In the Dark of the Night

"Didja hear that interview on AIR-FM the other day, Leo?" Johnno emptied his beer, put the glass back on the bar, and tried for an "I-know-something-you-don't-know" expression.

"No Johnno, but you're going to tell me about it, aren't you." He signalled the barman for two more beers.

"There's a black panther loose on the Blue Mountains."

"What, again?"

"Again? Has it escaped before?"

"Never escaped, never been captured—never been there at all, is my guess. People see a big feral cat and the next thing you know there's another report about the phantom black panther."

"Well this time it's for real. It was on the radio. It's really big, too. Too big for a cat. And it's been seen at Glenbrook and Kurrajong and Lithgow, all on the same night. A cat couldn't move that fast."

"Neither could a panther, Johnno. They're good, but they're not that good. Are you sure it wasn't the Penrith Panthers out training for Sunday's game?"

"Yeah, well you can laugh, mate, but those things are vicious. They could eat a man. Tear him to bits. You wouldn't get me out there at night while that thing's on the loose."

Leo smiled and started to sing, "If you go out in the woods today, you'd better not go alone . . ."

"Very funny," said Johnno. "They did come up with an explanation on the radio, though. Well, sort of."

"And what was that?"

"They had a medium on the program. You know, she can see ghosts and things." He held up his hand in case Leo intended to interrupt. "She said there's only one way the panther could have been in all those places on the same night."

"Imagination?"

"No, mate. She said spirits can move from place to place whenever they want. First they're here, then they're there, then they're somewhere else."

"Teleportation."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's the word she used."

"So it's not a panther at all. It's a ghost."

"Well, not exactly. She said it's like a werewolf, only it's not a wolf, it's a panther. She called it a 'werecat'. She said the abos knew all about spirits like that. They used to call them bunyips. She said they wouldn't hunt in Glenbrook Gorge at night unless there was plenty of moonlight."

"It's just a myth, Johnno. It was their own fear that kept them out of the Gorge, not a panther."

"But it really happened, Leo. They used to send their young blokes in there at night for initiation ceremonies and some of them didn't come back."

"Probably got lost."

"Then there were some white settlers who went in and didn't come out. This medium said they found one bloke all torn to bits. People thought it was dingoes that got him but she said it was the bunyip."

"It's all a bit much for me, Johnno. I'm just a simple soul. If I can see it, or feel it, or smell it then it's real. All this other stuff is just superstition. Now, lets get back on the same planet—what are you doing on Sunday?"

"Got nothing planned. Want to go fishing?"

"Good idea. We'll go out early. Then we're having a barbecue at my place. Why don't you come for lunch?"

The next morning, on a bluff above the Nepean River, an enormous black cat reared up on its hind legs and rested its forepaws against a tree trunk. Dawn washed the darkness from the countryside and, as the first rays of sunlight reached the animal, its image began to shimmer.

A watcher would have found it difficult to say exactly what had happened, for where the cat had been a moment before, there stood a man.

He stretched his arms, flexed his shoulders and, unhurried, made his way along the river bank toward his home. His wife Kitty was preparing breakfast and when he hugged her she arched her back and snuggled against him. In her throat she made a contented noise that sounded very much like purring.

"Have a good night, Leo?" she asked.

"Mmm. It's always good to go hunting," he said. "We should do it together more often. We could get a sitter in for the twins."

"She'd freak out if they re-shaped while she was here."

"I thought they were getting old enough for that."

"Soon. They're almost ready to be blooded."

"That's what I thought," said Leo. "In fact I've already invited Johnno for a barbecue on the weekend."

"Rrrrrr," the purring became almost a growl and took on the quality of anticipation. "Oh, yes. That's a wonderful idea, Leo. I'll enjoy having Johnno for lunch."