Kendare Blake Takes The Dare

Kendare Blake is daring it up with us this week. She's the author of the brilliant, terrifying Anna Dressed In Blood, and its sequel Girl of Nightmares (out August 7, 2012). Kendare Blake digs travel, animals, Greek mythology, bloody meat, vegans, and writing books that scare the hell out of people. April Tucholke dared Kendare to start an urban legend, because, well, urban legends are awesome. Here we go:

For those who don’t know, a psychopomp is a portent of death, a spirit that foretells or announces when a person is about to or has recently passed. Family members of hospital patients recount stories of animals rapping against the hospital windows in the middle of the night. They turn to see yellow eyes or a flutter of wings, and when they turn back to the patient’s bed discover that they have died.

This psychopomp is different. As the story goes, this photo was taken on the same day the cat died. When the distraught owner posted the photo online, it prompted sympathy. Until the owner himself died, approximately two weeks later. Prior to his death, he told family members that he had seen the cat, outside in his garage. While that death cannot be attributed to the psychopomp cat, others have reported experiencing a strange sensation after looking into the cat’s glowing eyes. They say that after looking into its eyes for several minutes, a strange, panicked feeling takes hold, for no reason. Some say that they see the cat shift, or move, or its expression change. It should be noted that these responses are rare.

Though no harm or death can be attributed to this image, legend has it that if you stare into the eyes of the psychopomp cat, it will become your psychopomp, and will appear to you in the days preceding your death.

Okay, that's it. Thanks, Kendare! Let's make this baby happen. Stare into those glowing eyes, people, and spread the word. Who knows...maybe we will get this into snopes. Or, at the very least, give someone nightmares--which I hear is really good karma.

Next up: April Tucholke, this Friday, March 9.