A cat changed color and size. A sleek little cat (all black), went behind a trash can out by my garage and came out the other side bigger, and mostly white with grey tabby spots (I had been calling her “Lacey.”). I was gazing out the back door, without any particular focus, when the little black cat attracted my notice as it went behind the can. I had barely begun to shape the thought, “I’ve never seen that cat before,” when the larger cat, Lacey, emerged on the other side. It took me a moment process what I saw as I continued to stare right at the trash can, waiting for the black cat to emerge too. 

I decided that Lacey had been sitting quietly back there and moved off once her space had been invaded by the stranger. Had the stranger then curled up to take a nap? That must have been what happened.

But I didn’t let it go. Without losing sight of the refuse container for even a second, I sidled out the door. The door clicked closed behind me, spooking Lacey into abandoning her search for mouse nests in the compost as she rushed off to a less human-infested yard. I maintained my focus and crept toward the trash bin as silently as I could.

When I got close enough, I craned my neck to peer around the corner. No cat. 

I walked closer, standing tall. The entire space was open and visible to me. No cat.

Following an impulse, I made a little rush to see if the cat had retreated behind the next corner of the trash can and I could see clearly that there was no cat there.

There was no cat.

I have seen “Lacey” since that day, but never that sleek stranger. The only explanation I can come up with is interdimensional travel for cats.

What mysteries have you seen that you know darn well no one else would believe if you talked about them?