2: A Cat and A Cabin

She was shocked to find that she had no underwear on too; but inside the trunk there were tiny drawstring cotton shorts that would serve the purpose and leather men’s pants and long-sleeved linen shirts.

All the clothes were slightly musty but well-made. Hand stitched even. She aired out a pair of pants, which she put on they were a bit on the loose side but found a belt. She swung them vigorously in the air to shake out the dust and the musty storage scent. There was also a chocolate brown leather jacket.

Of a style she had never seen before. There was a leather satchel too. She found a small night stand and a small pen knife. There were also a pair of unusual leather shoes, like booties, they were a couple of sizes larger. There was a small hand-held mirror and she caught her breath at the sight of her own reflection.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She dropped the mirror in shock. The handheld mirror was thing of art. Silver backed and tarnished by time. Instead of glass, it was silver; hand burnished to a looking-glass finish.

Perhaps it was just the darkness. The woman in the cloudy mirror looked far too lovely to be her. She decided that it would be best to just wait for the light of day to confirm what she saw. Her stomach growled audibly.

“Are you decent?”

The cat asked in a lilting accent.

“Oh yes, wait.” She opened the door.

“There’s a small oil lamp there, and some tinder stones, I think. I hope the oil hasn’t dried up.” The cat went to the base of the night stand, and pointed with its mouth to a small metal box she hadn’t noticed before. She found herself lighting the lamp (thankfully, the oil was still good), and using the white stones to spark fire. She had no idea where she learned to do that.

Soon the small room lit up with light. She went to it and warmed up her hands.

“There’s a tiny furnace in the kitchen, I know where the firewood’s stacked. I hope it still catches fire though.”

“I’d go and catch something for you, but I don’t think you like mice or small birds? I remember -“ The cat suddenly started flinching and jerking about. Like it was having a fit. Thinking quickly, Emily took off her leather jacket and wrapped the cat in it, avoiding the sharp claws, and just leaving the head exposed.

It was terrible to see. Emily held the cat close, like a furry infant. She then closed the window in the room to keep the draft out. Rummaging further into the trunk and found a thick, velvet lined, fur trimmed cape. Laying it on the cot, which was made of leather and it took a couple of hours before the poor creature stopped shaking violently. It seemed fatigued of all of it’s efforts and they both fell asleep.

Emily woke up to the sun in her eyes. The wooden window was slightly ajar and the sunbeams beat on her face.

She looked around, the cat was nowhere.

She went to the kitchen and found an ivory horn, that must have been a cup. There was the tiny furnace which was also a very small brick oven. There were a few cords of logs stacked neatly against the farthest wall. She went to the small handpump which stood in the center of the kitchen and drew some water.

The pump squeaked scandalously.

But the water was clear and sweet, with a slight earthy after taste.

She cleaned the mirror to the best of her ability and her brows arched curiously.

She opened the door to let in the light and to help her see better. She looked at her reflection.

The face in the mirror wasn’t hers. She saw her jaw drop and she held on to her face. She saw her hand, so it confirmed that it was still connected to her body. She wasn’t some sort of phantasm.