I just finished re-reading "The Five Children and It," and got inspired. And I am taking requests for wishes for the kittens to make, so let me know your ideas in your reviews! Enjoy!
It was an especially boring day in the Junkyard. And if you are an average person, you know how painfully dull a boring day can be, and how you just wish you could sleep through it all so that it would be over already, because you just know tomorrow couldn't be this uneventful. But if you're a child or, by chance, a kitten - well, then you know that no one's dull day could ever be plainly torturous as yours, especially if your as playful as a Jellicle kitten. Because, you see, kittens are so used to having very many important duties and activities to fill there day, such as unravelling Jennyanydots' knitting wool, or disrupting the mice in her tatting class, or re-enacting the 'Aweful Battle,' or swinging from a trapeze or, (if you happen to be a queen kit) enjoying the company of the Rum Tum Tugger.
But none of this was to be for the five youngest Jellicles in the Junkyard. For Jennyanydots had given Victoria, Tumblebrutus, Etcetera, Electra and even sweet little Jemima such a severe scolding, that they didn't dare to so much as look at her wool; nearly all the mice had mysteriously vanished since Bustopher Jones' last visit, Munkustrap had become so frustrated with their barking that had hidden away the Pollicle costumes, the trapeze had finally broken (fortunately Electra, being a cat, had landed on her feet), and ever since Tugger and Bombalurina had 'gone official'…well, let's just say that nobody particularly wanted to get on her bad side.
And that's how the Five found themselves in a remote, somewhat desolate corner of the Junkyard, sharing languid ennui as they attempted (rather unsuccessfully) to invent a solution for their current state.
"Etcetera, that's a terrible idea," Victoria said reproachfully.
"Well, it was just an idea," her sister grumbled in reply. "And I don't hear you coming up with anything!"
"Don't be cross, Etsie," Electra, Etcetera's closest friend pleaded. "It's just, well…you remember what happened the last time we asked your grandpa Gus to tell us a story."
"I don't know," Tumblebrutus mused. "Falling asleep from his boring stories might not be such a bad idea. At least it would pass the time."
"Oh, Tumblebrutus, don't say that!" Jemima piped in her soft voice.
"He's my grandfather, Jemima, not yours."
"No, I mean about 'passing the time' - after all, it's not as though we're going to be kittens forever! How much of the time are we 'going to pass' before we find ourselves adults?"
"Yeah!" Etcetera agreed. "And have (gulp), responsibilities!"
"Well," Tumblebrutus said slowly, "Then what do you propose we do?"
His query was met with a collective groan. This was, after all, the same question they'd been asking for the past hour.
Electra absentmindedly let her gaze wander around the piles of junk that surrounded them.
"You know," she said thoughtfully. "You know, there's a lot of rubbish around here…"
"Brilliant observation," Tumblebrutus retorted. "We are in a junkyard!"
"Yes, but the piles are simply huge! Haven't you ever wondered…what might be under them?"
The kittens all considered this. A slow smile grew on Etcetera's face, and she giggled, "Who knows? Maybe we'll find a hole to Australia!"
They all laughed at this, and in moments the kittens were digging around the piles of discarded items, calling out in excitement at the obscure objects they found. They were getting really into it, when Jemima gave a cry of delight.
"Oh! Come quick, look at this lovely hat I found!"
The others instantly raced over to investigate Jemima's discovery. It was a lovely hat, and they all examined it with admiration. It was a fine top-hat, almost as tall as Jemima herself, though admittedly a little dusty and faded, made with a fur that resembled beaver but much darker, jet black in fact, with a crimson band, and, as they discovered when they turned over, lined with silk, and containing the head of a black and white cat.
Startled, the kittens all jumped back and screamed, though Tumblebrutus disguised his poorly with a cough. To their horror, the head floated out of the hat, but was followed by a torso, four paws and a thin tail, all of which making up a body that they soon realized sparkled.
Recognition soon dawned on the kittens' faces as the tom climbed out of the hat, which Victoria, upon later consideration, noted that it appeared too small to contain the tom, short as he may be.
"Why…it's Mr. Mistoffelees!" cried Electra.
"Mistoffelees! We haven't seen you since the last Jellicle Ball, when you brought back Old Deuteronomy! How are you? What have you been up to?" said Etcetera.
"Have you been in that hat all this time?!" that was Tumblebrutus.
Mistoffelees raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, not exactly," he finally answered. "And I'm fine, thank you for asking. But…may I ask you how you found my hat?"
"It was underneath all the rubbish," Victoria answered.
"Mr. Mistoffelees," said Electra, "Can you please perform some magic for us?"
Mistoffelees started, and then heaved a heavy sigh.
"This is partly the reason I don't stop by much. All anyone wants from me is to perform parlour tricks, and really, you've already seen the best I can do, so you'll only be disappointed by anything else!"
"No we won't!" Tumblebrutus insisted. "Please? It's been such a boring day!"
Mistoffelees frowned as he looked at the kittens' eager faces. Then he felt a tug on his paw, and looked down to see Jemima, gazing up at him with those massive, luminous eyes, while she said in her high trill,
"Please, Mr. Mistoffelees? Just one bit of magic!"
Mistoffelees sighed, unable to do anything but succumb to the darling expression Jemima's request.
"Well…what's your name?"
Her face brightened. "Jemima."
"Who are your parents?"
"Demeter and Munkustrap!"
"Really?" Mistoffelees looked surprised.
"Well," Jemima explained, "Munkustrap isn't really my daddy, but he's so much like a daddy that he may as well be."
Mistoffelees nodded. "I see."
"I'm Victoria!" The oldest of the Five introduced herself. "These are my younger brother and sister, Tumblebrutus and Etcetera. Our mother and father are Jellylorum and Asparagus, and Skimbleshanks and Jennyandydots are Electra's parents."
Mistoffelees nodded. "It's nice to meet you all. Look…since you're having such a boring day…and being a kitten not long ago myself, I know what that's like…I'll do something for you. It's not something I've done very often."
The kittens all exchanged eager glances. "What is it?" Tumblebrutus asked.
"Before I tell you, I have one condition: You mustn't tell anyone about it."
The kittens all grew quiet at this. Victoria asked hesitantly, "Not…not even Plato?"
Mistoffelees tilted his head. "Plato?"
Victoria blushed. "He's…he's sort of…well, he is my tom-friend." Etcetera giggled madly at this, and Victoria shot her a glare.
"Well, that's very sweet of you to think of him," answered Mistoffelees, "But I'm afraid that you can't even tell him. It could get out of hand, and I can only do so much magic in a day anyway. It tires me out, see."
The Five all nodded in understanding. And with Victoria's approval, they all chorused, "We promise!"
"Alright," the magical tom said. "Here it is: I can grant wishes."
Their jaws very nearly hit the floor.
"Really? No way!" they all cried out.
"Well, it's not as brilliant as it sounds," he admitted. "I can only actually grant one wish a day, and the effects are fairly temporary…they wear off at sunset."
Tumblebrutus snorted good-naturedly. "That's still more than I can do!"
Mistoffelees offered a chuckle at this.
"Well…what will you wish for?"
They only paused a moment before huddling together in great debate as to what their wish would be. After some time, finally, Victoria, as the eldest, stood before the magician, and said "We wish…"
What will the first wish of the five kittens be? I'll write the next chapter once I have some wish-requests. Send them in your reviews, and tell me what you think so far! Also, just to establish something, here are the relationships/pairings/relations in this story (the children are in order of age):
Jennyanydots x Skimbleshanks - children: Mungojerrie, Plato, Rumpleteazer, Electra.
Old Deuteronomy x Various Deceased/Absent Queens - children: Munkustrap, Tugger, Mistoffelees (all half-brothers)
Munkustrap x Demeter - children: Jemima (as stated, Munkustrap isn't actually Jemima's father, her biological father is Macavity)
Gus x Now Deceased Queen - children: Asparagus
Asparagus x Jellylorum - children: Pouncival, Victoria, Tumblebrutus, Etcetera
Tugger x Bombalurina
Victoria x Plato
Alonzo x Cassandra