"Wake up, sleepyheads! It's nearly dawn!"
"Huh? What?" Etcetera yawned and looked out the broken window of the car in which she, Jemima, and Victoria slept.
"Gosh, Jellylorum, it isn't even light out!" Victoria exclaimed as she stretched her legs and back.
"How come you always wake us up so early?" Jemima moaned, and very nearly tumbled out the open window.
Blinking her eyes to get used to the slowly brightening morning, she could just make out Demeter and Bombalurina rummaging through trash cans for breakfast, and Munkustrap walking around to make sure that everyone was up. "Why, you ask? Dump trucks, that's why. You like to eat breakfast in the morning, don't you?" said Jellylorum as she leapt off the running board so the three kittens could get out.
As the kittens emerged, Jellylorum turned around and asked, "You always used to be the first ones up in the junkyard. You used to come and wake ME up! Now it's the other way around. How come all of a sudden I have to drag you out of bed in the morning?
Etcetera glanced at Jemima with a look that clearly said "Busted."
Jemima looked at Jellylorum and answered, "Weather?"
"You've been exploring at night, haven't you? I've told you, that's for adult cats only, and strictly off-limits to you kittens! I don't want you three getting lost or kidnapped," she said sternly.
"Yes Jellylorum," the trio said in voices that could only mean mischief.
"Now, PLEASE don't do it anymore," said Jellylorum as she walked off.
The three giggled and winked at each other, and Jemima asked them, "Tonight?"
"You bet!" the other two chorused.
It was a very, very long day. just when it seemed that day couldn't cram in any more hours of daylight, the sun sank behind the rubbish heaps, and one by one the stars turned on their flickering lights, and night blanketed the junkyard. The three mischievous kittens watched intently as the older cats fell asleep, and then crept out silently. None of the other cats could see them, night was too good a cover. But they did have to be extra quiet, especially around Munkustrap's corner, and Mistoffelees' top hat. Soon they were at the gates of the dump, and Jemima whispered, "Let's go!"
The night was perfect. They prowled the streets, peeped in windows, and slinked around corners. As they were walking back to the junkyard, the trio heard a faint rustling in the nearby bushes. "What was that?" whispered Victoria, frightened.
The rustle came again, but was much closer this time. "It's probably just Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They love playing tricks on us. Remember that time they dropped in front of us and scared us half to death?" replied Jemima as she scanned the area.
"Oh, I want to go home!" whimpered Etcetera.
"We're nearly there. Just follow me," answered Jemima, and they began crawling past the suspect bushes.
Suddenly, Jemima heard a short shriek, followed by muffled meows, and then silence. she whirled around, and saw no Victoria or Etcetera! "Oh no!" she thought.
They had been kidnapped! She searched fiercely, trying to find a clue, but found nary a paw print nor scratch mark in the dirt. She then remembered a phrase that she hoped she would never say, or even think about. "MACAVITY'S NOT THERE!" she screamed.
She stared at the sky, at the purple clouds gathering over the silver-lilac moon, as if looking for a clue. Jemima had two choices: look for Etcetera and Victoria herself, risk getting kidnapped, and be busted by the adults, or she could summon the adults, and still get busted. She chose her first choice, and started walking. Jemima kept telling herself to think like Macavity. Suddenly she hit upon something: if I was Macavity, I wouldn't go away from the witness, I'd go to where she was going! Jemima ran off toward the junkyard, and found it completely silent. Too silent. Suspiciously silent. "What is wrong, little kitten?" said a kind voice behind her.
Jemima jumped in surprise, and found Old Deuteronomy behind her. "Oh, nothing, nothing," she said, and walked around him. She examined him as she walked. It looked like Old Deuteronomy, even smelled like him, but..... Then she hit upon it. Looking at the shaggy gray coat, she saw a black and orange tail peeking out from under it. Hissing, she leapt onto his neck, all the while screaming "MACAVITY!!!"
"What the?"
But before Macavity could throw her off, Jemima had ripped off the disguise. She fell back, and found herself face to face with the infamous criminal. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the frightening figure advanced toward her. She screamed loudly, but to no avail. She screamed again, even louder this time, but still nothing happened. All that she heard was Macavity's evil laugh. "You're looking for your Jellicle tribe? I kidnapped them all, and now you little snoopy, sneaky furball will join them!"
Macavity grabbed Jemima by the nape of her neck and threw her into an abandoned Jeep nearby, locking the door after him. "OOF!" At least I landed on something soft, Jemima thought.
She righted herself, and looked around her. "GET OFF ME!"
The exclamation was so sudden that Jemima fell off the seat and hit the floor. Staring at her was the face of Victoria. "Okay, genius, you got us into this mess, now how are you going to get us out of it?"
All Jemima could say was, "Where's Etcetera?"
"Over there," said Victoria, pointing at a large overturned barrel.
Looking closely, Jemima saw that it had been nailed shut.
"You know what's going to happen to this Jeep, that barrel, that big trash can over there, and that box closed and sealed with tape? The dump trucks are going to take them in the morning and destroy them. With us in them."
Suddenly, Jemima thought of a plan. "No they're not!" she said as she jumped frantically about the car.
She swatted every button, pulled every knob, but nothing happened. "What are you doing?" asked Victoria, curiously.
"Looking for the unlock button," answered Jemima, but a little silver knob caught her eye.
She ran over to it and pulled it. She heard a soft click. The door was unlocked. "Help me pull this handle, Vic! we can escape and help the other cats!"
The two wrapped their paws around the black handle, and pulled with all their strength. Just when it seemed the handle could go no further, the door swung open, catapulting them across the dump, only to smack into the barrel where Etcetera was enclosed. "Help! Help! HELP!!!!!!!" cried Etcetera and a few other voices inside the barrel.
Jemima recognized them as none other than Demeter, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum. "Don't worry! We'll get you out!" yelled Victoria through a tiny hole in the barrel.
"Wait a second. Let me have the hole. I've got another plan," Jemima said.
She looked inside at the prisoners. "Listen, if you want to get out, just do as I say. All you four have to do is run, like you're outside. Just keep running. That's it." Jemima's plan was simple, but Victoria saw the significance of it.
In a few minutes the barrel was rolling rapidly toward the dump's high walls. "Just keep going! You're nearly there!" panted Jemima, who was running alongside the barrel.
"Nearly where?" Etcetera asked, but her question was answered soon enough. There was a loud SMASH! as the barrel splintered into a hundred tiny pieces.
When the four invalids finally untangled themselves, Etcetera ran over and hugged both Victoria and Jemima. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed as she kissed Victoria.
"Don't thank me, thank Jemima. She's the one with the brilliant plans," exclaimed Victoria.
"Don't go thanking me just yet," said Jemima worriedly. "We still have to save Old Deuteronomy, Munkustrap, and Mistoffelees. And the whole Jellicle tribe. We don't want Macavity leading the Jellicles."
All six of them shuddered at the thought. They each looked at each other, and then at Jemima. "All right then, let's do it!" Jemima said. "Jellicles forever! Macavity is going down!"
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TO BE CONTINUED.......
