Short story: A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost

(I wrote this a few years ago using the generated prompt: "A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost". target word count was 500 -750 words. Feel free to use the prompt to write your own story and share it with me)

Her assistant handed her a photo. It was a picture of a cute girl holding a kitten. 

So this is the victim, though Detective Alice.

They were standing outside an old house next to a large wood. The little girl’s parents were being questioned once again by the other officers. Inside was the only evidence they could find; the wide scratches on the wall and the aftermath of a struggle. 

It had been three days already and there was still no sign of her. At this point it might be better if they start looking for a corpse. 

Something rubbed against her leg. Looking down she saw a silky black cat rubbing itself against her. Detective Alice knelt down to scratch under the kitty’s chin. 

But the report had said that the cat was missing with the child, she remembered. It was definitely the same cat too, it had the red collar it was wearing in the picture. 

Suddenly the cat sprang away into the wood. 

Maybe the cat had an idea where the little girl is, thought Alice. Turning back to the others she hesitated, she wasn’t about to tell them to follow a cat. Instead she decided to go after the cat herself. 

The cat ran through the forest. Just when Alice thought she would lose sight of it the cat would stop. Without ever looking behind it the cat waited until the detective was close enough then started running again. 

Alice felt both foolish and mystified by the cat. Inside the woods the tall trees blocked out the light. It felt like another world. As more and more of the sky was blocked out Alice had trouble telling how much time had passed or how far she had come. In the distance she could hear the wailing of the wind through the trees. 

She thought of going back. But this was the only lead she had, if she could call it that. So she trudged on. She made her way to the rock the cat stood on. 

Would she be able to find her way back? It should be possible if she could keep traveling in one direction. She stepped over the log the cat was just on. 

Did this cat even know where the girl was? The wailing grew closer. It no longer sounded like the wind. 

As they traveled Alice tried to think what could be making that sound. It didn’t sound human. There was talk of the girl being caught by a monster that lived in the woods, but her department was sceptical at best. 

The sound grew louder and louder. Alice realised that the cat was heading towards it. She had finally made up her mind to leave the cat behind fearing that the thing was dangerous when she spotted the little girl. 

The girl stood in an artificial clearing. The trees around her were knocked down and away forming a circle. The leaves and dirt were kicked up around her almost like a giant nest. 

The girl stood in the middle. She was covered in dirt and clutching her chest in her arms. Her face pointed towards the sky, she cried. She would let out a long howl until her breath was gone, then stopping only to get more air she would start again. 

Detective Alice ran to her side and stroked the child’s tear streaked cheek. The wailing subsided into sobs.

“It’s okay now,” Alice told her.

The child shook her head. Then the detective noticed something in the little girls arms. The girl slowly opened them to show her. Inside lay a dead back cat with a red collar. 

“But this is…” Detective Alice whipped her head around to the last place she had seen the cat. The rock was empty except for a single sunbeam that had made its way through the canopy.