I once spent the night at my friend’s place. Cozy bed, warm blanket, all good. Until…
Middle of the night, I hear a “meow.” Soft. Strange.
I open my eyes — no cat.

A few seconds later — again. “Meow.”
Okay, I’m fully awake now. Her cat, as she told me, lives with her mom. So what the heck was making that sound?

I grab my phone flashlight, peek under the bed (yes, horror movie style), open closet doors… Nothing.

Turns out — she has this electronic cat toy that meows when it detects movement. It was just lying there on the floor, waiting.
I turned in my sleep — it woke up. And so did I.

Next morning, I ask her:
“Why do you even have that thing if your cat’s not here?”
She sips her coffee, shrugs, and says:
“Sometimes silence is scarier.”

Honestly? Since then, I’m not afraid of cats anymore. I’m afraid of silence that pretends to be something else.

And also — I will never trust a quiet room again. Especially if it meows.