9 Tales O' Cats by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Author:Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: fiction, mystery, reincarnation, entertaining, humor, fantasy, cat, cats, short story, scotland, satire, king arthur, stories, ghost, gypsy shadow, feline, egyptology, mummy, elizabeth ann scarborough, marie antoinette, body snatchers, shambala, archeology dig, nine lives, guillotine, cat heros, favorite cat things, mu mao, canopic jars, burkers, cat sleuth
Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing, LLC

Chapter 6

CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS

I never expected to see Sarge after his escape and yet, one day I was awakened by the familiar but half-forgotten sound of his voice.

Sarge and I first met in a prisoner of war camp, where he saved my life and I saved his. Our services to each other at that time are of no particular consequence to the tale at hand so suffice it to say that he prevented his fellow prisoners from making a meal, a hat and fiddle strings from my person. He was rather surprised when I reciprocated by keeping him well supplied with the fat carcasses of the rats and occasional birds I caught in my capacity as guardian of the prison’s granary. In doing so I helped him gain strength for his escape, in which I also assisted.

As I escorted him out the back way from the prison’s storehouses, he saluted me with a last scrub of my ears and disappeared into the woods.

After the war, I found lodgings with an elderly woman and her equally elderly cat, Willow, in their cottage beside the forest road. I was thunderstruck when Sarge came to our door bearing a deer for dinner. He remembered me as well as I remembered him.

“Well, bless my soul! It’s my old mate Captain Shadow from the prisoner of war camp at Castle Keep,” he said. “This is a fine surprise! Here now, Captain, look at the fine big rat I’ve brought you.”

That night we feasted, and afterward Sarge and Dame Agatha exchanged stories. In the process she disclosed something I had never known, that she had once served the queen as first a chamber maid and then as a nurse to the twelve princesses. In particular she had many stories about the mischievous and resourceful eldest princess, Marni.

She also told Sarge of the strange goings on at the palace. It seemed the king’s twelve daughters had ruined a new pair of dance slippers every night for the last six weeks and refused to explain how and why the slippers became so worn. The King was so vexed about this he offered to give any man who discovered their secret the princess of his choice and half the kingdom.

Several princes had already tried to find out what the girls did at night to wear out their shoes, but had had no success and now languished in the royal prison.

Sarge laughed. “What a problem! I fear I can’t take it too seriously after the rest of what the country’s been through. Sounds to me like bored, rich, spoilt young ladies trying to amuse themselves. Couldn’t be too hard to solve, eh Captain Shadow?” I was seated on his shoulder and rubbed my face against his grizzled cheek.

“Well, then, why don’t you try?” Dame Agatha asked.

“Me?”

“Yes. The nobility hasn’t been able to outsmart the princesses, which is why the king has said that any man who could solve the riddle could claim the reward.”

Sarge grinned. “That sounds like fun, but I doubt the king would be willing to give me such a great promotion.

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