Eight-Year-Old Boy

 
I still remember that warm summer night,
The humidity doesn’t let you sleep,
Quick two-minute showers help but
Before you know it, you’re sweating again.
Drinking water also works
But getting up in the middle of the night
To use the bathroom,
For an eight-year-old boy, it’s scary.

The roof laminates are thin,
And when it rains it’s really loud,
You can hear everything through the house,
On quiet nights you can hear cats,
And sometimes even a mouse.
One particular night,
I got up to use the bathroom,
But before I made my way there,
I heard the familiar footsteps on the roof.
I went to the backyard,
And there he was.
It was a cat, black as night,
His eyes glowing by the moonlight.
In my head I said to myself
“I’ll hiss to scare him”
But upon seeing those glowing eyes
I let out a blood curling scream,
Woke up my grandma and aunt,
(And the neighbors) but I…
Didn’t make it to the bathroom.