The dark polished floorboards continued into the wide-open hall. At each end of the hall, two long narrow windows allowed natural light brighten the area. Lannor spied two more doors down the hall and listened before he ventured out to investigate. Movement within the room closest to the landing alerted Lannor to the presence of something. Warily, he entered the hall before darting towards the middle door. Small white tiles on the floor with floral wallpaper on the walls, the purpose of the room became clear the moment Lannor glanced around the door.

A large claw-footed bath sat against the wall to the right of the room, under a long horizontal window high above the wall. Lannor entered further and discovered a toilet and sink behind the door. In the far corner to the left a tall wooden pedestal stood with a large vase of mixed flowers on top. Although the single window gave little in the way of an external view, it drew in much of the outside light, making the room warmer then expected. Lannor sat on the heated tiled floor, enjoying suns rays.

From the room Lannor had yet to investigate humming pricked his ears, drawing his curiosity. Cautiously, Lannor entered the hall and made towards the last room. As Lannor reached the landing more sounds downstairs rose up and he looked through the rails but saw no one. Movement within the other room startled Lannor, as he flinched ready to dart away. When all went quiet again, he pondered whether to investigate or not. Elements of danger teetered around the surface of Lanner’s situation, yet curiosity once more got the better of him. Tentatively, he approached the doorframe and cautiously glanced into the room.

The sparse bedroom Lannor came from did not compare to the second bedroom. Covered in pink and white linen and lace, the sight made Lannor cringe. No corner within the room had not been filled with something resembling that of a child. On the single bed against the wall, covered in a white lace bedspread, dolls and bears of every size and colour covered the bed. A rocking chair at the end of the bed stood covered in a pink overthrow and dark pink silk cushions. In the middle of the room, on a multi-coloured pink rug, sat a small girl around five years of age.

Pale yellow ringlet hair pulled back from her face with a pale pink ribbon. The pink dress she wore trimmed with lace and ribbons. The white socks on her feet where knee length and dirty at the toes. Occupied with the collection of dolls in front of her, Lannor stared in disgust. Was his mother joking? Had she sent him there in the hope this child would grow into someone Lannor might learn to experience the love he would die for. At this thought Lannor’s panic grew. It would take years before the child became a woman. Did that mean he would be forced to remain in the house for that duration? Lannor would rather remain in his feline form than tolerate years of being around children. Disgusted by his situation, Lannor seethed at the injustice placed on him. How dare his mother banish him from their home? Who was she to decide what he did with his life? Those women came to him and yet he was being punished.

Consumed by anger, Lannor did not notice the child stopped playing until tiny hands came around his body. The world turned upside down as Lannor panicked and hissed loudly. A sharp whack on his head, followed by, “Bad kitty”, only enraged Lannor more as he continued to hiss while twisting his body to free himself. However, undeterred, the child squeezed him harder to her giving Lannor no choice but to stop struggling or be strangled.

“What a beautiful cat you are. I wonder where you have come from. Let’s go ask mummy if we can keep you.”

The child continued to put pressure around Lannor as she made her way down the stairs. Every bounce going down made Lannor cry out, until they reached the bottom and he lay limp in her arms. Almost tempted to transform to teach the child a lesson, it was the sound of a female voice nearby that stopped him.

“Amelia, what are you doing?”

Lannor’s state of distress increased as he began feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The child turned right at the bottom of the stairs and made her way down a corridor to a door on her left. The bright lime green kitchen stunned the eyes before one realised only the cupboard doors were in that colour. The rest of the kitchen was a bright white.

“Mummy, I found a cat. Can we keep him?”

Concerned only with his own discomfort, Lannor ignored the approach of the other person, contemplating a manner of escaping. Not until prised from the child’s hands did Lannor glance at the woman. Lannor’s breath caught. The soft caress of her hands over his body. The lavender scent upon her skin. The red handkerchief tied over her head, holding golden hair back from her face. All this enthralled Lannor. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever beheld.

“Now where did you come from?” The woman asked as she gently rubbed under Lannor’s chin and he relaxed in her hands and purred loudly.

“You big softy.” She chuckled as Lannor closed his eyes and nuzzled his head into her hand.

“I think he likes you mummy.”

“I think he does too Amelia. I suppose you can keep him, but don’t let you father see him. You know he does not like pets.”

“I promise mummy. I will keep him in my room. Thank you.”

“Why don’t you both go play upstairs and I will call you down when supper is prepared.”

The sudden pull away from soft hands into tiny aggressive ones once more triggered Lannor’s annoyance. Flung over Amelia’s shoulder like a baby, humiliation burned deep until Amelia turned to leave the room and Lannor caught her mother watching. Her long plain yellow cotton dress covered her from head to toe and hugged her figure tightly emphasising her well-rounded body. Briefly, before being lugged from the kitchen, Lannor glimpsed a loving smile upon her face. She was everything Lannor longed in a woman and determined to have her; Lannor would show his parents he could find the love they longed him to have.

By the end of Lannor’s first day he knew all he needed to know about the family and where he was. Their home built on an acre of land, located outside a large town, still contained the remnants of newly painted walls. Unsure the planet he was on, Lannor suspected it one of three, with a strong suspicion it being earth. As children they were taught about the planets within the alternate universe, the species of creatures who inhabit the planets, their mannerisms and the way they lived. This led Lannor to believe he was right about his location. It made sense his mother would send him to earth. Any other planet and Lannor wouldn’t need to be concerned with shape shifting.

As for the occupants of the house he now dwelled in, Lannor found them all fascinating. The woman of the house, Margaret, carried a carefree, happy nature about her. It did not surprise Lannor how she affected anyone within her vicinity. Her bright, infectious smile radiated with love and kindness. The man of the house, John, spent many a day away from the home. Where he went and what he did, Lannor never bothered to learn. With John absent, it gave Lannor more time to spend with Margaret.

Then there was Amelia. There was no end to the gifts or treats she received. Daddy’s little girl had the run of the house, much to Lannor’s disgust. More than often, Lannor hid in the parent’s bedroom, under the bed. The one room Amelia was forbidden to enter, it offered Lannor a much-needed sanctuary. It also became the place where Margaret would retire to at the end of day. Lannor would venture out and lay on top of the bed as he watched her prepare for bed. There were nights when John did not return home and after several months of watching and waiting, Lannor finally made his presence know.

There was little difficulty in convincing Margaret to share the pleasures of the body with Lannor. Once his secret revealed to her, Margaret flourished into a passionate, fiery woman. As Lannor’s fondness for Margaret grew every day, his desire to comfort and embrace her blinded him from everything else around them.

Lannor never saw the struggle Margaret had with his presence, nor the slow decline of her marriage. They were in love and that was all that mattered. Their bodies desire for each other burned memories of tender moments during dark evenings. Skin against skin, they melted into lovers embrace and their times together etched deeply into memories of eternal love.

Lannor woke to the relentless rain against the bedroom windows, cold drafts throughout the house rattling unsecured floorboards and a darkened room covered in a decade of dust. Faded dreams pieced Lannor’s heart as he wondered - how long ago had that memory been? How much time had passed since Lannor first arrived at the hellish place only to watch the ones he loved grow old, go mad or worst die before his eyes? Why would his mother leave him there to witness and experience such sorrow and sadness? Was it not enough to lose all those he had loved over the years? Time and time again he watched the young women walk into the house, love them, then lose them. The pain of endless torment could not have been what his mother envisioned for him. What Lannor was to understand; he did not know.