Page 7 - ADU Voice

SPRING 2022 · ADU VOICE 07

Suddenly, I felt something quickly brush past
my legs, sending shivers down my spine.
Something about the eerie setting brought
flashbacks of ‘Pet Sematary’ to my mind and
the very next moment, I was looking down

two glowing eyes in the dark — a monstrous
stray cat (not cute at all). Being sure that it
was going to rip me apart, I ran for the door
with all my might.

Did I pluck roses that night? Nope – it wouldn’t
have been worth it. Did I sprain my ankle
though? Absolutely.

Over the years, I’ve made friends with a lot of
people who have cats and really adore them.
Obviously, I did not want to miss all the fun

hanging out with them and decided to just get
over my fear of cats. Easy, right? Wrong. But
I promised to try and set myself a challenge
to finally overcome my fear of cats. And what
better way to hit the nail on the head than to
go to a cat café?

Now, all the ailurophobes out there would

be worried and asking me, “Violet, are you
crazy? Why are you doing this to yourself?”
We have always heard that we do not grow
unless we challenge our fears and develop
strategies to overcome them, right? Well, it
might sound cliché, but it is true.

Digging the Pet
Semetary story?
Click here to find the
novel online.

stephenking.com

Art by Jaren Hemphill