The Man Next Door
        When the police found her it wasn’t a surprise to me. I knew he had done wrong. I knew he was hiding her. My suspension arose when he hung that poor cat in his yard. For days my house smelled of death and raw flesh. Every night I watched him in fear that he would do something to harm my family or my other neighbors. With everyday passing I could tell he was growing more and more aggressive and frustrated. He didn’t always act like this; he used to be a caring, shy, and loving person. He had many animals that he kept care of. He seemed to be a nice fellow. His wife was just as sweet. She cared so much for that man yet look at her now. I believe it all started when he collected his newest animal. He had found a cat. But not just any cat but a black cat. In my family black cats is a symbol of bad to come. As days went on he began to drink and drink a lot. His garbage was littered in beer and bottles of alcohol. His house and yard smelled like a brewing factory. That poor wife of his, whose name I still don’t know, she put up with so much and loved him to death. I was surprised to see she survived that man’s wrath for so long. As he drank away his life he grew angrier. And he no longer could control his anger. At first he took his anger out on his animals. One day I saw the cat wondering around his house. As I looked closely I noticed one of its eyes was missing. It was swollen and dripping blood from the socket. I felt sympathy for the cat how all it did was trying and love its owner and now it’s missing its eyes. That man was crazy and needed to be controlled. Yet I did nothing to stop him. All I did was watch. A few days went by. And finally he had caused damage. He had hung that poor cat. And my family had to look at it in horror. My little ones were scared of the man and I was too. No one did anything to remove the cat. For we were afraid the man might try and hang us if we dared remove it from the tree. I wanted to get back at the man. I came up with a plane to scare him away get him away from my family. I worked up a plan to move him away. One night when he went to bed early I snuck out of my house without awaking my family and walked over to his house I found his bedroom window and cracked it open. His bed was close enough for me to reach for his bed curtains. I snatched them and held them in one hand in my other I held a lighter. I stood there and thought of my actions I weighed my consequences. For if I was caught it would be the end for me. But I pushed those thoughts aside for I was determined to do this for the safety of my family. I lit the curtains setting the curtains a blaze. I ran for my house I swiftly ran through my house without making a sound and jumped back into bed. I could see outside my bedroom window. I watched has the flames started to flow outside his window. The fire consuming his window. I grew tired and let my eyes close. I awoke to see a crowd around the man’s house. The group was staring at one of the last surviving walls of his house. I went over to investigate and to my disbelief there was an imprint of a cat on that surviving wall. It was an image of a hung cat. Just like the one he had hung in his yard. I did not know how that was on the wall. Maybe the man did it yet it was burned into the wall. How would he have done that? I did not see the man anywhere. I searched what was left of the house, but I did not see the man. But his bedroom was still standing. Then at that moment from the bedroom walked the man. He looked dazed and untouched. I was shocked to see him alive. I couldn't believe my act against home didn't work. But as he walked over to the wall to see the burned image, he seemed to be afraid and stunned by it like I was agent meant something to him. As the crowd departed the man cleaned what was left of his house. His poor wife was devastated by the accident.  As I walked home I regretted what I had done. I had ruined not only the man's life but his wife. I forgot about the poor girl.  I didn't when remember she was in the house when I set those curtains aflame. For days I reflected my actions. I went through my day arguing with myself telling myself self that I was just as evil as he. What made me better than him? For days I did this over and over. I still feared the man but I felt pity for him. For a week or two after the house went down his wife had left him. I did not see her leave but she no longer was in the house. The man was completely alone. He lived in his house by himself. He still lived in that burned down house. The walls were burnt black and most of the roof was patched up. One day the police had shown up at his house. I was curious and headed to his front door to watch what was happening. I heard the police talking as they entered the house that his wife that I thought had left. Had gone missing for quite a while. The police searched the house high and low. They were there for half the day marching through his house. The man had a wicked smile on his face like he had done wrong and got and way with it. I knew he had done something to her. I knew he had hid her somewhere in the house. As the as the police as the police were leaving he joked with them, "Gentlemen,” said the man "I delight to have allayed your suspicions. I wish you all health, and a little more courtesy. By the bye, gentlemen, this -- this is a very well-constructed house." With that wicked smile on his face he jestered to the walls, "I may say an excellently well-constructed house. These walls -- are you going, gentlemen? -- these walls are solidly put together;" just as the police were leaving the man tapped on the walls with tapped on the walls with his cane. And almost as a reply something pounded on the wall back to him. Everyone turned in shock and just as we all stared in disbelief a terrible scream came from the way. One that I would never forget. I knew he had done it. The police broke down the wall. And on the other side was the corpse of his wife. And along with her was a black cat. It screamed angrily at the man. With blood dripping from its mouth and its eyes as bright as the sun it looked like a cat raised by the devil. The police grabbed the man and marched him out taking him away to deal with his crimes. I never saw him again and my goal was complete.