.

The timer on the oven went off, and Mae set her crayon down.

“Oh I’ve got it, dear.” Mom rose and wrapped a dish towel around her hand to pull the pizza out. She let the pan clatter onto the stovetop and dropped the towel on the floor.

Mae carefully shaded in the tree on her paper. “Look, Dad. It’s you and me playing out in the leaves. The rakes are to the side because we decided playing would be more fun.” He smiled at her.

Mom slapped a piece of pizza onto a paper towel and slid it over to Mae. “I don’t have the energy to touch the pile of dishes in the sink. This will do.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“How was school? Did that boy try to bully you again?”

“No, Dad put him in his place. He’s still scared.”

“Good, dear.” Mom unfolded the newspaper on the table and scanned the contents. They sat in silence. Mae could hear the porch swing creaking in the wind, and some part of the house groaned. Noises were so much louder at night, so when something scratched at the front door, Mae nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Albert, you’ll deal with it?” Mom didn’t look up from her newspaper.

Dad got up and rounded the corner to the entryway. He came back almost immediately and shook his head.

“I got it, Dad.” Mae hopped up and shoved the rest of the pizza crust in her mouth. She peered through the peephole and gasped.

“It’s not the grim reaper, is it?” Mom laughed from the kitchen.

Mae unlocked the front door and fell to her knees. A tiny little brown kitten peered up out of a cardboard box with huge green eyes. “I’ve never seen a brown kitten before,” Mae remarked. “Who left you here?” She looked down the street, and the street lamp blinked back.

“Hello? Grim reaper? Did you take my daughter?”

“It’s a kitten, Mom.”

“A cat? No, your father’s allergic. Don’t bring him inside.”

Mae closed the front door and carefully lifted the kitten up. It cried piteously. “Oh, do you miss your mother? You’re so little.” Mae carried it to the porch swing and cradled it like one of her dolls.

“You need a name. A name will make you feel less lonely, you know. How about Howard Junior?”

The kitten stopped crying.

“We used to have neighbors. The Howards. They didn’t like us much. Two years ago, they got a cat and that’s when it got really bad. You see, Howard Junior, my father is very allergic to cats. One October night, I left a window open, which was very careless. I mustn’t make that mistake again. That open window is why the cat smelled the can of tuna I was opening. That open window is why the cat slipped into the kitchen. Dad couldn’t stop sneezing. Then his breathing got raspy and his throat swelled up and he died, Howard Junior. My father died. Because of a cat.”

Mae set the kitten down on the porch. “I think you had better find a different house to move into.”

The kitten twitched an ear at her.

“I don’t think of myself as a hateful person, Howard Junior, but a cat killed my father, so I think you’d better run along.” Mae dusted her pants off and went back inside. Mom was still reading the paper. Dad was smiling at the picture Mae had drawn.

“I miss when you were alive,” she whispered to him.

“I do too,” he whispered back.