“Mungojerrie?” came a soft voice nearby. Jerrie sat up to see Jennyanydots nearby, a tray in her paws.
“’I, Jenny,” he said softly.
Jenny smiled a bit and held out the tray. I thought you might be hungry.”
Jerrie smiled and nodded. “Yeah, Ai am a li’le ‘ungry.”
Jenny set it down next to him and turned to leave. “Jenny!” Jerrie said. Jenny turned around again. “Ca’… ca’ ya staiy wit’ me fer a while?”
“Of course,” Jenny obliged. She sat down next to him.
Jerrie was silent a moment. Jenny motioned for him to eat. “Come on, Jerrie. You need to eat.”
Jerrie reached for the food, but he felt too weak. He fell back with a rusty sigh. Jenny noticed and decided to help the poor, little, defeated tom. She lifted a bowl of milk to his lips so he could drink, resting his head on a pillow.
The cold milk soothed his parched, dry throat, and filled his weakened body. Jerrie drank greedily.
“Slow down!” Jenny scolded. “You’ll get a stomach ache if you drink that fast!”
Jerrie didn’t respond. He licked his lips hungrily and purred with happiness. Jenny smiled and stroked Jerrie’s calico head gently. He purred louder and nuzzled her paw.
Jenny handed Jerrie a bite of fish. Jerrie gobbled it down, feeling much better with food in his stomach.
“Feeling better?” Jenny asked him gently.
“A li’le,” Jerrie said softly. “Bu’, Ai still ‘urt inside.”
“You will for a long time,” Jenny said softly, hugging him gently. “Maybe the rest of your life.”
“Wha’d she ‘afta die, Jenny?” Jerrie said, wiping his eyes with the back of his paw.
“I don’t know, Jerrie. I wish I did. Teazer was a great queen. We’re all very sad that she died.”
Jerrie buried his face in Jenny’s orange fur and sobbed. Jenny held him tightly and stroked his shoulders gently. He seemed so young, like a kitten that had just lost his best friend. He was very young, just beyond kittom years by maybe 3 Jellicle Balls; Teazer only 2. So young. And to lose his only relative and best friend at the same time… it was very horrible.
Jerrie hugged Jenny tightly, grateful for her enduring his crying. Finally he looked up into Jenny’s gray eyes. “Ai miss ‘er, Jenny. Ai loved ‘er.”
“I did too, Jerrie,” Jenny told him.
“Wha couln’t she taike me wit’ ‘er, Jenny? Wha couln’t Ai die too? We’s neva been apar’. Wha couln’t we staiy tagetha?”
“I don’t know, Jerrie. But you can’t be with her.”
“Bu’ Ai wanna!” Jerrie wailed. “Ai wanna die too! Ai wanna be wit’ ‘er!” He began to wail loudly, burying his face in his pillow.
Jenny rubbed the distraught tom’s shoulders gently, trying to murmur soothing words in his silky ears. Jerrie refused to come out of his little ball.
Finally, after an hour or so, Jenny stopped rubbing Jerrie’s shoulders. “Jerrie, honey, I hate to, but I have to go. It’s my turn to watch the kittens. Will you be okay? Should I send someone else over here?”
“Ai’ll… Ai’ll be okaiy,” Jerrie said, not moving out of his curled ball.
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked.
“Yeah. Ya shoul’ go.”
Jenny left softly, leaving Jerrie alone. Jerrie closed his eyes, a thousand memories upon him…
Jerrie felt a loving lick across his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly. Teazer’s face was less than an inch from his, and she was staring into his face. “Aaaaah!” he screamed.
Teazer giggled. “’Mornin’, Jer.” She nuzzled his cheek gently.
Jerrie purred and nuzzled her back. He sat up. Teazer ran around behind him and began to rub his shoulders. Jerrie purred louder. Teazer purred with him, rubbing his shoulders gently, her warm body pressed against his back. Her firm but gentle touch soothed his tight muscles. He pulled her down into his lap and held her close. She giggled and licked his chin softly…
“Wanna wrestle, Teaza?” Jerrie prompted, tickling his sister playfully.
Teazer responded by knocking Jerrie flat on his back and pinning him down with all four paws. “Okaiy,” she agreed.
Jerrie flipped her over his head, and an all-out wrestling match ensued. They tumbled all over the living room, pouncing, tumbling, nipping, and growling. Jerrie pinned Teazer down and licked her head so the fur on her head stood straight up.
“Oh, bugger,” Teazer muttered, trying in vain to smooth down her tousled mane. Jerrie giggled and got off of her. Teazer sat up and rubbed her neck. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “Me pearls!” she almost shouted, her eyes frantically searching the floor.
Jerrie grinned and let the Woolworth pearls dangle from his paws. He waved them teasingly in front of his sister’s nose before turning and dashing upstairs.
Teazer was after him less than a second later. “Mungojerrie, ya gimme back me pearls, ya ‘ear?” she yelled angrily.
Something in her voice told him she wasn’t kidding around. Jerrie screeched to a stop and turned to face her. Her eyes flashed anger, and her face was twisted in a scowl. “Gimme ‘em na, Mungojerrie!” she commanded. They only used each other’s full names when they were either dead serious or extremely mad. And Teazer looked mad.
Jerrie held out the pearls to her, his eyes wide with surprise. He couldn’t understand why she was so mad at him.
Teazer snatched up the pearls and examined them. Satisfied they were okay, she clipped them on and stormed off down the hall. Jerrie ran next to her.
“Gee, Teaze. Ai’m sorree. Ai din’t think ya’d git mad. Ai’m real sorree.”
Teazer refused to look at him. She went down the stairs and into the living room to where their white wicker basket lay. She crawled in.
Jerrie tried to climb in next to her, but Teazer turned and shoved him out again with more force than he had ever seen in her before. She lay down, taking up the whole space, her tail lashing defiantly back and forth, daring him to try to get in with her.
Jerrie stared at her. “Rumpleteaza, Ai said Ai was sorree. Woncha talk ta me?”
Teazer glared and placed a paw protectively over her pearls. Jerrie sighed, turned, and slunk away, out the open kitchen window. He sat outside on the patio swing, just thinking.
He must have sat there for almost four hours, just thinking, before someone landed on the swing next to him. He turned. Teazer smiled a bit at him and laid her head on his shoulder. Jerrie purred and stroked her head, keeping his paws noticeably away from the pearls. Teazer purred too and gently pushed him down on his stomach. She climbed on top of him and purred in his ear. Jerrie purred back, feeling warm and comfortable under his sister in their favorite position.
“Ai’m real sorree, Teaze,” he said softly, turning his head to look into her eyes. “Really Ai am.”
“Ai unnerstan’, Jer. Ai’m sorree Ai o’re-reacted. Ai’s jes’ protective o’ me pearls.” Teazer rubbed her cheek on his head.
Jerrie purred and laid his head on his paws, watching the sunset while Teazer purred in his ear.
The sun sank, bathing the sky in radiant colors. The night air grew cooler, and stars began to wink on in the indigo sky.
“We shoul’ go ta be’, Jer,” Teazer said.
Jerrie nodded and stretched. Teazer rolled off of him and got to her feet. Jerrie followed her. They entered the house and headed for their basket. Teazer giggled and pushed Jerrie down onto his back in the basket. She purred and lay down on top of him. Jerrie giggled and purred under Teazer, holding her close to himself in a tight, loving hug.
That night was filled with telling secrets, much purring, brother and sisterly love, and cuddling. Jerrie didn’t think he was ever happier…
Jerrie sighed sadly at the memory. That was one he would never forget as long as he lived. He purred without opening his eyes when he felt a warm, heavy weight on him, feeling so much like his little sister. He heard a familiar purr in his ear. His eyes flew open, and, just as suddenly as it had come, the purring stopped, and the warm weight was gone. He was alone again, cold, forgotten.
Jerrie closed his eyes again, tears wetting his lashes. “Teaza, don’ go!” he pleaded to the empty air, where he prayed she could hear him. “Ai needja, Teaze! Please, come back!”
But no sound disturbed the silence of the junkyard. Nothing stirred except a few late spring leaves that tumbled and skipped across the ground with a soft scratching sound. Jerrie sat up, his eyes searching the sky. “Teaza, please! Ai beg ya! Come back!” he pleaded in a hoarse whisper. “Please. Ai can’ go on wit’ou’cha! Please! Taike me wit’ ya!”
He received no answer in the cool, late evening air. Jerrie buried his face in his arms and sobbed, resting his hot face against his cool pillow.
“Jer?” came a voice in front of him. Jerrie lifted his heavy head to see Rumpleteazer, his little sister, standing in front of him.
“Teaze?” he asked, unbelievingly.
Teazer held out her paw to him. “Come on!”
Jerrie leaped to his feet, but his body felt incased in steel. He could hardly move, and he felt so heavy. As quickly as he could, he rushed to her side and took her paw.
As soon as he touched her cool, silky paw, all his heaviness fell away. He felt light and carefree. He hugged Teazer tightly. The two embraced for a moment.
It was Teazer who let go first. “Come on, Jer. Ai wanna show ya something.”
Jerrie followed her, holding her paw as if never wanting to let go. Teazer led him to the magic tire. She stepped onto it, then pulled Jerrie up next to her. The tire began to rise into the night sky.
“Whare are we goin’?” Jerrie asked, moving closer to Teazer.
“Whare we ca’ be tagetha fereva,” Teazer said, hugging him tightly.
“The ‘Eavyside?” Jerrie asked in surprise, hugging her back.
“O’ course,” Teazer giggled.
Suddenly a radiant, white light shown down into Jerrie’s eyes. Its brilliance awed him and seemed to fill his whole soul to the very top. He could see, hear, feel, smell, taste nothing but the light…
“I think he’s coming around,” came a voice in his ear.
Jerrie slowly opened his eyes. The light was gone, the tire was gone, Teazer was gone. Jellylorum and Jennyanydots were leaning over him, their faces wrinkled in concern.
“Jerrie, honey, are you okay?” Jellylorum asked gently.
Jerrie sat up so quick the two queens nearly tumbled backwards. “Whare’s Teaze?” he demanded, not harshly, but a general question.
Jenny touched Jerrie’s shoulder. “Shh. Just rest, love.” She pushed him down gently, but Jerrie popped up again.
“Ai saw ‘er!” he insisted. “We wa’ tagetha! Whare is she?”
“Shh,” Jelly soothed. “Jerrie, dearie, she’s been dead for three days now. Just lie down.”
“She’s no’ dead!” Jerrie insisted, refusing to succumb to their gentle pushing. “Ai saw ‘er! We wa’ walkin’ tagetha, an’ we wa’ goin’ ta the ‘Eavyside! We wa’ ‘oldin’ ‘ands, an’ ‘uggin’, an’ evrathin’!”
The two queens exchanged glances. “Jerrie, you were hallucinating,” Jenny said, wrapping a blanket around him. “You had a bad fever, probably from all your crying, and you were very ill. You only dreamed you saw your sister.”
“It weren’ a dream!” Jerrie insisted. “Ai coul’ feel ‘er an’ smell ‘er an’ talk ta ‘er, an’… an’…” Jerrie began to sob into the soft folds of the blanket.
Jenny and Jelly hugged the crying tom gently. “There, there, lamb,” Jelly soothed. “You need to rest. We’ll figure it out when you’re better.”
“No!” Jerrie yelled. “Ai saw ‘er! Ai reallee di’! Wha woncha believe me?” He struggled out of their grip. He leaped to his feet and raced away, leaving Jenny and Jelly behind.
Jerrie made his way to the magic tire. He flung himself across it, sobbing. He buried his face in his arms and cried. He cried and cried, his heart shattered into a zillion delicate shards.
When he finally got control of himself, he set to searching the tire, but there was no scent of Teazer anywhere. Nothing at all. It was almost like she never existed.
Jerrie sat down on the edge of the tire and sighed, rubbing his arms for warmth in the cool, night air. He knew Teazer was still alive! He just KNEW it!…
