Curiosity Killed The Cat...Twice?

KILL ME

A cat sat in the shadowed corner of the lab, its fur black enough to blur into the darkness. Bright green eyes pierced straight through Seyran, unblinking, judgmental.

Seyran didn’t flinch. His gaze sharpened—not in fear, but fascination.

He stepped closer, curiosity tightening his chest—until a voice cut through the lab.

“Seyra—what… what are you doing?”

Irzian Harushin stood frozen at the doorway, eyes locked on the cat’s lifeless body. He swallowed.

“Why is it dead?”

Seyran turned, confusion flashing across his face.

“What? No—you must be imagining—”

He stopped.

Seyran looked back.

The cat lay still.

Its eyes were dull now. Empty.

Irzian stepped closer, unease crawling up his spine.

“Why did you think it was alive?” he asked. “Just look at it.”

Seyran lifted the cat into his arms.

“Interesting.”

Irzian stared. Seyran, meanwhile, was smiling. Not in relief—but understanding.

He set the cat gently on the table and pulled out his notebook, scribbling fast.

Observations:

Cat appeared alive when I was the only one present.

No signs of life after a second observer entered the room.

“Seyran,” Irzian said quietly, “I’ve been with you a long time. But this… I don’t know what you’re doing anymore.”

Seyran tucked the pen behind his ear, eyes gleaming.

“You’re about to see my best experiment yet.”

He headed for the door.

“Stay here,” Seyran added. “Watch the cat.”

Irzian hesitated—but nodded.

As the door closed, a chill crept across his skin.

Something brushed against his arm.

Warm.

Furry.

Irzian knew, the cat was no longer dead.

Irzian lifts the cat in pure horror, in a swift motion the cat scratched his face.

Irzian shouted in pain.

Outside the lab, Seyran smiled.

Reality hated witnesses.

The sound of Seyran's footsteps sounded amidst the fading echoes of Irzian's scream.

"Bu—But Seyran! It was alive just now! When you walked out of the lab...I—I swear!"

Seyran smiled, approaching Irzian and patting him on the shoulder.

"Settle down, we are now under rules which we do not comprehend yet."

A sharp voice can be heard.

"Irzian?", the shrill voice called out, "Irzian are you in there?"

Irzian's heart pounded, Seyran ponders.

"It is best we hide this cat in that box over there—we cannot risk another observer."

Seyran swiftly picks the lifeless cat up in his arms with eyes of never ending curiosity..

He gently places it in the box, still not showing signs of life.

The box clicked shut.

The sound felt louder than it should have been.

For a moment, neither of them moved. The lab lights hummed overhead, indifferent. The air smelled the same. Everything looked unchanged—except for the space on the table where the cat no longer was.

Irzian kept his eyes on the floor.
“We’re not… going to open it,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

Seyran’s hand rested on the lid. Not pressing. Not lifting. Just there.

“If we don’t look,” Seyran said slowly, “we don’t interfere.”

Irzian finally looked up. “That’s not the same thing.”

Seyran didn’t answer.

From inside the box, there was no sound. No movement. Nothing that could be pointed to and named.

Seyran withdrew his hand.

“When we open it,” he said, almost to himself, “we won’t be finding out what happened.”

Irzian felt a chill settle in his chest.

“We’ll be deciding.”

Somewhere down the hall, the voice called out to Irzian once again—familiar, impatient. Irzian stiffened.

“Hide it,” Seyran said.

The box was pushed into the cabinet. The door slid shut.

The lab returned to normal.

And whatever was inside the box remained unseen—
waiting for someone to look.

===PARADOXES CAN BE RECONCILED===