"Yes there is. Maybe. Where are you again Mistoffelees? Please appear, I do not want to joke tonight." Munkus did not make any move. Perhaps it was better Mistoffelees did not appear, he felt like resting alone on the yard. He felt also like talking.
"You are not disappointed or unhappy." Mistoffelees placed himself on Munkus side. "What is going on with you?" Munkustrap looked unhappy at his friend: "You can easily find out, Misto. You can sense my thoughts and feelings the magical way." Mistoffelees shook his head and laid down. "I won't use my magic to know a friend's thoughts if he does not like me to know. That's moral for me and it is better for me and my friends. So, would you like to tell me?"
"Yes,...yes I will. But please, do not laugh, for I am really afraid to go home."
Mistoffelees looked at him perplexed. "No, I will not. If you are afraid there can't be something to laugh about."
"But that is not the point. I am still living - am I?" Munkus closed his eyes. "I ran immediately to the junkyard when I was free at home and rested there three days before returning home. Ususally I do not care about the vet and have no problems to return home. This vet-meeting was one of the most terrible ones, I can tell you. I will not tell you more about the time at the vet, for it is of no importance."
"Well, I had nothing else to do while staying in and so I listened to their conversations. And in one conversation I heard them saying... castration. Can you guess what a shock that was?' He turned pale. "You know I do not act like Tugger with the girls, but castration? I am a serious cat and if I take a friendship to a girl, and then find out I love her, I will stay with her for a very long time. You know that Misto. You know me. But they said: 'You cannot let the tomcat go out straying while other persons let their cats outside. I am afraid to go home! I escaped through an open window yesterday. What if they actually..."
After the girls had left Mistoffelees took a deep breath. "Okay, Munkustrap." And the way he spoke showed Munkustrap his friend's sorrows and made him shivering. "I tried to speak with the great magicians," he began, "and it was not easy to reach them. I tried to find a solution and was covered with deep thoughts half of the day. I think, we both alone are not able to find a solution, although something is coming up to my mind. We need help!' Mistoffelees took a deep breath. Munkustrap jumped and landed on the windowsill.
Let's go on!
"Hey old friend. There's something very wrong with you today, right?." a voice called him. It was Mr. Mistoffelees voice from somewhere out of space.
"Let's go somewhere inside and I will tell you. I do not want anyone to hear me and I feel cold." The grey cat said this although he did not feel cold. Mistoffelees did not recognize that his friend did not feel cold, he kept his promise not to use his magical powers and also did not care about if the grey cat lied or not.
They entered Mistoffelees home and sat down on the living-room carpet. The fire was s burning although nobody seemed to be at home. "My family is not at home, we will not be disturbed. I made some fire for us, so we will not shiver. Will you tell me?" Misto gave a friendly smile to Munkus who took a deep breath.
"Okay. It is about my family as you know. I recognized that they behaved a bit strange when I came home. You know, I am not often at home, I am a street cat mostly but it is nice to have a warm place. On Saturday they kept me in the house the whole day and than... ugh! took me in a box and I had to go to the veterinarian. Horrible, I tell you." Munkustrap paused to catch his breath and went on shakily.
"They looked at me like a pack rats finding their worst betrayer when I arrived. They spoke something about a missed appointment. The next few days I had to stay in the whole night. The children looked strangely at me when I was sitting on the windowsill while Jenny was waving me to come out to the yard. One of them said: "No girls, catty!"
"Oh, Munkustrap." Mistoffelees had expected everything but not that. He could not believe a family to be this cruel. "I cannot advise you, even though I am a magical cat. I just know one thing. You are the cat who will perhaps become a Jellicle leader if Old Deuteronomy feels like entering the Heavyside Layer. I have to say that because it will happen some day. Can you imagine a Jellicle leader without many children? Deuteronomy had nine wives in his life. Why do these humans act so imprudently? We have to find a way for you."
"I know", answered Munkustrap looking out of the window. He could not look at his friend that moment. He had never expected that happen to him. He was usually the problem-solver, not the one with the problems. Everybody should imagine that he had naturally also his times with females like every cat. "I like my family", he said disappointed "I know, that sounds strange for a cat which is hardly at home but I like them! I do not want to lose them. I cannot go home, there is no place for me. I need a place to think about the Ball. A place that is completely mine and where I can arrange my thoughts." He stood up and walked across the room to the window. His voice was near breaking. He swallowed and it took some courage to say: "By the light of the Jellicle moon, there must be a solution!"
Mistoffelees smiled. "That is the best way to think. Positive! I suggest you stay here today. I know where you can hide in the house, my family will not see you - I am an expert in disappearing. You can appear at noon - they are usually away at noon and again in the evening if you feel for a walk. Next night we will find a plan." And with a mischevious grin, he added: "We could send Macavity to the vet for you."
Munkustrap felt much better after he had told his sorrows to his friend. He fell asleep while he thought what a fortune it was to have friends like Mr. Mistoffelees. He knew that they together could trick the family. And Munkustrap was certainly a judicious cat like Mistoffelees. It would be a wonder if they together could not persuade the family to let Munkustrap live the way he lived.
When Munkustrap awoke in the evening he stretched and jumped down from the cupboard he had rested on to walk down to the living room. Mistoffelees was not there - it seemed so. The grey-black cat raised to his hind paws and looked around. The fire was burning so he had to be there. He discovered the magician sitting on a chair at the fireside, not moving a whisker. "Psst! Mistoffelees, it's me!" whispered Munkustrap, but Mistoffelees did not react. Munkus decided to go over to the fireside and sit down beside the chair. Mr. Mistoffelees' eyes where closed, although he sat straight on the chair. It was obvious that he was doing something 'mystical' and would not answer.
Suddenly the door opened and Munkustrap hid behind the sofa because he was afraid of a family member coming in - which family would like to have a foreign cat at home? It was just Victoria and Etcetera with two of the new Jellicles, Shen-Shen and Misto'line. Mistoffelees' ear twisted when he sensed someone entering and with a shrug he opened his eyes: 'Meow!'. His eyes where totally alighted for two or three seconds. It was a nearly fearful aspect.
Victoria who knew the phenomena already sat down and asked softly: "What were you meditating about, Misto?" She licked her paw as if she was not nosy but truly, she was.
"Oh, nothing important for you, just for me and Munkustrap." He tried to turn his voice as uninteresting and unexcited as possible.
"Pleeeeeaaaaassee, tell meee!" begged Shen-Shen and the other kitten, Misto'line, added: "I want to know, too!" They both were really young kittens, just Victoria tried to keep relaxed and when Mistoffelees flashed angry and refused again to tell about his meditating she purred softly: "It must be interesting, dear, if you protect the secret like this..."
Victorias' licking made also Etcetera licking herself and the kittens.
"This is magic. And magic is just for magicians, or!" he was not in a mood of a discussion. "Hey, you yourself said I had magical facilities and so I am prepared to know...!" That was how Misto'line tried to get Mistoffelees into a trap but did not reach her aim.
"I said you had small facilities! Hrmpf!' hrmpfed her magic-teacher and turned around. "Why are you so nosy? Do you need something to gossip?"
Munkustrap had moved to the sofa in the meantime and nobody of the visitors had recognized him. "Could you leave now, please?" he said in a friendly - but firm voice. "I think it is time for a privacy conversation." He nodded to his black and white friend. Etcetera was the only one who shrugged when Munkustrap spoke. She had been very concentrated on the conversation and Munkustrap sat directly behind her.
"Can't we stay?" asked Victoria after she had stopped cleaning her white fur, "We wouldn't say a word..."
"Yeah, yeah and I wouldn't be called mystical if that is true. This is my house and please leave. It is something serious going on that you needn't know." Mistoffelees was surprised to have raised his voice. He was too rough to his friends, he decided and added in a more friendly voice: "We'll meet tonight on the junkyard, okay?"
"Rum Tum Tugger, Pouncival and Alonzo have promised me to be there." Etcetera understood the toms and moved to the door. The other girls followed a bit angry to be send away so roughly.
First side again
Explore the unknown!