The Stuffed Lion

I've always been fond of stuffed animals. They're just so soft, & cuddly. Or..at least they used to be.

When I was off from college for summer break, I found a small yard sale while driving through a random neighborhood, &, being a collector of antiques, I decided to stop & take a look around. So, I parked the car beside the long driveway, & got out. I had to give some effort to make it up the driveway, where there were a couple of long tables with a few items on each one. There wasn't much left by this point, a few cat statues, paintings, clothes, etc. However, there was one item that caught my eye. It was a giant-sized lion plush. I was surprised to see it here, as there wasn't really anything that portrayed that kids lived there. It was an older house, but it was big, two stories, square-shaped. It was built in at least the 70's, probably.

Just as I was examining the house, an old lady came out from the house, hobbling to a chair with a wooden cane. She looked to be in her late 70's, perhaps early 80's. She was small, & frail, but she wasn't like the sweet old ladies that go to church every Sunday & have perfect grandchildren. No, this old lady looked decrepit, & she smelled of mildew. I tried not to cringe at the smell in an attempt to be polite. I looked down at that stuffed lion, gazing at it blankly for a moment. What was it doing here?

The old lady gazed at me hopefully, "Ah, I see you're interested in the lion, dear?" she croaked in a low tone. I turned to look at her, & smiled politely. "Yes, ma'am...but..why is it here if you don't mind me asking.." I asked her softly, furrowing my eyebrows. "Oh, it was my grandson's, but he's grown up now..so, I decided I should just sell it.." she explained softly. "Oh.....how much?" the old lady had to ponder for a moment before a wide grin appeared on her face. "You seem like a nice girl..so you can have it for free." The old lady declared, causing me to smile slightly. I loved animals, so I always tried to collect the more unique pushes whenever I got the chance.

"T-thank you!" I grinned, & reached down to pick the old lion plush up. It was much heavier than I expected, but, it didn't really bother me. I've carried much heavier items during high school, while concert season for the band had started. I always helped the director carry the heavy amps & things. I shoved the lion into the trunk of my car, & waved to the old woman. She waved back to me, but she didn't have that kind smile on anymore. It was almost like a smirk, a dark, sinister smirk. However, it was quickly replaced by a thin smile. I politely grinned at her one last time, before disappearing into my car.

It wasn't long before I returned home, after my small adventure at the yard sale. I quickly grabbed the lion from my trunk, & made my way to my apartment. When I walked in, my cat was not waiting for me at the front door, as she usually does when I pull up. I shrugged it off as her simply acting finicky, & continued to my bedroom, to put the lion down. When I dropped it lazily down onto the floor, the large stuffed lion made a loud 'thud' sound, as if the stuffing inside was rock hard. I couldn't help but feel unnerved by that, but I tried to ignore it. So, I sat on my bed, & pulled out my laptop from behind me, turning it on quickly.

After a few hours of surfing the internet, I decided I needed to get some chores done. I hopped off my bed, & noticed that stuffed lion once more. I jumped as I saw it there. I had almost forgotten I had bought the thing. I walked past it, & couldn't help but feel watched, as its dark brown eyes stared at me lifelessly. I felt a small shiver run down my spine, but I tried to ignore it. I quickly turned away from it, & walked into the hallway, to the bathroom. When I got into the small bathroom, I quickly grabbed my cleaning supplies, & began to clean.

I noticed that an odd stench started to fill the house. It was sour, & smelled almost like someone had died, & was rotting somewhere. I grimaced as I caught that particular smell, & went to grab my Febreeze from underneath the sink. I thought nothing of it at the moment, deciding that it could've just been someone's garbage. Eventually, I finished my cleaning, & decided to try & find my cat. I looked around for the little black clump of fur. &, after a moment, I found her, cowering in the bathroom, behind the toilet.

It took forever to try & get her to come out. When I tried to grab her, she swatted me angrily with her front paws -thankfully, she had no claws. Delilah never acted like this..not even with a crowd of people around. I pondered for a moment, wondering as to why she would act so strangely. Perhaps, it was the scent of the old woman from the yard sale. Maybe she had a dog, or a lot of cats, that was my best guess. I decided not to let it bother me, & took Delilah into my room. She hissed as she saw that huge stuffed lion.

I gasped, & clenched my teeth as Delilah screeched, & scratched at me, incredibly harshly. I threw Delilah onto the ground, crying out of pain, & anger. I screamed at the little black cat, who ran in pure fear under my bed. I looked down at my arms, & saw they were red with fresh blood, which poured endlessly from the deep scratch marks. Why would Delilah do that? She never acted like that, not even when she was angry with me. I walked back into the bathroom again to wash my wounds.

Once I finished washing, I walked back into the bedroom. I saw Delilah hissing at the stuffed lion, trying to scratch it. I gingerly picked her up, & placed her on the bed, rubbing her gently. Delilah hissed at me, & scurried under the bed in a flash. I furrowed my eyebrows, incredibly confused. Why was Delilah so afraid of that lion? Was it because of the smell of it? Perhaps, it smelled like the old lady, & her assumed pets she apparently had. She must've if it freaked Delilah out that much. I found myself wondering what was so unappealing about that stuffed animal. So, I picked the lion up, & carried it into the laundry closet. I shoved it into the washer, & turned it on, shutting the lid. I pulled out my phone, & noticed my friend had messaged me. So, I decided to call her.

It must've been an hour we were talking before I brought up the lion plush. I told her about the old lady that I got it from, & also briefly mentioned that awful stench I had smelled earlier after I had taken the lion home with me. My friend took a few moments to reply. But, when she did, she told me the story of an old serial killer from the 70's. She mentioned that they stuffed body parts into huge stuffed animals, to keep them hidden. I was confused, & told her that that was insane. She then told to tell me to check the stuffing of the lion. I told her that that was absurd. There was no way that lion was stuffed with body parts. It was too crazy to believe.

But, when I walked back into my room, I noticed that the stuffed lion was not facing the same way that it was before. It was facing the doorway as if it was listening in on the conversation.

I felt an intense feeling of dread grip my stomach, as I stared down at that lion's dark, lifeless brown eyes. I swear, that thing had been facing the other way the entire time, ever since I brought it home. I didn't know what to do now. That story couldn't have possibly been true, could it?

After I managed to calm myself down, I decided that it was probably just my imagination playing tricks on me. After all, ghosts weren't real. At least, that was my excuse. I decided that I just needed some fresh air, I had been in those stuffy college classrooms, full of students, for such a long time. But, as I walked out of my small apartment, I felt eyes on me. I turned, & looked around my house one last time, making sure no one was there. I shrugged the feeling off, & after grabbing my keys, & locking the door, I left.

When I got back, it was near dark. I guess you could say my walk lasted a little longer than I expected. As I walked back into the house, & shut the door, I noticed that..something was wrong. It was far too quiet for my house. Usually, my cat would come to greet me, or beg for food, or treats. But..not this time. I walked around the house, trying to find the little black cat, but..nothing came up. She was really gone. I checked my room, the guest room, the closets, the cabinets, the porches, everything.