5: The Woods Behind the Drive-In

You wait until it’s dark enough, until the screens flicker to life, until People are too engrossed in their children, minivans, or criminally overpriced hot dogs to notice a lone figure. The timing is perfect. You start walking, avoiding the stickiest parts of the marsh. What’s that on the ground? It looks like your wallet, but that’s … impossible. You shake your head. It can’t be yours, and besides, you’re close enough to see one of the screens through the trees. And yet … You bend down to pick it up, reaching for the distinctive shape. Something reaches back. And then it starts to pull. You fall just as the first movie lights up the screen. You scream for help, but you know it’s useless. No one can hear you over the soaring musical score of Cats (2019). Self care for the win! Cat pic for you!