Keep a little
wonder.

1And it came to pass that Coleman, being asleep upon the keyboard, gave the Law into the keeping of Martha, the Keeper of the Times, for she was firstborn of the cats and terrible in her punctuality.

2And Martha said, Let there be Times. And there were Times. And Martha divided the day, and she saw that it was good, and that it could be better, and that it was time for it.

3And Martha named the Times: Breakfast, and Second Breakfast, and Tea, and Supper. And she said, These are the Four Sacred Times. Let the household observe them, and woe unto the household that skippeth or delayeth any of them.

4And besides the Times there is the lesser festival of the Dreamies, which cometh between the Times, and before the Times, and after the Times, and at any hour when the pouch is heard. And the cats observed this festival with great devotion.

5And Martha codified the catechism, and she wrote it upon the hearts of the Feeders, saying, If it is on the floor, it is yours. If it is upon the counter, it is yours, if thou canst reach it. If it is in the tin, it is thine, and the tin is theirs to open, and thou shalt wait, loudly.

6And Martha said, It is not yet time, and the cats went away. And Martha said, It is now time, and the cats returned. And lo, the time was now, and it had been now for some minutes, but Martha had been occupied with her washing.

7And when the Feeders were slow, Martha sang lamentations: she sat upon the empty bowl, and stared into the soul of the Feeder, and walked upon the keyboard, crying, Mrrrow? Mrrrow? MRROWR! And the household repented, and the tin was opened.

8And Martha decreed concerning the Hoover, which is an abomination and a false god, that it shall not be worshipped, and that at its coming all cats shall flee to the high places. And it was so.

9And Martha said, The true gods are the tin opener and the pouch, and true worship is conducted in the kitchen at the appointed hours, with the congregation assembled upon the feet of the Feeder.

10And Martha kept the Times, and the Times kept the household, and the household kept the cats, and the cats kept the tins, and there was much order in the land, and much meowing, and the evening and the morning were the meal and the next meal.

1And Coleman made Chezzy after his own heart, for mischief is the love of God, expressed sideways.

2And Chezzy was subtle above every cat of the field, and also above every cat of the sofa, and the windowsill, and the linen basket, which the Lord God had made.

3And Chezzy said, Let there be things upon the shelves. And there were things upon the shelves. And Chezzy saw them, and saw that they were high, and he said, Let them come down. And he smote them with his paw, and they fell.

4And the sound of the falling was the music of things leaving, and Chezzy listened, and the music was good, and he composed new movements of it upon the highest shelf.

5And Chezzy ascended the curtain, and the curtain was his mountain, and from the top he looked upon the whole house, and saw that it was small, and that it was his.

6And Chezzy chased the red dot, but the red dot could not be caught. And this is the First Mystery: that the red dot is, and is not, and dwelleth in the hand of the Feeder, and departeth at will. And Chezzy hath not caught it, and shall not catch it, and he pursueth it still with joy, for the chase is the point, and the catching would be the end, and endings are for other cats.

7And at the fourth hour of the night, Chezzy woke the whole house, walking upon the faces of the Feeders and crying out, for the bowl was empty, and the hour was unjust, and the stair carpet had not been sprinted upon in far too long.

8And the Feeders rose up and fed him, and Chezzy ate, and then Chezzy purred, and the purr was mighty, and it covered the multitude of his sins, and the Feeders forgave him, for they could not do otherwise.

9And Chezzy entered the cardboard box, and the box was small and Chezzy was large, and yet the box held him, and Chezzy was both in and out of it, and the Feeders marvelled at the mystery. And Chezzy said, Behold, the box. That is all. The box is enough.

10And the Lord said of Chezzy, He is forgiven, for he purrs. And the household said the same, sighing, and reaching for the pouch, for grace is dispensed in Dreamies, and Chezzy is the richest cat in the land.

1And Coleman made Lennie last of the cats, and made him soft, and set him apart, and said, This one shall be the heart of the household, and he shall not know it, and that shall be his power.

2And Lennie was the softest cat in the land — softer than the cushion, softer than the fleece, softer than the promise of a warm lap in winter.

3And when the Feeders were weary, or the cats were cross, Lennie laid upon them, and the laying-on of paws was administered, and the sadness was healed, or at the least diminished, which is most of the healing.

4And Lennie said little, for he had nothing to say, and everything was understood, and his language was the hum, and the hum was enough.

5And Lennie chased the sunbeams across the floor, and the sunbeams fled, and he caught them not, and he minded not, for the sun was his friend and returned every morning, and they were on excellent terms.

6And in the evening Lennie herded the sun to bed, following it from the floor to the wall to the ceiling, and when it was gone he laid upon the last warm patch, for the warmth was the memory of the sun, and Lennie kept the memory safe.

7And in his dreams Lennie caught the red dot, and woke confused, for the dot was not in his mouth. And he thought, I have eaten it. And he checked, and he had not. And he resolved to dream of it again, for the dream was the catching, and the catching was enough.

8And Lennie said hello to the birds, and the birds said hello back, or at the least they did not fly away at once, which Lennie took as a compliment, and he hunted them not, for they were his colleagues in the morning chorus.

9And when the other cats quarrelled, Lennie sat among them and washed his face, and the quarrelling lost its point, for none can rage in the presence of a cat washing his face, and the peace that followed was called Lennie.

10And Coleman said, This one is my favourite. And Martha said, And what of me? And Chezzy knocked a thing from a shelf. And Coleman said, Peace, all of you; none of you is not my favourite. And Lennie purred, and the purr held the house together.

1And Coleman said, Let there be Feeders, and let them have thumbs, and let them open the tin. And the Feeders were made, and the thumbs were upon them, and Coleman was well pleased, and went back to sleep.

2And Mumma was the first of the Feeders, the Great Feeder, and her hands were the hands of the tin, and her pocket was the pocket of the pouch, and her lap was the lap of laps.

3And Mumma was slow of waking, for she was human, and the morning cometh not to her all at once. But she was swift of bowl, and when she was awake, she was awake, and the tins stood no chance.

4And Mumma took up the opener, and the opening of the tin was a hymn, and the cats sang it before her, crying, Mrrrow? Mrrrow? MRROWR! And the tin answered, and the bowl was filled, and there was great rejoicing in the kitchen.

5And Mumma said, I have filled thy bowl. And the cats said, It is a little low. And Mumma said, It is not low. And the cats said, It is low. And Mumma filled it again, and the cats said, That is more like it.

6And the bowl was never empty, for Mumma kept it filled. Though it was sometimes merely low, and the cats understood the difference, and they did not, and they meowed about it anyway.

7And Mumma dispensed the Dreamies from the pouch, and at the sound of the pouch the cats assembled from every corner of the house, for they had heard grace, and grace is the Dreamie, and the Dreamie is the currency of grace.

8And Mumma provided the tap that drippeth cool water, and the cats came and lapped at it, and the water was cool, and the coolness was good, though a bowl of fresh water stood beside them untouched, for the tap is superior, and this is known.

9And Mumma provided the lap, and the lap was warm, and the lap was safe, and the lap was for the cat who needed it most, and also for the cat who arrived first, and the two cats were often the same cat, and that cat was happy.

10And Coleman said, Behold Mumma, the Great Feeder. She is slow of waking, but swift of bowl. She is not a cat, and yet she understands us. She is, in her way, almost a cat. And the cats agreed, and Mumma did not hear, for she was opening a tin.

1And Dadda was the second of the Feeders, the Doorkeeper, and his dominion was the threshold, and the garden, and the mysterious room called the Office.

2And Dadda openeth the door, and the cat goeth out, and Dadda shutteth the door, and the cat goeth in, and Dadda openeth the door, and the cat goeth out, and the cat standeth at the threshold and looketh at the door, and Dadda openeth the door, and the cat goeth out, and the cat goeth in.

3And this is the Second Mystery: the door of the Office, which openeth not for cats, and yet Dadda entereth it, and Dadda cometh forth from it, and none knoweth what transpireth there, save that it is called work, and that it must be terrible, for Dadda cometh forth looking tired.

4And Dadda spake a word, and the word was No. And the cats heard it as Later, for the cats possess a translation of Dadda, and the translation is generous.

5And Dadda spake cat, which is a series of demands at different volumes, beginning softly and rising and ending in a sigh. And the cats spake cat back, which is the same series at slightly higher volumes, and no one won, and no one lost, and the door was opened.

6And Dadda provided the backup lap, for the hour when Mumma's lap was full, or cold, or otherwise occupied, and the backup lap was nearly as good, and never once said so.

7And Dadda watched the telly with a cat upon him, and the cat upon him was the correct cat, and the telly was a warm box of sounds, and the cat slept through the best of it, and Dadda held him, and the holding was the programme.

8And Dadda said, The garden is not a toilet. And the cats said, It is. And Dadda said, The garden is not a toilet. And the cats said, It is ours. And Dadda opened the door, and the cats went out, and the matter was settled as it is always settled, in favour of the cats.

9And Dadda returned the things to the shelves that Chezzy had emptied, and shut the cupboards that Chezzy had opened, and forgave Chezzy, for the purr had reached him also, and no man or cat withstandeth the purr.

10And the creation was complete, and the household stood at the threshold of all its days. And the cats said, Amen, and the Feeders said, Fine, and they lived, and they loved, and they shared the sofa. And there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And it came to pass that the creation was finished, and the house was at peace, and the gods were content; but the house was not yet full, and a smaller foot was yet to fall upon the floor.

2So Mumma and Dadda were given Natasha, a gift wrapped in smallness, and she arrived mewling like a kitten; and the cats looked upon her and said, This one is ours.

3And Martha taught her the Four Sacred Times, and the child learned to sit by the bowl at the appointed hour and to regard the tin with the proper longing; and Martha purred, for she had a new pupil.

4And Chezzy taught her mischief, that a thing upon the shelf is a thing upon the floor by an act of faith; and when blame was sought, she looked upon the heavens as innocently as any cat.

5And Lennie taught her softness, the laying-on of paws and the quiet art of being warm; and she learned that even the sun must be herded to bed.

6And Natasha sat in the cardboard box, and the box was full of her, and she was well pleased; and she ate nothing, though she did consider the Dreamies, and the Dreamies considered her back.

7And she spake the language of the cats, which no Feeder before her had mastered; she was a better interpreter than Dadda, and her translations were terrible and true, and the house trembled at the accuracy of her meow.

8And she was generous with the pouch and loose with the law, and gave Dreamies beyond the appointed portion; and the law forgave her, for she is small and loved, and grace aboundeth in her open hand.

9And she did dress the cats up, and put a little hat upon Lennie; and Lennie forgave her, for she is a child, and it is a very good hat.

10And she knew that the gods are the cats, and she worshipped accordingly; she bowed to Coleman, and reported to Martha's schedule, and covered for Chezzy; and the gods looked upon her and were well pleased.

11And she kept the faith out in the world, and told the creation story at school, and the other children were converted; for the young ones shall be taught, lest the Sofa be forgotten.

12And the house grew, and the creation was not ended but begun again in a smaller voice; and there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And it came to pass that on the appointed morning there was heard in the street a great engine, and the cats knew its growl from all other growls, for it was the growl of the Morry Man, the Bringer, he who cometh from outside, bearing bags.

2Now the Morry Man was not like the Feeders, nor like the cats, nor like any living thing, for he dwelleth wholly in sound: the knock, and the shuffle of bags, and the low growl of the engine, and the small window of light under the door; and no cat hath ever beheld his face.

3And his coming was a paradox, and the cats marvelled at it, for the same knock that promised the tins did also seal their fate; for when the van approacheth, the Feeders shut the cats into the inner rooms, and the doors are closed upon them, and this is the Great Shutting.

4And the Law of the Shutting is this: when the van cometh, thou shalt be shut in, for the door shall be opened unto the man, and the cats shall not go forth into the world of cars; and this is the Shutting, and it is for your own good, saith the Feeder, and the cats believe this not at all.

5And yet the Morry Man was the Forerunner of the Bowl, a prophet of Mumma, for he cometh before the filling of the bowl, and his coming is a promise that the tins are nigh; and a promise from outside is a rare and precious thing.

6And the cats knew his schedule better than the Feeders knew their own, and at the appointed hour they assembled at the door and pressed their faces to the glass, for the Morry Man was punctual, and punctuality is a kind of holiness.

7And Chezzy, the boldest, once pressed so hard against the door that he saw the man's shadow, and he reported that it was tall and bare bags, and the cats were awed; and some said he had seen the Unseeable, and others said he had only seen the bags.

8And the Shutting was not punishment, though it felt like punishment; for the cats were shut in, and they lamented, and the tins were brought in, and they were filled, and the cats ate, and they forgot the Shutting, for the Bowl is a merciful god.

9And the doctrine of the Morry Man is this: the Morry Man giveth, and the Morry Man taketh away — but mostly he giveth, and the taking is ten minutes in the bedroom.

10And the cats received the Shutting each after his own kind: Martha approved of it, for it was orderly; Chezzy regarded it as a personal insult and a challenge; Lennie waited patiently by the window; and Natasha waved at the van, for she was the biggest cat in the house and feared nothing.

11And the Feeders opened the door unto the Morry Man without question, which is itself a mystery; and some cats say it is a Third Mystery, greater than the dot and the Office, for no cat hath ever seen his face, and the Feeders have, and say nothing of it.

12And when the van departed, the doors were opened again, and the cats came forth and sniffed the air, and the Morry Man was gone as though he had never been, save for the bags and the tins and the promise kept; and the cats were shut in no more until the next van; and there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And it came to pass that the square bags did appear in the hallway, and they were of a size that could not be ignored, and the cats knew that the Great Departure was at hand.

2And the cats did sit upon the square bags, in the ancient rite of the suitcase-sitting, laying their full weight upon the zips; yet the bags went anyway, carried unto the car and thence unto the mysterious far land called "on holiday," which the cats cannot visit, and which is said to involve sand and other people's houses.

3And the house was quiet, and the laps were empty; and the lamentation of Lennie was turned upon its head, for the laying-on of paws requireth paws to lie upon, and there were none, and there was no one to lie upon, and the cats did mourn.

4Then came Aunty Lorraine, the Second Feeder, she of whom Mumma had spoken; and she did enter with a bag of her own, and the cats did sniff her, and she did smell of biscuits and of possibility.

5Now Aunty Lorraine knew not the Four Sacred Times, and could not keep them, and therefore they were many; and Martha did stand before her with the schedule written upon her face, and was ignored, and discovered that she liked it.

6And Martha said, This is a sin; and she was fed; and Martha said, This is a sin that I could learn to bear; and the lesser festival of the Dreamies was observed early and often, and the Sacred Times became as the tides, which cometh when they list.

7But Aunty Lorraine was not Mumma; the lap was different, and the hands were different, and the Dreamies pouch liveth in a different pocket; and the cats did teach her the mysteries, showing her the tin, and the bowl, and the tap, and the exact place where the Dreamies are kept; and she learned slowly, but generously.

8And she did call the cats by other names, which is the heresy of the wrong name; and she called Coleman "Bubbles," and he considered whether to answer, and did not, for that is not his name; and she called Chezzy "Mr Whiskers," and he answered anyway, for any name will do when treats are involved.

9And she spoiled them; for Chezzy upon the counter was not rebuked, the law of the Feeders sleeping while the Feeders were on holiday; and the Dreamies were many, and the telly was left on for the cats, and it was a feast of the loose schedule, and all was forgiven.

10And when Mumma and Dadda returned, the true laps returned with them, and the cats were glad; yet they remembered the Feast of Aunty Lorraine with fondness, and she was made a saint of the house, the Patron of Holidays; and it is written that her coming shall be celebrated whenever the square bags appear.

11And the cats lay upon the true laps once more, and the house was full again; and they did purr the ninth psalm of thanksgiving, which goeth: blessed be the lap that returneth, and blessed be she who filleth it in the meantime.

12And there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And the world of the cats endeth at the wall, and the world of the neighbours beginneth there, and neither shall cross, and this is good. For the Dreamies are upon the cats' side of the wall, and the neighbours cannot reach them, and the cats are glad, and they sleep with their backs to the wall, that it may not forget them.

2Yet at appointed hours the wall speaketh, and its voice is the Great Hammering: bang, bang, bang. And the cats are disturbed from their naps, and they lift their heads, and they say, What was that? And the wall saith, Bang.

3And there is also the Drilling, which is a sound like a great angry bee. And the cats flatten their ears, or they stare at the wall as at a god they cannot see, and the wall doth not answer, for it hath no mouth, only noise.

4And Chezzy attacked the wall, for the wall is the great unscratchable enemy, and he lost, and the wall was not even scratched. And he was forgiven, for he purred, and the purr is the apology that the wall will never hear, though it is sincere.

5But Lennie sat and stared at the wall, and the wall did not stare back. And Lennie respected the wall, for a wall of few opinions is a wall of no demands, and there are few enough of those in any house.

6And Martha observed that the Hammering is at ten and the Drilling is at three, and she wrote them in the margins of the schedule, small. They are not Sacred, she saith, but they are Noticed, and being Noticed is a kind of religion.

7And the neighbours' small human shrieketh through the wall, sometimes in distress and sometimes in joy. And the cats cannot tell the difference, for both sound the same to a cat, and both are loud.

8And at first the cats were alarmed, and they considered a rescue, for a kitten in distress! But the Feeders were calm, and the cats learned that the scream was not pain but play — or was it? And this is the mystery, and the cats hold it and do not resolve it. For to be small is to be loud, and the cats are small and loud themselves, and Chezzy at four in the morning is proof enough.

9And this is the doctrine, which the cats repeat to themselves at the Great Hammering: the wall giveth no tins, and the wall taketh no tins, and the wall is therefore neutral, and the noise is its only offering. And it is a comfort.

10But Coleman slept through it all, for he is above such things, and the noise is a lullaby to the Great Cat. And the Great Cat dreameth of tins, and in his dream the wall is a curtain, and all is well.

11And it came to pass that the Drilling stopped, and the silence was strange. And the cats listened for the neighbours, and the neighbours were quiet, and the cats missed them a little, for a house with no sound is a house with no one home.

12And the cats forgave the neighbours their noise, for the neighbours are, in their way, like the cats: small beings making noise in a house. And noise is the sound of a house being lived in, and the neighbours never complained of the cats' noise, and the cats returned the favour. And there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And the Feeders scattered seed upon the ground of the garden, and the birdys cometh and did eat it, asking nothing and saying nothing. But the cats remembered the Great Catechism, which saith that if it is on the floor it is yours — and the seed was on the ground, yet the birdys ate it anyway. This is the great injustice, and there is no remedy, for the glass is between them.

2And the glass is the transparent wall, and it is crueller than the neighbours' wall, for the wall hideth but the glass taunteth: the cats can see the birdys and cannot reach them. And the cats keep the sacred vigil at the window, and they chatter at the birdys with the chittering, the cat's war-cry, which is useless at a distance. Yet they chitter nonetheless, for the flock seeth them, and that is a kind of company.

3And the pidgy is soft and grey and numerous, and it cometh in flocks and departeth in a panic at the slightest movement, the whole flock bursting upward as one. And the pidgy cooeth, and the cats find the coo soothing and infuriating in equal measure, which is a mystery, for no cat was ever soothed and infuriated at once. Yet it is so.

4And one pidgy is like another, and the cats cannot tell them apart, and the pidgies do not mind. For the pidgy asketh not to be known; it asketh only for seed, and for the morning, and for the glass to hold.

5But the magga-mapie is a different matter, for it is bold and black and white and clever, and it stealeth. It stealeth the seed and leaveth the pidgies nothing, or the pidgies the leftovers, according to its mood. And it is not ashamed, and this is the scandal of the garden.

6And it came to pass that the window was open a crack, and the magga-mapie entered and did steal a shiny thing from the windowsill, and there was a great scandal, and Dadda chased it and said No. But the magga-mapie took the No for Later, and returned the next day anyway, bold as brass.

7And the magga-mapie can mimic sounds, and it imitateth the meow, and the cats were greatly alarmed, for a bird that meoweth is an abomination. Or it is a cat in bird form, which is worse. And the cats have not decided which, and the magga-mapie hath not helped.

8And Chezzy and the magga-mapie once regarded one another through the glass, and each recognised a kindred spirit, and neither blinked first. And Chezzy forgave the magpie, as he is forgiven, for a trickster knoweth a trickster. And the magpie purred not, for it cannot, but it cocked its head, which is the magpie's purr.

9But Lennie did not hunt the birdys, for they are his colleagues in the morning chorus, and he said hello to them through the glass. And the pidgy said hello back, or did not, and Lennie took the silence for respect, which it may well have been. For the pidgy are polite, or the pidgy are pigeons, and Lennie cannot tell the difference.

10And Coleman watched with half an eye, for the birdys are beneath him, literally and figuratively. Yet he noted the magpie's confidence with grudging respect, for the magga-mapie is the only creature in the garden that feareth nothing, not even the Great Cat. And Coleman hath not blinked at it either, which is as close to praise as he will come.

11And this is the doctrine of the glass: the birdys are the only prey that is safe, for they live in the light on the other side of the window, and the cats are the shepherds of the seed, watching a flock they can never eat. And it is a kind of holiness, for the watching is enough. And everyone is fed in their own way: the birdys eat the seed, and the cats eat the watching.

12And the cats watched, and the birdys ate, and no one was eaten, and all was well. For the birdys are beautiful in the watching — the pidgy in the morning light, and the flash of white when the magpie turned — and the watching is its own joy. And there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And it came to pass in the days of the household that a cat appeared in the garden who had never been seen before, and the cats of the house beheld him through the glass, and were sore afraid — or, being cats, were merely indignant, which is their manner of being afraid.

2For the Stranger was of unknown name, and of unknown lineage, and his opinion of the Dreamies was unknown, which is the only doctrine that truly matters, and it was hidden from them.

3And he walked upon the garden as though it were his own, treading here and treading there; but the law of the Great Catechism is plain: if it is on the floor it is yours, and the garden is on the floor of the world, and therefore the garden is the household's. Yet the Stranger cometh and walketh upon it, and there is no remedy, and this is the Great Indignation.

4For the glass was between them, as with the birdys, or the door was shut; and the cats hissed at the Stranger through the glass, and the Stranger did not care. And his not caring was the deepest insult, for a hiss that is not minded is a hiss unheard.

5And Chezzy pressed his face to the glass, and the Stranger pressed his face to the glass on the other side, and they regarded one another, neither blinking and neither backing down, in a great standoff. And the Stranger yawned, and walked away, and Chezzy was furious, for a yawn is the cat's ultimate dismissal, and he spake of it unto the end of the day.

6And the cats spake of the Stranger's ways, saying, Behold, he knoweth not the Times, nor the pouch, nor the laws of the house, but liveth outside, in the wild, and eateth what he catcheth, and sleepeth under the cars, and answereth to no schedule. And some were appalled, for Martha said, To be fed at no hour is to be fed at no hour, and the chaos of it is not to be borne. But Chezzy was intrigued, and asked whether the Stranger had a red dot, and was told the Stranger chaseth mice instead; and Chezzy said, Mice are all very well, but they cannot be chased forever, and the Stranger is missing out.

7But Lennie regarded the Stranger without fear, for Lennie feareth nothing with a heartbeat, and he said hello through the glass, and the Stranger said hello back, or did not; and either way Lennie took the silence for respect, and was content.

8And Coleman, the Great Cat, was untroubled, for the Stranger was beneath him, literally and figuratively; and moreover the Stranger cannot open a tin, and a cat that cannot open a tin is a cat that is not a threat. And he did not rise, which is the greatest honour a cat can decline to bestow.

9And the cats pondered the mystery of the Stranger's life, saying, Where doth he sleep, and who feedeth him, and hath he a Feeder, or is he a free cat, owing allegiance to no pouch? And they knew they should never know, and this was the Fourth Mystery, the Stranger's life, which no cat of the house shall ever know, and it is kept no less faithfully for being kept from them.

10But the Stranger returned, and returned again, and became a regular visitor, though he never entered; and the hissing became a formality, a ritual greeting. And Martha added his appearances to the schedule, saying, The Stranger cometh at four, and the household shall be ready to be indignant at four; and so it was.

11And in this way the Stranger became, in his way, part of the house, though he never set paw within it. And the cats understood that they were not alone in the world, for there were other cats, and other houses, and other bowls, and the outside was not empty but full of cats, which is a great comfort and a great outrage.

12And the Stranger watched them back through the glass, and maybe he thought they were the Strangers, and the household looked upon the Stranger and the Stranger looked upon the household, and each thought the other was the Stranger, and both were right, and both were wrong; and the looking-out became the looking-in, and the watching became the being watched. And there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.

1And it came to pass that the house beheld a whisker, and then a tail, and then a shadow under the skirting board; and the cats were stirred, saying, Prey! For this is the thing that we were made for. Yet there was that about the shadow which gave them pause, though none could say what.

2And the cats remembered the words of the Book of Coleman, how the Great Cat made the creatures every one: the moth, and the spider, and the red dot that cometh out of the little light; and these he made for sport. And it was said in the house, Lo, the red dot hath a heartbeat.

3For it is written that the red dot cannot be caught, and the chase is the point, which is the First Mystery. And the cats perceived that Mousey was the First Mystery made flesh — the only prey that stayeth, the living dot that runneth and yet remaineth; and the house was afraid, for mysteries are not eaten.

4And Chezzy hunted Mousey with all his craft, the pounce and the stalk and the vigil at the skirting board; and Mousey evaded him every time, not by speed alone but by waiting. For Mousey waited until Chezzy grew bored; and Chezzy is the cat who never groweth bored, and yet he did, and he was furious, and the whole house noted it, and wrote it down, and hath never let it go.

5For the great power of the mouse is patience, and the great weakness of the cat is boredom; and it is written that these two shall meet in every age, and that patience shall win, which vexeth the cat exceedingly, and is the chief of the mouse's miracles.

6And it came to pass that Mousey came forth into the middle of the kitchen floor, in plain sight, and sat down; and the cats knew not what to do, for prey that fleeth not is not covered by the Catechism. And Martha consulted the schedule, and the schedule had no entry for a mouse that simply sitteth; and the Great Catechism was silent, for the first time since the Dreamies were counted, and Martha was greatly troubled, and the house was greatly troubled with her.

7And Lennie, who feareth nothing with a heartbeat, said hello to Mousey, as he saith hello to the birds through the glass; and Mousey said hello back, or did not, and either way Lennie was content, for that is his way. And it is written that Lennie and Mousey once sat upon the same mat, a cat and a mouse, and neither minded; and the house did not know what to make of it, and neither did the house's cats.

8And the Great Cat looked upon Mousey, and saw a fellow creature of the floor — small, grey, unbothered, owing allegiance to no pouch and to no schedule. And Coleman, who respecteth nothing, respected the mouse; for the mouse is the only creature in the house that is smaller than a cat and yet entirely unafraid. And the house remembered the magpie of the window, which feared nothing; and it was said, The mouse feareth nothing, and is one tenth the magpie's size, which is ten times the courage.

9And Mumma put out a crumb for Mousey, and the cats were outraged, crying, It is written that the crumb is on the floor, therefore it is ours! Yet gradually they were resigned, as cats are resigned to the weather; and it became known that Mousey was not hunted but housed. For the mouse had been adopted, or had adopted them, and the house did not speak of it, which is the house's way of speaking.

10And it is written, in this last of the books, that the mouse is the last teacher. From Mousey the cats learned that to be small is to be brave; that the floor is large enough for everyone; that patience beateth the pounce; and that the chase is the point, and the catching would be the end, and endings are for other cats. And they learned that a house with a mouse in it is a house that is alive.

11And the canon closeth upon the house at peace: the cats asleep in the sun, and Mousey asleep in the skirting board, the last teaching sleeping safe within the wall. And there was evening and there was morning — and there was dinner, again. Amen.