We all went to bed early that night, wanting to get an early start in searching this town again. Fortunately we slept well until…scratch, scratch. “Someone is scratching,” said Kat, “it is your turn.” “Muffin, it is too early for breakfast,” I said. Scratch, scratch. Then I realized the scratching was at our door. I got up to check and MC came in. “What do you want so early in the morning?”, I asked.

Meow.=Human Annelie have message, she try to send it to Muffin, but she not answer. “Muffin, are you still sleeping?”, I asked her. “She is probably hiding under the blankets,” said Kat and she tossed the blankets out of the way. But no Muffin. We started calling, but no answer. I alerted everyone to get up right away and join us. We started looking around and Kat went over to the window we had left open to cool the room during the night.

“Hey, was this ladder here before?”, she asked. I looked. “No, it was not,” I said, and then I looked at the window itself. There was a small hole had been drilled in the bottom, big enough to blow some sleeping gas into our room. “That is how they did it,” I said, “then they came in and took Muffin easily.” Meow!!=Oh, I should have been here and looked after my Muffin! It my fault, I suppose to look after her, I said I would and I fail!

“No, you did not fail MC,” said Jennifer picking him up to cuddle him, “if you had been here then you would have been put to sleep too and they still would have taken Muffin.” Meow.=Oh, that right, I not be able to help if I was sleeping gassed. But I still feel bad. “We all do MC,” I said, “now we have to figure out what they did to her.” Meow.=Me remember when someone took me long time ago in case, and they toss me almost in well.

We all ran outside and behind the hotel to the old well that was there. Horrified we saw Muffin hanging by her tail on some wire that had been put up from the hotel to a pole, likely to hang clothes on at one time. I ran over and cut her down right away! But she attacked me, scratching and hissing so that I dropped her on the ground. MC went to her but she attacked him too, in fact anyone who tried to go near her. “Everyone go to the front of the hotel,” said Galyna, “I wish to talk with Muffin, girl to girl.”

So we all left them alone. Galyna sat on the ground and looked over at Muffin and smiled so nicely. “Come Muffin,” she said with her quiet voice. She also had a wonderful Swedish accent. Though it is not a usual Swedish name, it does have Scandinavian roots going way back. And she does live up to her name, that is for sure. “Let us have a nice girl talk,” she said. Muffin came closer and put her head down. “Up, come up on me here,” said Galyna, so Muffin climbed up on her lap.

“Now, my precious Muffin,” she began, “what is the matter that you would attack your human and MC like that? I want to help you, please talk to me. We are friends, yes?” Meow,meow.=Yes, we friends, you only friend me have left now. That really shocked Galyna. “But that is not true,” she said gently, “we all love you very much. Your human and MC probably love you more than all of us.” Meow,meow.=No, they all hate me, they say bad things about me, they say I most terrible cat in world.

This shocked Galyna even more. “When did you hear them say bad things about you?”, asked Galyna. Muffin thought for a moment. Meow,meow.=I not sure, I go to sleep last night and wake up hanging on wire. She thought some more and then continued, it very dark and cold place, then room with very bright light and everyone there saying bad things, I hear them, one by one they say how bad I am because I kill my kittens.

But that not true, I looked after my kittens really good and they got adopted to nice homes, that truth. “Was I there too?”, asked Galyna. Meow,meow.=Nope, not you. Then she thought for a moment again, and not Storm, but MC there, he not say anything, he just laugh at me, except it not sound like him laugh. “Hmm, you know Muffin, someone is trying to destroy our team,” Galyna explained, “they took you last night after putting you all to sleep with gas.

Then they took you somewhere and pretended to have everyone there and saying those things, but everyone was here, no one in our team would say things like that, we all love you, and each other.” Meow,meow!=Oh, that very bad, those very bad people, me must go apple eyes! “You are so cute Muffin,” she said, “but let us keep this a secret for a while until I talk this over with your human.

Something is not quite right here and we do not wish to tell everyone just yet, okay?” Meow,meow.=Oh, maybe someone traitor? Okay, me apple eyes for being mad and attack, not other now. “Good my little one,” said Galyna, “now…”

To Be Continued.

©2022 Steve McLeod.