The cat known as the “Magical Mister Mistoffelees” purred contentedly. He was snuggled up napping with his girlfriend Victoria, his idea of a perfect date. In fact, those two were the perfect couple. Him black, her white, they even looked good together. He scratched her back gently. She purred in response. He smiled and went back to sleep. Life was perfect.
Misto got back to his home about an hour later. He had built the home out of junk in the ‘Yard with help from Munkustrap. It had a main room full of his magic creations and inventions, and a back room with a pile of old blankets where he slept. He was headed there now. Even after his nap with Victoria, he still felt sleepy. Misto figured a quick doze wouldn’t hurt before he got to work on his latest invention. As he fell asleep, he never saw the ginger paw reach over and strike him on the head.
When he woke, he felt a slight pang in the back of his head. He reached back to rub it tenderly. His paw felt sticky, so he pulled it back to look at it. And almost fainted. His paws were covered with blood. He bolted out of the house, heading at breakneck speed for the stream that ran through the back of the Junkyard. He must wash his paws…….
Jellylorum strode purposefully towards Mistoffelees’ house. She needed to borrow something. She walked right in without knocking. She never knocked. Why should she? Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Lying on the bloodstained floor was the body of Demeter. A scream escaped Jellylorum’s lips. The walls were smeared with blood, and many inventions were broken. Mistoffelees’ scent was heavily around Demeter and all over the room. Jellylorum swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat. Spinning around, she stumbled out the door.
Macavity smiled to himself as he saw Jellylorum come up the trail. He was hidden behind the magician’s house, watching his plan unfold. After planting the blood on the conjurer, he had waited for the tom to leave the house. As soon as he did, the Napoleon of Crime had darted in the house and grabbed the blanket the little tom had been sleeping on moments before and wrapped himself in it to disguise his scent. Then he planted Demeter’s body in the main room and messed up the place accordingly, giving the appearance of a struggle. Now he waited. Revenge. Revenge was his motivation. Demeter had blown his cover during his attack on the Junkyard disguised as Old Deuteronomy. Then, the magic cat had rescued the real Jellicle leader. Now, he would have revenge on them both. Jellylorum’s scream ripped through the air. A wicked smile split his face. Perfect.
Misto hurried up the trail to his house. He had been able to get most of the mysterious blood off, but his white paw was stained an ugly red. Just then he saw Jellylorum stagger out of his house. White as a sheet, she looked as though she had just seen a ghost, or worse. Looking at him, she screamed,
“Murderer!”
“What do you mean?”
Misto stared at her. Then he glanced at his bloody paw.
“Oh, that. The strangest thing happened-“
She ignored him and continued to scream.
“Murderer! Murderer! Munkustrap, come quick!”
The silver tom called Munkustrap came bounding up the trail, past a stunned Misto, and to the side of the hysterical Jellylorum.
“Shhhh. What is it? What’s wrong?”
Sobbing, she pointed in the open doorway.
“Oh no.”
He rushed to the side of the lifeless Demeter. He checked her pulse. Dead. A tear slid down his cheek. He lifted her cold paw to his lips and kissed it tenderly. Then, he gently ran a paw over her face and closed her eyes. He smelled Misto everywhere. He must have killed her…… but why? Munkustrap stormed out of the house. He put his arm around the still-crying Jellylorum and glared at the tom that was still standing in the middle of the trail.
“Mistoffelees, what happened?”
Misto looked at him, bewildered.
“What do you mean?”
Munkustrap got angrier.
“Demeter!”
The little black tom looked even more confused.
“What about her?”
Munkustrap exploded.
“She’s dead! In your house!”
Misto stepped back. His white face got even whiter.
“Dead?” he whispered.
Munkustrap stalked over and grabbed his arm. Consumed with sorrow and anger for the death of his beloved, the silver tom didn’t even think of who was being accused. He dragged the smaller cat up into the house. Misto looked in horror.
“Oh no….” he whispered and fell to his knees. He sniffed the air. All he smelled was himself. No sign of a murderer……. Then it dawned on him.
“Wait a minute, you think I did this?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
Before Munkustrap could answer, Jellylorum snapped,
“Of course you did it! She’s in your house, I don’t smell anyone else, and you’ve got blood on your paws!”
Munkustrap glanced at the magician’s paws. He looked at his friend in horror.
“Misto………”
“No! I didn’t do it!” Misto screamed, panicking.
“We have to take him to Old Deuteronomy.” Jellylorum stated.
Munkustrap nodded, numb with pain. Before Misto could react, the bigger tom had grabbed his arms and was marching him towards the Tire. Jellylorum ran ahead and told everyone to come quickly.
The Jellicles formed the Circle rapidly, with Old Deuteronomy seated on the Tire at its head. Jellylorum leaped up and seated herself next to him. Munkustrap left Misto in the center of the Circle, then took his place at the Jellicle Leader’s side. Old Deuteronomy made sure everyone was present, then he began.
“Jellylorum, why have you called us here?”
She jumped from the Tire and stood before him.
“I have called you here for the trial of a murderer.”
Gasps ran through the crowd. She continued.
“The body of the Jellicle called Demeter was found in the Jellicle called Mistoffelees’ house-“
She was cut off by a cry from Bombalurina. The red queen spun and raced up the trail to see if it was true. The other Jellicles watched sadly. Demeter had been her closest friend. After a moment of silence, Jellylorum continued.
“The body of Demeter was found in Mistoffelees’s house, where there was evidence of a struggle. The proof of that is on his paws.”
She pointed at them for emphasis. Misto just stared at her in dull horror.
“Blood!” she said. Then more softly, “Demeter’s blood. Her body and the scene smelled only of her and Mistoffelees. No sign of anyone else.”
She paused.
“You can see the blood for yourself. For the scene at house, I choose Coricopat and Tantomile as my witnesses. Go, and see if all I have said is true.”
The two cats nodded and sped off. Just then, Bombalurina returned to the Circle. Tears streaked her face. She walked slowly up to Mistoffelees and looked him in the eye. She whispered one word:
“Murderer.”
He looked away, but she grabbed his chin and forced him to meet her gaze.
“Why did you kill her?” she hissed. “Why?”
“I didn’t do anything.” He whispered.
Bombalurina pulled back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.
“Stop denying it!” she spat. “Her blood is on your paws!” she paused, then added “You’re a monster.”
Misto stared at her in horror through tear-filled eyes.
“Enough!” Old Deuteronomy said.
Bombalurina retreated to her place in the Circle. Even as he spoke, Coricopat and Tantomile returned. Tantomile’s eyes were full of tears as they stood before the Jellicle Leader.
“It is as she says.” Coricopat said solemnly.
Deuteronomy turned his gaze to the black cat still in the center of the Circle.
“Mistoffelees, how do you explain this?”
Misto looked startled for a moment, then frightened.
“I didn’t do anything. I just came home and went to sleep, and when I woke up there was blood on my paws! So I went to wash it off, and when I came back, there was Jellylorum and-“
He stopped. As he spoke he realized how foolish he sounded.
“So, you just woke up with blood on your paws and when you came home there was a dead cat in your house!” Jellylorum sneered.
Misto realized how unrealistic his alibi was. No one would believe him. Deuteronomy turned back to Coricopat.
“No signs of another cat? No smells?”
The striped tom shook his head. From across the Circle the cat called Rum Tum Tugger gave a low whistle.
“Man, that’s awful……”
The Jellicle Leader looked again at Misto. The black cat looked like he was going to faint.
“Mistoffelees,” Deuteronomy began, “I’m afraid there is no evidence whatsoever to support your alibi. Therefore, you are charged with the murder of a fellow Jellicle. The punishment: Exile!”
“No!”
Victoria burst from her place in the Circle, rushed up to Misto and threw her arms around him.
“No,” she sobbed, “You can’t exile him. He can’t be a murderer. He can’t! He can’t!”
Munkustrap came down and gently pulled her away from Misto, who was frozen in place.
“Mistoffelees,” Deuteronomy said, “You must leave the Junkyard immediately.”
The Circle of cats broke apart. Plato and Tumblebrutus advanced on Misto. Instinctively, he backed away from the two larger toms.
“Get out of here, murderer.” growled Tumblebrutus.
Misto angrily swiped the tears from his eyes. Spinning around, he raced off down the trail out of the Junkyard, headed for the city.
“Misto!” screamed Victoria. Then she moaned, “Misto.”
She leaned her face into Munkustrap’s chest and started to cry harder. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. As the sunset turned the sky blood red, he had a gut feeling he would never his friend again.
ONE MONTH LATER
Life had changed dramatically in the Junkyard. Demeter’s presence was sorely missed. Bombalurina visited her friend’s grave every day. Mistoffelees was missed also, though by not as many. Mostly by Victoria and Munkustrap. Rum Tum Tugger, too, missed the little magic cat who he had trusted and urged the others to trust also in the rescue of Old Deuteronomy. Vicky had cleaned up Misto’s house the best she could, but most of it was hopelessly ruined. She spent a lot of her time on long walks with Munkustrap outside of the Junkyard in the field. It was on one of these walks that something happened that would turn life in the Junkyard upside-down. Again.
Vicky leaned on Munkustrap’s shoulder as they walked down a lightly wooded trail. She and Misto had walked there often………. Misto. Her one true love. She had danced with Plato for a while, but they had never shared a connection. Her heart would always be with Misto, and she hoped he felt the same.
Suddenly, movement exploded out of the bushes ahead of them. Two familiar cats tumbled out of the underbrush, somersaulted, and landed on their feet. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer.
“We were lookin’ fo’ you.” Mungo said in his thick Cockney accent.
“And what are you two doing out here?” Victoria asked skeptically.
The two straightened guiltily.
“Nothinnnnnnnnng!” Teazer said innocently, batting her eyes. Her companion twisted his tail in his paws.
“We was just………… takin’ a walk!” Mungo explained.
“Fo’ no reason!” Teazer interjected.
“And we found the strangest thing,” continued Mungo.
“That we knew you ‘ad ta see.” finished Teazer.
Munkustrap and Victoria exchanged looks.
“Oh? And where is this ‘thing’?” asked Munkustrap.
“Follow us.” The two chimed in unison.
Munkustrap nodded and the four set off.
The thieves led the other two through the tall grass in the field. They came to a clearing. Munkustrap and Vicky stopped dead in their tracks. Blood was everywhere. There were several patches of ginger fur on the ground. The whole place smelled like Macavity…….and Demeter! It took them a moment to realize what they were looking at. Then it hit them. The REAL scene of the crime!
“He was telling the truth……” Vicky whispered.
“Then that means-“ Munkustrap began.
“Mistoffelees is innocent!” chorused Mungo and Teazer together. They were obviously proud of themselves for making such an important discovery. The white queen felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes.
“He’s innocent.” She breathed.
Munkustrap, too, wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Mungo and Teazer did it for them. Leaping for joy, they grabbed each other and executed several of their trademark two-person cartwheels. Then Munkustrap stopped them.
“We have to get back and tell everybody!” he said.
He turned to the white cat standing next to him.
“Vicky?” he said softly. “You coming?”
She looked at him, eyes shining.
“He’s innocent!” she whispered.
The two embraced tightly, then headed down the trail. The two clowns were cartwheeling along ahead of them, chattering about how important they were. Vicky could only hope the Tribe would believe them.
Minutes later, Munkustrap came striding purposefully into the ‘Yard, calling out,
“Everyone, to the Circle! Quickly!”
It was formed hurriedly. Since Deuteronomy was away, Munkustrap sat on the Tire. He scanned the crowd and made sure all were present. Jellylorum came up to him.
“What’s this all about?” she demanded.
He shushed her and started.
“My friends, we have made a terrible mistake!”
This earned several questioning looks, but he continued.
“Just recently, our fellow Jellicles Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer led Victoria and myself to the real scene of Demeter’s murder!”
A moment of silence. Then Alonzo called out,
“What in the Heaviside do you mean? Are you crazy?”
Munkustrap continued.
“We found blood, patches of fur, the smell of Demeter, and also the smell of the murderer.” He paused, then cried, “Macavity!”
Murmurs and gasps spread through the cats. Munkustrap gave instructions.
“Mungojerrie! You and Rumpelteazer take Coricopat and Tantomile to the clearing. They saw the first scene. Anyone who doubts me can go with them.”
The four chosen and Jellylorum went off. The others waited patiently. After what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes, the five returned.
“It’s true! It’s true! Mistoffelees is innocent!” Tantomile cried joyfully.
The other four nodded. Someone started clapping. Munkustrap looked to where the sound was coming from. It was Tugger. Then Vicky started clapping. Mungo and Teazer, too. Soon, every cat in the Junkyard was cheering for the innocence of their fellow Jellicle. It took Munkustrap a few minutes to calm them down.
“Alright.” he said. “The first thing we need to do is get Macavity. We’ll need some teams to search for his hideout.”
“We know where it is!” called Teazer.
Everyone stared at her and her mate. The two looked at the ground.
“We,uh, found it while we were……………takin’ a walk!” Mungo explained. “It’s that old warehouse on the edge of the city.”
Munkustrap nodded. He’s heard rumors that this was true.
“So let’s go get him!” Tugger yelled.
“Let’s make him pay!” yelled Plato.
At first, Munkustrap wanted to stop them, to make a battle plan. But, he decided that now was as good a time as ever. And the toms were pumped with anger, so they would fight hard. So he let them go. Yelling to be heard above the din, he gave brief instructions.
“Alright, I want every able tom to come with us. The queens had better stay here.”
Teazer kissed Mungo for good luck as he raised a fist in the air and shouted,
“Let’s rip ‘is ugly ‘ead off ‘is body!”
“Make him pay, boys!” cried Bombalurina.
With that, the Jellicle toms headed for the city.
When they reached the two-story warehouse they scouted around till they found an unguarded back entrance. Flinging open the door, they raced inside. And were met by a wave of Macavity’s henchrats. Momentarily startled, the cats recovered and threw themselves into battle. Minutes ticked by. Although the fight looked like it was going nowhere, the Jellicles were steadily advacing against the never-ending flow of henchrats. Finally they reached the stairs. Some of the toms jumped onto the railing and ran to the top. Others took advantage of the incline and threw rats off balance. When they reached the top, they swept across the open area. There were less rats up there, so they moved faster. Till they came to a door guarded by several big, mean, alley cats. But that didn’t stop the Jellicles. They rushed the guards and took them out. Munkustrap opened the door to the room Macavity was obviously hiding. Macavity was waiting. As soon as the door opened, he launched at the silver tom, claws flashing. Completely taken by surprise, Munkustrap tried unsuccessfully to protect his face. He fell to the ground. Suddenly, Tugger yanked the ginger tom off his friend and gave him several good smacks in the face before Macavity knocked him down and away. Springing into the air, Mungojerrie and Alonzo latched themselves onto the Mystery Cat’s back, knocking him to the ground. Hauling himself to his feet, Munkustrap came over and sat on the evil tom’s chest, pinning his arms with his legs. Mungo sat on Macavity’s feet. Munkustrap leaned into the ginger tom’s face and hissed,
“Murderer!”
Macavity laughed at him.
“Oh, if only you knew the half of it.”
“What do you mean?” growled Mungo.
“Well, I saw you find the scene of the crime. I figured I couldn’t have you proclaiming the magic cat innocent, so I sent out a couple of my boys to kill him. Why, they just came back and told me it was done.’
Munkustrap stared at him in agony. Then his face hardened.
“You’re lying!”
Suddenly, he heard Mungojerrie yelp and felt two sets of claws dig into his shoulders as one of the alley cats who had returned to consciousness threw him off Macavity. The ginger tom took the opportunity. Jumping to his feet, he raced over and leapt out a window, dashing away on the rooftops of nearby buildings.
Back in the warehouse, the alley cats were quickly subdued. The Jellicles watched Macavity run. Alonzo started to follow him, but Munkustrap stopped him.
“Let him go.” He said tiredly.
Tugger struggled to his feet and limped over to Munkustrap’s side. The silver tom turned to him, exhausted.
“Let’s go home.’
Mungo was out cold, so they picked him up and headed back to the Junkyard.
It was dark by the time they got there. They could see the queens gathered by the Tire. Rumpelteazer was the first to spot them.
“Mungo!” she cried, hurrying over to her mate, who was now trying to walk and leaning unsteadily on a supportive Alonzo.
“Hey, Teaz.” he greeted, grinning lopsidedly.
She rushed over and let him lean on her.
“Mungo, what happened?” she asked as they hobbled to the box they shared in the Junkyard.
“We got into a bit of a scrap, Love. But of, Teaz, you should have seen me fight….”
Then they disappeared into their little home.
Victoria rushed up to Munkustrap but stopped short.
“What happened to your face!?!?”
Only then was he aware of the small scratches all over his face and neck, and four large claw marks on his left cheek. He was about to answer when he was interrupted by Bombalurina’s cry of
“Tugger! Baby, you’re limping! What did you do?”
And his feeble response of
“I just twisted my ankle…….”
Munkustrap turned back to Victoria. Beckoning for her to follow, he headed for his home in the old car.
Victoria finished cleaning Munkustrap’s wounds. The queens had claimed all of their toms and the Junkyard was finally quiet. Sensing she was done, Munkustrap sat up, took her paws in his and whispered,
“Thank you.”
She smiled at him.
“So, did you bust up Macavity? What did he have to say about a bunch of Jellicles breaking into his hideout?”
Munkustrap started to speak, then stopped himself. He looked very sad. She was immediately concerned.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Vicky, I’m very sorry to have to tell you this, but Macavity did have something to say. About Misto. He told us that he had sent out some of his alley cats to…… He told us Misto is dead.”
Victoria stared at him, stunned.
“No……”
A tear slid down her cheek. Then she looked at him, determined.
“He can’t be dead. What if he’s alive, and he’s hurt? We have to go look for him!”
She started to get up, but Munkustrap stopped her.
“Vicky, it’s too dark. First thing in the morning.”
“But…….but!”
“Tomorrow. I promise.”
Sniffling, she nodded her head and curled up beside him. And cried herself to sleep.
Bright the next morning she awoke. Part of her wanted to wake Munkustrap, but he was so tired. So she let him sleep. Leaping lightly out of the car, she saw most of the other queens were awake too. The exhausted toms were still dozing. But Skimbleshanks was awake. He hadn’t gone into battle, being one of the older toms. He strolled up to Vicky and put his arm around her.
“And how’s my little lassie doin’ today?”
Vicky smiled. Skimble had always been like a father to her. But today she was too upset to be cheered by him.
“Fine, Uncle Skimble.” she said sadly, calling him by the nickname the kittens had given him. He looked at her, concerned.
“Whoa, now. Even old Skimble can tell when something’s amiss. Want to tell me what’s wrong, Lass?”
“Well, I-“
She looked around, afraid someone would see the tears that were threatening to burst out of her. Understanding, Skimble led her around the back of a junk pile and seated them on a ratty old couch. Leaning on his muscular chest, Vicky cried. Skimble rubbed her back. They sat like that for a while, until she stopped crying. Finally, she looked at him.
“There, now,” he said gently, wiping her tears. “You want to tell me what’s upsetting you?”
Sniffling, Vicky told him everything. Macavity saying that Misto was dead. How much she worried about Misto, and how much she loved him. When she was finished, Skimble nodded.
“I see.” he said slowly.
They sat for a moment in silence, till Skimble spoke again.
“You know,” he said slowly, “I canna say I know how ye feel, because I don’t. But I can tell you this. Never give up hope. Because I have a feeling a certain laddie is alive and waiting for you to come get him.”
Vicky smiled at him tearfully.
“Really?”
“As sure as there are bagpipes in bonny Scotland.”
She gave him a big hug and whispered,
“Thanks.”
“Now,” said Skimble, standing up. “I think Munkustrap has had enough beauty sleep and it’s high time for his wake up call.”
Munkustrap and Victoria set out later that morning. The whole Tribe turned out to wish them well. Mungo and Teazer smothered Vicky in their ‘Good Luck Hug’. Skimbleshanks, who would be in charge while Munkustrap was gone, shook paws with the silver tom. And Jennyanydots presented them with two bundles of food.
“Lunch and dinner for you both.” She explained while patting them each on the cheek. “Just in case you’re out extra late.”
With that, Munkustrap and Victoria set off down the trail. Behind them the Jellicles chorused their goodbyes.
Later that afternoon, Vicky and Munkustrap found a quiet alley to stop and eat lunch. They had combed a good deal of city, asking every alley cat they saw if they had seen a small, tuxedo tom recently. One of the alley cats had had a frightening response.
“Yeah,” he had said. “I saw a little tux. Trespassing on my turf! I had to teach him a little lesson.”
And he had pounded a fist into his paw for emphasis.
But as the day had gone on, they had not found Misto. And now they sat eating, thinking about the day. Finally, Vicky broke the silence.
“Munk? What if Macavity is telling the truth, and he is dead?”
The silver tom was quiet for a moment, then he his arm around her.
“I don’t know.” he said sadly. “I really don’t know.”
As the afternoon wore on, it seemed the farther they got into the rougher parts of town, the more cats had seen Misto. The streets grew increasingly dangerous, and Munkustrap and Victoria kept to the shadows. There were less and less humans and more and more stray cats. And dogs. The two Jellicles had a very close encounter with a gang of mean Pollicles. And it wasn’t until the sun was set that they found a good lead.
They were passing an alley when Munkustrap saw movement that might be a cat. They went in, tom first. Suddenly an enormous, brown, alley cat dropped down from the top of a large trash can and advanced angrily on Munkustrap.
“What are you doing on my turf, stranger?” he growled.
Munkustrap backed up, explaining rapidly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. We didn’t mean to trespass. We are Jellicles and we-“
He was cut off by a surprised grunt from the alley cat.
“Jellicles?
His battle stance dropped and he straightened. Vicky smiled.
After all, the Jellicles were a very respectable tribe.
“So, uh, what do you want?” the big tom asked.
“We were looking for someone.” Munkustrap continued smoothly. “Have you seen a small tuxedo tom?”
The cat thought for a moment.
“Yeah! He came through here yesterday morning. In fact, there were a couple of guys who asked me that same question.”
“Oh?” Munkustrap tried to keep his voice calm. “And what did you say?”
The other cat shrugged.
“I told them he was headed for the docks.”
“Thank you.” Munkustrap said.
“No problem.” The big cat replied. Then he melted into the shadows.
Vicky turned to her companion, panicked.
“What are we gonna do? Those had to be Macavity’s goons!”
“We have to get to the docks.” Munkustrap responded grimly.
It was dark when they got there. As they rounded a corner they saw him. Lying where he had fallen, he was so still they thought he was dead. Even when he was on the ground, they could tell the city life had not been kind. His already-thin frame had wasted away to nearly nothing, and his coat was matted and dirty. He was bleeding in dozens of places, and his right leg was twisted at an impossible angle. The two Jellicles stood shocked, when suddenly Misto coughed violently. They rushed to his side, where Vicky knelt and cradled his head in her lap as his eyes fluttered open.
“Vicky?”
She smiled and petted his forehead.
“Yeah, I’m here baby, I’m here…”
Groaning, he started to struggle in her arms.
“I didn’t do it!” he protested deliriously. “I wouldn’t kill anybody!”
She tried to calm him.
“Shhh, I know, I know. You’re innocent.”
He relaxed and smiled at her weakly.
“I knew you’d believe me.”
Then his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he passed out. Weeping quietly, Victoria gently turned him over to Munkustrap. Grimacing, the silver tom realized how light Misto was as he picked up the little cat in his arms. Silently, the two turned and headed back to the Junkyard.
Four cats were keeping a vigil by the Tire. Actually, three. Rumpelteazer was asleep. Mungojerrie, Rum Tum Tugger, and Skimleshanks were wide awake. Mungo was scratching his sleeping mate’s back. Tugger was pacing. And Skimble was patiently watching the trail. Finally, they were rewarded.
“There they are.” Skimble announced, and the three headed up to meet them. Tugger winced when he saw Munkustrap’s battered, bleeding cargo. Skimble put his arm around Vicky and led them all into the Junkyard.
They decided the car was the best place for Misto to be, so Munkustrap carried him there and laid him gently on the backseat. Skimble wisely covered the windows in old rags to keep it nice and dark when the sun rose. None of them knew much about medicine, because Misto had always been the doctor. The best they could do was clean his wounds with a wet cloth. There was nothing they could do about the leg. Skimble volunteered for the first watch, and everyone agreed.
THREE DAYS LATER
Misto had not woken. Munkustrap, Skimble, Tugger, and sometimes Victoria alternated the watch shifts. Visitors came occasionally, especially Bombalurina. She would sit and hold his paw, telling whoever was on watch how much she pitied him for carrying so much guilt. Although his eyes never opened, Misto often thrashed around, trembled, and even cried out in the grip of a horrible nightmare. His leg got worse. Nobody was sure of what to do, until the fourth day.
Munkustrap was on watch, when suddenly Misto groaned and opened his eyes.
“Wha? Where am I? Munkustrap?”
The silver tom leaned over and enveloped his little friend in a hug.
“Wait.” Misto said. “What happened? Why am I here?”
Munkustrap told him everything. Misto listened silently.
“We don’t know how to treat you.” Munkustrap explained. “What should we do about your leg?”
Misto nodded. Sitting up, he reached down and probed the injury. He grimaced.
“Okay, you’re going to have to set it. Twist it to the left until you feel the bones connect.”
Victoria was headed for the car. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice cry out in pain. Quickening her pace, she reached her destination, opened the back door, stepped in and closed it behind her. Turning around, she saw Misto feeling his leg and muttering,
“Not perfect, but it’ll have to do.”
“Misto!” she cried happily.
His head snapped up. His expression of pain was immediately wiped away by a joyful smile.
“Vicky!”
She fell into his embrace. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Tears for happiness, tears for relief, tears for the tension of the past few days. Misto cried too. For what seemed like forever he had longed to be in this position. Munkustrap quietly excused himself. When they had no more tears to cry, the two snuggled up together on the car seat and fell asleep.
Victoria woke up that evening to Munkustrap gently shaking her shoulder. Yawning, she stood up and stretched, then glanced at Misto. He was sound asleep with a big smile on his face.
“I thought you might want to spend the rest of the night in your own bed.” Munkustrap said softly.
“Sure.”
The two cats quietly got out of the car and headed across the Junkyard to the box where Vicky lived. Before she went in, she turned and gave her friend a quick hug.
“Thank you.” She whispered. “For helping me find him.”
“No problem.” He replied.
She hurried into her house for the night.
Over the next few days, Misto improved. Munkustrap had made a splint for the broken leg. It was broken below the knee, so Munkustrap had found two L-shaped pieces of wood. The long part went from the knee to the heel, the short part went from the heel to the end of the foot. One for each side of the leg, they were bound on with human bandages. Very efficient. Finally, the day came when Old Deuteronomy would make the Proclamation of Innocence. Although still terribly weak from his ordeal, Misto nonetheless insisted on standing. So he leaned heavily on Munkustrap while the Jellicle Leader proclaimed his innocence and pardoned all false charges. When the applause broke out, Misto pushed himself off Munkustrap, stumbled a few steps, and fell into the open arms of Old Deuteronomy.
Later that day, Misto visited Demeter’s grave. Having drained what little strength he had earlier, he had Munkustrap carry him. Vicky came too. Gently, the silver tom rested his cargo on the ground in front of the tombstone. Misto propped himself on his good knee with his bad leg stretched out behind him and read the inscription.
DEMETER
There was no one like her in the Tribe,
But from a full life she was cruelly deprived.
Pausing thoughtfully for a moment, Misto then got out an old human knife he had brought and carved a few more words on the stone. Finished, he sat back and examined his work. It now read:
DEMETER
There was no one like her in the Tribe,
But from a full life she was cruelly deprived.
Plucked like a flower whose days are done,
She blooms now in eternal sun.
Misto leaned forward and rested his forehead on the smooth stone, letting the tears flow. He felt Vicky’s arm on his back. Running his fingers over the engraving again, Misto turned and struggled to his feet, limping back toward the ‘Yard. After the first step, his legs gave way. Munkustrap caught him and hoisted the little tom into his arms. The three headed back to the Junkyard and to a new life.
At the next Jellicle Ball, the cats all knew what story they would
perform for Old Deuteronomy. A true story of accusation, murder,
loyalty, bravery, and true love. They couldn’t wait!
THE END
