Jana rose early that morning. Her mom, dad, and her little brother Zack had gone to get his cast removed, so that meant she and her cat Whiskers would have the house to themselves until the afternoon.
Whiskers, the tabby cat that Jana had adopted when she was nine years old, was curled up next to her, just as she had every night. Picking up the cat, Jana padded over to the kitchen. Once Whiskers was fed, and she had eaten breakfast herself, the girl went and clicked on the television set. Colorful Saturday cartoons flickered to life, and Whiskers immediately came to sit on Jana's lap. Both were content, ready to spend a lazy morning on the couch when Whiskers bolted, Jana thought in an attempt to alert her to something in the environment that she could not see or hear. Out of instinct, the girl followed the feline, her thoughts drifting to intruders and other unseen dangers. This continued for several moments until they reached a blank wall at the end of the hall. Whiskers pawed at the left corner of the wall all the while maintaining eye contact with the girl and mewing expectantly.
Jana was perplexed. Surprisingly when Jana looked at the corner the cat was pawing at, she saw there was a slight gap she hadn't noticed before, like a door being left slightly ajar. Cautiously, she gave it a gentle push, and the door receded back into the darkness. After retrieving a flashlight, both girl and cat ventured inside the unknown space.
It was very dark and dusty inside. Jana shined her flashlight carefully, always mindful to make sure her beloved cat was still nearby.
The room didn't go very far- it had to fit in between the walls of the house after all, though it was big enough to fit both Jana and Whiskers comfortably. In the corner, there was a bookshelf, though it housed things far stranger than books. Old vials full of unknown potions filled one shelf. A crystal ball dominated another. Strange, weathered old books and journals were housed in yet another. With dawning realization, Jana was beginning to understand what the place was- a witch's cupboard. Wordlessly, she went and picked up one of the old books, dusted it off and and peered over at her cat. "How did you even know this was here?" Whiskers rubbed against Jana's leg in reply. Absentmindedly giving the cat a scratch behind the ears, a slight sense of unease passed over her. Moving on, she searched for whatever else she could find that would give her clues about the current situation. She was about to look at the desk in the corner when she heard footsteps from the hall. Quickly she whipped around just in time to see a figure standing behind her.
"What are you doing in here?"
"Mom?"