It was still dark when Dad rolled over in bed, expecting to feel the familiar warm lump of Cubis curled at his feet. But… nothing. He reached out his hand—empty.
At first, he thought Cubis had simply moved to the couch, as he sometimes did when Dad hogged the blankets. But a quick glance around the bedroom showed no fluffy tail, no sleepy eyes blinking back at him.
“Cubis?” Dad called softly. No answer.
That’s when the worry set in. Throwing on a hoodie, Dad began checking every corner of the house. The living room—empty. Kitchen—no sign of him. Bathroom—nope. Even the laundry basket, Cubis’s secret napping spot, was vacant.
By now, Dad’s voice had gone from calm to frantic. “Cubis! Where are you, buddy?” He checked the front door—still locked. The back door—closed tight. It didn’t make sense.
Then he heard it. A faint scratching noise, coming from somewhere low to the ground. Dad followed the sound, heart pounding, until he reached… the hallway closet.
Carefully, he opened the door, and there was Cubis—half-buried in a pile of winter coats, blinking up at Dad with a sleepy, completely unconcerned expression.
“Cubis! You scared me half to death!” Dad exclaimed, scooping him up. Cubis let out a big yawn, clearly annoyed that his cozy nap had been interrupted.
It turned out that during the night, Cubis had followed a tiny moth into the closet, gotten distracted sniffing an old pair of boots, and decided it was the perfect place for a secret sleep.
Dad carried him back to bed, relief flooding through him. “Next time, maybe nap somewhere that doesn’t make me think you’ve vanished,” he muttered, tucking Cubis in beside him.
Cubis just curled up, closed his eyes, and within minutes was snoring softly—completely oblivious to the panic he’d caused.
For Dad, it was a sleepless night. For Cubis, it was just another adventure.
