Be Mine
Mistoffelees peered out of the disused pipe. He glanced around the immediate vicinity of the junkyard to make sure no-one would be around when he practised his magic that night. Just as he was about to crawl out of the pipe, his attention was captured by a movement to his left. Silently, Mistoffelees slid further back into the darkness, settling down to watch as Jemima gracefully clambered up onto the hood of an old, abandoned car.
The beautiful, young queen stood upon the car and stared up at the full moon, unaware that anyone was watching her. Jemima closed her big, brown eyes and breathed deeply for a minute, allowing herself to be bathed in and illuminated by the moon's soft glow. When she opened her eyes again, she let the power of the moon take complete control of her; she began to sing.
From the very first note that echoed off into the cool night air, Jemima's sweet soprano voice filled Mistoffelees' entire body. The small tom began to tremble uncontrollably; he felt as if she was inside him, controlling every aspect of his being. He felt surrounded by the music; physically captured by Jemima's voice above the strains of a symphony orchestra. He could not discern the words she sang; only the notes. Every note of each stunning cadenza she performed was clear to Mistoffelees.
As the music became stronger, so did the force he felt. And yet, he was much too enchanted, too mesmerized, by Jemima that he did not struggle against his bindings. No matter how painful it was, not matter how much the music seized him and attempted to deprive him of oxygen, he would not fight it. He was in love.
He did not know what she was doing, but Jemima herself did. She was releasing all of her pent-up energy and emotion through her singing. The power of the moon filled her entire being and assisted her in doing this. But, although she knew what she was doing, she did not know what words were escaping her mouth; all she knew was that she was singing of love, of solitude, and of the pain of having nobody to return her love. The young queen almost literally put her heart and soul into her solo performance for the entire world to hear. She sang as well as she knew how.
Finally, at the climax of the song, Jemima's body could take no more. The music ceased abruptly as Jemima collapsed in a heap onto the car's roof. Within five seconds, her tiny frame was wracked with sobs as her body found another outlet for her emotion. Her body felt as if it were on fire; her heart as if it were being tortured.
To Mistoffelees, this appeared to happen in slow-motion. He watched in horror as the scene played out before his eyes, breaking the spell of the evening. Since the music had stopped, the small tom was free from the bonds. He scampered as quickly as his paws could carry him to Jemima's side. When he reached her, he scooped her small body into his arms and held her close to him, letting her bitter tears wet his shiny, black coat. Mistoffelees slowly lowered himself onto the hood of the car and rocked Jemima back and forth until she had cried herself devoid of further tears. When she looked up, the tom fought back a gasp, for it is a rare queen who looks as beautiful when she is upset as she does when she is joyful. But he had to ask of her, "Why are you crying?"
Jemima sniffled and looked away, not seeming to notice the close proximity of the two felines. "Did you hear me singing?"
Mistoffelees nodded and answered in the affirmative.
"Did you hear the words?"
"No, I was…concentrating on music itself. Particularly the technical difficulties of those gorgeous cadenzas. You executed them perfectly." Mistoffelees smiled to himself with satisfaction. He hoped it had sounded like a good excuse.
Jemima blushed but nodded. "I didn't hear any of it. Yes, I was the one singing, but I didn't hear what I was singing. I only know what I was singing about. It…was an escape for my emotions. I was singing about love, solitude and having no-one to return my love."
"Do…do you love somebody?" the tom asked, his throat dry with disappointment.
Jemima nodded. "Y– He doesn't seem to acknowledge my existence half the time."
"Well…I know for a fact that, even if he doesn't return your feelings, there is someone else who…harbours similar feelings for you."
Jemima looked at him in surprise. "Really, Misto?"
"Really," he replied seriously.
Almost breathlessly, Jemima asked, "Who?"
"Me. Jemi…" He slowly moved his white face closer to her tear-streaked one. "…be mine."
Jemima stared into Mistoffelees' black eyes, an expression on shock and confusion crossing her features. She blinked once, then continued to stare.
Mistoffelees chuckled lightly. "Well, don't just look at me like that. Say something."
"I…" Jemima swallowed hard. "I…you…" Suddenly, she smiled and threw her arms around Mistoffelees' neck. "Oh, Misto! You do know I exist afterall!"
"Of course I know you exist! How could I not know? I've been in love with all my life, Jemi." Mistoffelees' chuckled turned into a gay laugh as he pulled her tight against him. "Does that mean that is was me you were referring to just before?"
Jemima pulled back and nodded sheepishly.
"Well, if it seemed as if I didn't acknowledge your existence, then I'm terribly sorry for giving you the wrong impression. I suppose I was just shy…" His voice trailed off and he suddenly looked panicked. "You mean you were singing because of me? That I caused you to collapse like that? That I –"
Jemima silenced his tirade with a gentle kiss. When they parted, Jemima traced Mistoffelees' lips with a sharp but harmless claw. "Don't worry about that. I don't want you to speak of it. I want us both to forget it, okay?"
"But –"
"Okay?"
"Yes, alright." He paused. "I do love you, Jemi."
Jemima smiled. "And I love you."
Mistoffelees bent down and captured the queen's mouth in another sweet kiss. Her lips were so soft; the new sensation pleased and fascinated them both. The two felines completely immersed themselves in the kiss. Mistoffelees pulled Jemima even closer so that their bodies were pressed together. His tail twined around hers and his arms encircled her waist, helping to deepen the kiss; adding to the passion. Once more, the two felt pain; as Mistoffelees had experienced previously, the pain was not without pleasure. Jemima's body once more felt on fire; Mistoffelees now shared this sensation. The moon now bathed and illuminated two felines in its soft glow instead of only one experiencing solitude.
When the two parted, they blushed but smiled at each other.
"So will you be mine?"
Jemima smiled. "Who do you think I've loved all my life? Of course I'll be yours."
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own either of the characters represented in this story - they belong entirely to T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber and whoever else helped to create them. I DO, however, own the story, which is protected in my name under Australian Copyright Law dating back to 2009.
