The Cat Master

by Bonnie Pemberton

  The seasons came and went on Sixth Avenue. From their places by the window, Pris and Zekki watched the years roll by.

  The Boy left home, the magnolia died and was replaced by a sycamore, and Buddy’s photo on the wall faded beneath a sprinkle of dust in the hallway.

  On autumn nights when the moon glowed round and golden in crisp October skies, dark memories of another orb would invade their dreams, and the two cats would jolt from sleep, expecting Jett to spring from the shadows.

  Tenba lived one more summer, and after her passing, Orie disappeared. As far as the cats knew, no other lizard ever inhabited the crawl space, though each summer many of his kind gathered in the yard to pay homage to “He Who Was Special,” and the cats would cuddle in the darkness, listening to long-winded stories of the Legendary Lizard and how he had ridden to battle on the great warrior dog to save the Kingdom of the Felines.

  Now and then, a wandering Feral would stop and share the latest gossip. A yellow tom and a Siamese had been spotted in China, The Crippled Prince now ruled the alleys since the old woman’s death, and it was rumored that Animal Control had trapped the possum, though no one knew for sure. Frank continued his escapades well into middle age, and for a time, the cats saw the mockingbird in her mournful wanderings, but she never stopped, and they understood.

  Occasionally, when the evenings were hot and still, a sudden wind would gust through the holly, and they would stare out the window, wondering if they were dreaming or if they’d really seen a blur of yellow beneath the hedge.

  It was at these times they remembered The Promise made that summer long ago, when three cats, two dogs, a possum, bird, and lizard restored a monarch to his rightful throne . . . and it was this memory that kept their old hearts beating and their eyes turned with hope toward Sho-valla.

  A b o u t

  T h e

  A u t h o r

  Bonnie Pemberton spent thirty years as a singer, actress, writer and voice-over talent in Dallas and Los Angeles. An avid animal lover, she invented Sticky Paws® for Furniture, an anti-scratching product for cats which is carried worldwide. She is a member of the Cat Writers Association and Trinity Writers Workshop. She lives in Texas with her husband Kipp Baker and their two cats

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

  P R O L O G U E

  O N E

  T W O

  T H R E E

  F O U R

  F I V E

  S I X

  S E V E N

  E I G H T

  N I N E

  T E N

  E L E V E N

  T W E L V E

  T H I R T E E N

  F O U R T E E N

  F I F T E E N

  S I X T E E N

  S E V E N T E E N

  E I G H T E E N

  N I N E T E E N

  T W E N T Y

  T W E N T Y - O N E

  T W E N T Y - T W O

  T W E N T Y - T H R E E

  T W E N T Y - F O U R

  T W E N T Y - F I V E

  T W E N T Y - S I X

  T W E N T Y - S E V E N

  T W E N T Y - E I G H T

  T W E N T Y - N I N E

  T H I R T Y

  T H I R T Y - O N E

  T H I R T Y - T W O

  T H I R T Y - T H R E E

  T H I R T Y - F O U R

  T H I R T Y - F I V E

  E P I L O G U E

  A b o u t T h e A u t h o r