My name is a mystery that even my colleagues don't know. I work for the CRT, the Cat Recovery Team, a secret organization dedicated to uniting cats and humans in a perfect symbiosis. Sounds strange, right? It is. And even more so in a city like Shadevale. This place has something... different. It’s not just the cobblestone streets or the perpetual mist that seems to wrap everything. No. It’s the feeling that, at any moment, something unexpected might happen. And in my line of work, that's practically a given.
I was sitting at the Central Office, reviewing some recent reports when Mrs. Elena, our sharp-eyed receptionist who was more secretive than she seemed, called me.
—Agent, we have a situation.
Her tone was serious, more than usual, which was saying a lot. I left the papers on the desk and approached the counter. Mrs. Elena handed me a sealed envelope. Judging by the urgency in her eyes, something big was about to unfold.
—It’s about Shadow —she whispered—. The black cat.
The name sounded vaguely familiar. Shadow. I had heard stories, or rather rumors, about a black cat roaming the city just before unfortunate events occurred. They said wherever it appeared, bad luck followed. But in our world, one filled with logic, those things were just coincidences, or at least that’s what I wanted to believe.
—Shadow? —I asked as I took the envelope—. I thought it was just an urban legend.
—Not at all —Mrs. Elena replied—. It has been seen in several places around the city. And every time it appears, something strange happens. People are getting nervous.
I opened the envelope. Inside was a list of incidents: a store that inexplicably lost all its sales in one day, a series of minor but puzzling accidents in the streets of Shadevale. All the reports had one thing in common: someone had seen a black cat just before it happened.
—Your mission —Mrs. Elena continued, staring at me intently— is to find Shadow. And if you can, figure out what’s going on.
I nodded. It seemed straightforward, though I knew in this city, things were rarely as they seemed. I grabbed my coat and stepped out into the cold air of Shadevale.
The first place on my list was Don Mauricio’s antique shop, located on a dark corner of the city. The place had that classic feel of another time, with the smell of old wood and the sound of creaking floorboards beneath my feet. When I entered, the owner greeted me with a slight nod. His eyes, usually alert, now seemed worried.
—I’ve heard about the cat —I began—. May I ask you some questions?
Don Mauricio sighed and pointed to a chair in front of the counter.
—That cat... —he said in a somber tone—. I saw it just before everything turned strange. It was at the window, watching me, and then... nothing. No one came into the shop all day. No customers. As if I had been forgotten.
—And did you see anything else out of the ordinary? —I asked, trying to find any tangible clue.
—Just the cat —he repeated—. Black as the night.
It wasn’t much to go on, but I knew that in these cases, the little details were the most important. I thanked Don Mauricio and left the shop with a strange feeling in my stomach. The mention of the black cat and the “bad luck” that followed wasn’t a coincidence. Shadevale always had its share of mysteries, but this was escalating.
My next stop was a small park where, according to reports, several accidents had occurred in a single day. I arrived just as the sun began to disappear behind the mist. The park, usually filled with children and runners, was deserted. The fog hung low, as if the place itself was trying to hide something.
I walked along the paths, searching for anything that could explain what had happened. Suddenly, I heard a soft sound, like a distant purr. I stopped, turning slowly towards the sound. There, among the shadows of the trees, I saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
A black cat.
It stared at me, motionless. I knew it was him. Shadow. My mission was to find him, but now that I was face-to-face with him, a feeling of unease washed over me. It wasn’t exactly fear, but something in his gaze made me feel like he knew more than he let on.
I took a step towards him, but before I could get closer, he slipped between the trees and vanished. I ran after him, but there was no trace of the cat. Only the echo of his purr lingered in the distance.
Over the following days, Shadow kept appearing and disappearing, always before something went wrong. The list of incidents grew longer, and though I was sure there was more to this than simple superstition, I couldn’t figure out what. How could a cat be linked to all of this?
I started to wonder if Shadow was following a pattern. The places where he appeared seemed random, but when I mapped out his movements, I noticed something curious. All the locations formed a circle around the center of the city. A nearly perfect circle.
I decided that the best way to find answers was to follow the center of that circle. I headed to the Shadevale Town Hall, the heart of the city, and perhaps the epicenter of all these strange events.
When I arrived, the place was wrapped in the same thick mist that seemed to follow me everywhere. The building’s lights glowed faintly through the fog, giving it a ghostly appearance. I approached the main door and rang the bell.
A security guard, surprised by the hour of my visit, let me in.
—Looking for something in particular? —he asked suspiciously.
—I’m investigating some recent incidents in the city —I replied—. People have mentioned seeing a black cat around here. Any reports about that?
The guard frowned.
—A black cat? No... I haven’t seen anything strange, though now that you mention it, I’ve heard that the security systems have been malfunctioning lately, with no apparent reason.
That “no apparent reason” was all I needed to hear.
I climbed the stairs to the older offices of the building, those that were rarely used. As I walked down the hallway, a strange feeling came over me. The air was heavy, as if something or someone was watching me. I heard a soft meow behind me and stopped dead in my tracks.
Turning around, there he was again. Shadow. Sitting calmly at the end of the hallway, with his yellow eyes glowing in the gloom. This time, I wasn’t going to let him escape.
I approached slowly, trying not to scare him. But before I could take another step, the cat leapt agilely through a broken window, leaving me alone in the darkness. I ran to the window, but when I looked down, there was no trace of him.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
The circle of incidents wasn’t random, nor was it just bad luck. It was a distraction. Someone, or something, was using Shadow to divert attention. While everyone was distracted by the accidents and disappearances, something else was happening, something much more sinister.
I ran down the stairs, straight to the Town Hall’s control room. The guard looked at me confused as I burst in.
—I need to see the security cameras from this week —I said quickly—. And especially the ones pointing towards the historical archives.
The guard, still confused, complied with my request. The recordings showed something strange: a hooded figure entering and leaving the archive several times. Each time it happened, Shadow appeared somewhere nearby, as if he was protecting it.
The figure turned out to be one of the Town Hall officials, someone who had been tampering with the city’s property records. Shadow wasn’t bringing bad luck; he was trying to warn us. Every time he appeared, he was pointing out a place where something bad was happening.
In the end, the official was caught, and Shadow... well, he simply vanished, as he always did. But I knew he was out there, watching over the city, making sure the shadows didn’t stretch too far.
Shadevale would always have its mysteries, but now, at least, I knew the truth. And every time I see yellow eyes in the mist, I smile, knowing I’m not alone.