The Devil’s Cat by Shari Wilder

The Devil’s Cat by Shari Wilder

Haruto sat in a cozy chair at Akuma Corner, a different café than the one he normally frequented. He needed a change of scenery since his usual writing spot wasn’t helping to cure his writer’s block. Akuma Corner had a nice old-world atmosphere compared to his usual café, which had a modern feel. Even the smell of coffee seemed to touch his senses to a different degree. Books and other objects rested on bronze shelving suspended on black walls.  Hunter-green accent chairs dotted the floor, and soft pendant lights hung from the black ceiling.

Haruto stared at his laptop on the walnut table, willing anything to come to mind. He counted to ten as he nursed his coffee and took deep breaths to relax. Just as his mind was beginning to clear, a tortoiseshell cat jumped on his lap. Haruto almost spilled his drink.

“Make a wish and it will come true,” said the cat as he licked a front paw.

“Huh?” said Haruto.

The cat stared into his eyes, “Make a wish and it will come true.”

“This is it,” sighed Haruto as he raked a hand down his face. “I knew this day would come. I’ve finally lost it due to stress, or I’m dreaming.” He looked at the cat, “Okay, I’ll play along. I wish to become a bestselling author.”

Blinking, the cat hopped off his lap and disappeared.

“Well, that was bizarre,” said Haruto.

He looked at the blank page on his laptop, sighed, and closed the screen. He put the laptop into his messenger bag and tossed the coffee in the trash on his way out the door.

The next morning, he awoke to a few missed calls from his mother and one from his literary agent, Akiko. His mom had also texted “Call me!” so he called her first since it seemed urgent.

“Haruto?” she answered.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I just wanted to congratulate you on your new book. Looks like it became an overnight bestseller. I’m so proud of you! Your father is too,” she said.

Haruto bunched his eyebrows in confusion. “My book? I haven’t finished it yet,” he said.

“Are you writing another one already? I’m going to the store today to buy a copy of Majikuu’s Token.  I can’t wait to read it. Well, I’ve got to go so I have time to visit the bookstore. Then I’m meeting your aunt for lunch. Talk to you later, Haruto. I’m so excited for you!”

His mom ended the call. He sat on the edge of his bed, trying to figure out if he was dreaming. Ever since he was twelve years old, she had always said he would be a great writer. That was when he started making picture books out of notebook paper that he threaded together with yarn because they were too poor to afford a stapler.

After a few moments, his phone rang. He looked to see Akiko’s number.

“Hello,” said Haruto.

“Finally! You slept for a long time. Listen, I have quite a few bookstores that want to host signings. You have become an overnight sensation! I’ll email you the list and dates for approval. Also, a news station would like to interview you,” said Akiko.

“What? I’m going to be on TV?” asked Haruto, smiling.

“If the date works. I think they asked for next Saturday. I’ll send you all the details. This is so exciting! Talk later.”

Haruto didn’t remember finishing his novel. He pinched himself. It wasn’t a dream. Suddenly, he remembered the cat from the cafe.

“No way,” he said. “What is happening?”

He quickly dressed, walked a few blocks to Ueno Station, and bought a ticket to Tokyo Station. Exiting the train, he made his way to the nearest bookstore. It was already midday, and the air was warm for May. The sidewalks were busy in this area of Tokyo, and he struggled to weave through the crowds. Finally making it to the bookstore, he almost walked through the door and missed one of the books in the window display. There it was, Majikuu’s Token by Haruto Yoshida. He walked through the door and saw more copies of his book. Haruto grabbed one and went to the cashier line. The person in front of him was handing the cashier a copy of his book. Haruto couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy. He glanced back and found a couple more people looking at his book display. When the person ahead was finished, Haruto walked up and handed the cashier his book.

“This one has been quite popular this morning,” she said.

 After handing her his credit card, she looked puzzled.

“Are you the author?” she asked. “You have the same name, and you look just like his picture in the book.”

“Uh, yes,” replied Haruto.

“I can’t believe it! I finished your book at 2:00 this morning. I couldn’t put it down,” she said.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” said Haruto.

“Will you autograph my copy? I brought it with me,” she bent down and retrieved it from her satchel on the floor.

“Sure,” Haruto blushed and signed her book. He remembered signing his handmade books for his mom, and now he was signing his first real book. This is just the beginning, he thought to himself. Haruto left and walked to a different café he frequented. As he approached, he noticed that the location was no longer a café, but a convenience store.  He had just been here three days ago and had even mentioned it in his book. He bunched his eyebrows together in confusion.

“How could they move out so fast?”

He walked a couple more blocks to a different café. After ordering coffee and a bowl of Anmitsu, fruit served with sweet bean paste, he sat and opened his book. The dedication was written to his best friend, Kato, “For always believing in me.” That was true. Kato was his biggest fan. Below was a dedication to Haruto’s mom and dad. He turned the page to the first chapter. It was the same as he had written, as was the second chapter. He flipped to chapter eleven, the last one he remembered writing. It was as he thought. He hadn’t written the following chapters. Did the cat write them? He thought, then dismissed it.

“Impossible,” he said under his breath as he looked up from the book. “Maybe I hit my head or something and forgot the last few days of writing.”

As he read the chapters after the ones he remembered writing, Haruto was left puzzled. The writing was obviously not his style, so it didn’t match the first half of the story, and it was also terrible writing.

“Maybe the cat did write this,” he said to himself.

His cell phone rang, breaking into his thoughts. Saku, Kato’s girlfriend, was frantic. “Have you seen Kato?”

“No, not in a couple of days,” replied Haruto.

“I woke up this morning and he was gone. All his clothes and belongings. How could he pack those overnight without me hearing him? There would have been too much noise. I think his mom is gone too. She isn’t answering her phone, and neither is Kato,” Saku sobbed.

“Okay, calm down. It’s only been a few hours. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Let me know if you hear from him. Maybe you should file a missing person’s report,” said Haruto.

“I called, but they hung up on me. I’m going to dress and go to the station,” she said.

“Okay, keep me informed,” said Haruto.

After she hung up, he tried calling Kato, but the phone kept ringing. He tried Kato’s mom, Nai, but she didn’t answer either.

Haruto felt a cold chill stretch over him. He got up and started walking. He bought a ticket back to Ueno Station, which would take him close to Nai’s residence. The station here was crowded, but he managed to get through and hailed a taxi on the street. The cab of the taxi smelled of old cigarettes and sweat. Thankfully, after a few minutes, they pulled up to Nai’s house.

“Do you mind waiting for a few minutes?” he asked the driver, who nodded.

Haruto exited the vehicle, walked up, and knocked on the door. A young man Haruto had never seen answered.

“Uh, hello,” said Haruto, flustered. “Is Nai here?”

“There’s no one here named Nai. I live here with my parents.”

Haruto started breaking out into a cold sweat.

“Sorry to bother you. My friend and his mom are missing.”

Haruto started to walk off and turned around, but the man had closed the door, which was painted green. He thought Nai had painted it blue. He absently wondered if there was a connection between Kato and Nai’s disappearance and the disappearance of the café he had written about. He needed to speak to that cat, which seemed ludicrous. His book, which he hadn’t even finished, was an overnight success. It wouldn’t hurt to at least return to Akuma Corner anyway. If the cat wasn’t there, then it would have just been his imagination playing tricks on him, proving he had hit his head and had temporary amnesia.

He returned to the taxi and gave the driver the address of the café. The vehicle pulled off into the street.

“You look familiar,” said the driver. “I think I’ve just figured it out. You’re the author of that book, aren’t you? Majikuu’s Token. I just started reading it before my shift. It’s really good!”

“I’m glad you like it,” said Haruto.

“My friend hated it,” said the driver matter-of-factly.

Haruto looked from the window at the driver. “Really? Did they say why?” he asked.

“They said that in the last half, the writing was terrible.”

Haruto was silent, and the driver, realizing he had probably spoken too honestly, apologized.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Haruto.

He sat silent for the rest of the ride, but his mind raced with thoughts about the book and his missing friend.

When they reached Akuma Corner, he walked inside and looked around for the cat. Not seeing it, he walked up to the barista.

“Good evening, is there a cat here, by chance?” He asked.

“Bakeneko?” she asked. “He’s the owner’s cat. Comes and goes as he pleases,” she said. “Haven’t seen him today. Would you like to order something?”

Haruto ground his teeth. So, there was a cat here. He ordered a coffee and sat in the same spot as last time. Suddenly, the cat was lounging in the chair across from him.

“Are you pleased?” asked the cat smugly.

“What have you done?” asked Haruto. “My best friend and his mom are gone. Where are they?” Haruto pounded his hand on the table. “And what happened to the café I mentioned in the book? I loved it, and now in its place is a convenience store?” he asked in disbelief.

“That was the price for your wish. You want to be successful? Something must give,” said the cat.

“What? You neglected to tell me there was a price,” seethed Haruto.

“You neglected to ask,” said the cat.

Haruto was feeling dizzy. “How do I fix this? Can I have another wish?”

“I’m not a genie,” said the cat.

“There must be some way.”

The cat seemed to shrug.

“You just like playing with people’s lives, don’t you?” asked Haruto.

“I was bored,” said the cat. “You could try writing and publishing something else. That might help, or it could make it worse. You could also just let it be and enjoy your success.”

“My success?” asked Haruto, dismayed. “I didn’t even write the last half of the book. Did you write it?”

“No, I simply plugged it into AI and finished it,” said the cat.

“What? Oh my God. I’m such a fraud,” Haruto slumped in his chair.

“Relax. No one knows,” said the cat.

“But I know,” said Haruto, thumping his chest. “You’re a trickster, Bakeneko.”

“Another ungrateful human. Typical,” the cat sighed, then jumped off the chair and disappeared again.

Haruto went home and stared at his book. He was undecided if he should try writing anything else because the cat said it could cause more problems. He enjoyed the thrill of finally having a book published. Haruto had waited years for this moment, but he hadn’t anticipated the cost of his deal with the cat.

His phone pinged. Akiko had texted him again, letting him know that his book had climbed even higher on the bestseller list. Haruto didn’t reply. . As he was looking at his phone, a call came through. It was his father. Haruto answered.

“Son, have you heard from your mother?”

Haruto’s heart sank, “Not since this morning.”

“She didn’t come home after lunch. I’ve tried calling her, but it just rings and rings. I’m getting worried, Haruto. Call me if you hear from her.”

Haruto glanced at his watch. It was too late to go back to Akuma Corner. He didn’t understand how the cat could be so cruel. He checked the internet for the café’s hours and paced the floor. Finally, he went to bed and stared at the ceiling as his heart pounded in his chest. His mind was racing with thoughts about what could have happened to his mom as tears fell into his hair. He wondered if he could somehow write her and his friend back into existence, then he could keep his success. However, the cat had warned him, and he could just make the situation worse.

Eventually, he gave up on sleep and left his apartment to wander around the city and walk to the café. He was at the door when it opened at 8:00 am. Not seeing the cat, he ordered a coffee and prepared to wait a while. The café was strangely quiet, but a customer entered now and then, ordered a coffee, and then left. After two hours, Bakeneko hopped on a chair across the room.

“You’re back so soon?” asked the cat.

Haruto clenched his fist and glared at the cat, “Make this right! Now my mom is missing.”

“How unfortunate,” said the cat as he looked out the window. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Can you undo it?” asked Haruto.

“Undo what?”

“Go back to how it was. No bestseller,” said Haruto.

The cat looked at him, “Really? Would you give up your success? But that would mean going back to writer’s block. That seems a shame.”

“Yes, that’s what I want. I will write the book on my own. If it takes years or doesn’t make the bestseller lists, that’s fine. I just want my mom and Kato back. His mom, too.”

“Well, if you’re sure,”

“I am,” said Haruto. “Is there a price for this?”

“Well, no one will go missing. It will just go back to as it was before,” said the cat.

Haruto nodded.

The cat jumped down and went to the counter. Haruto’s vision went blurry for a second, and he rubbed his eyes. His laptop was open, and the page was still blank. He must have dozed off. So much for the new location, which was evidently too comfortable. He put his laptop in his satchel and went home. Bakeneko watched him walk out the door but then turned his eyes to a young woman sitting in the corner.

* * * * THE END * * * *
Copyright Shari Wilder 2025