Saturday I found myself dragged out for the night Sally had transformed herself with heavy make-up, a revealing skin-tight outfit that shows plenty of cleavage. I went for a more conservative dress one

I might wear to work. We eventually came before a nightclub where a crowd stood behind a velvet rope, a handsome bouncer stood guard as we near the front of the line.

Sally howls with laughter when I told her about my little run in with Ashley I just look grim "It isn't funny."

"Yes it is. All that time you've spent mooning over that hottie neighbour and when you meet her she points a gun at you!" she was still chuckling

"At least it broke the ice"

"I told you she'd go for trashy women." She burst out laughing again.

I just roll my eyes looking over Sally's clothes. "Speaking of which how do you even stay in that outfit?"

She smirked "Well with any luck, I won't need to. That's the idea for tonight, I leave daytime Sally behind, become a different person. All women do it with the exception of you of course."

I shrug and check my watch "How long have we been here, an hour? We're never getting in..."

About fifteen minutes later we get to the front of the queue when Sally gets the nod to go through she hurries forward me behind her when the bouncer blocks my path, looking me over from head to toe, disapprovingly.

"She's with me." Sally says grabbing my hand

"Then you can stay out here too. Like I said she doesn't belong inside."

"Sally, just go in without me" I bolt, humiliated.

I quickly make it to the bus stop and jump on when it comes paying the fee and sitting alone on the back of the bus. I watch a young couple making out, an elderly couple holding hands. I let my eyes drift outside picking up the huge poster of Lauren Coarser overhead I sigh and continue staring out the window.

I make my way up toward my building with the bus kiosk behind me as the bus moves past me driving away, the street is always completely deserted at this hour I feel very alone until I look up to see Midnight perched in my window awaiting my arrival. I smile and quicken my step crossing the empty street almost to the sidewalk I hear an engine roar behind me. I turn to see a black Mercedes barrelling towards me then bam! It hits me full-on. Everything goes black.

I can see a 50 feet tall statue in the distance of the cat god I knew to be Bast, lithe, noble, beautiful it dominated the space other images of cats in hieroglyphics, ceramics surrounded by real cats hundreds of them, slinking in the shadows on ramps cut into the sandstone walls of this Egyptian temple. At the statues feet, women in gowns kneel in a semicircle around a flaming brazier. Some of the women weep others pray or stare stoically ahead.

I can hear distant screams the sounds of rhythmic banging at the massive bronze temple doors I see behind me. It is an impressive place of worship – tapered columns and an ornate Egyptian facade. I hear a loud bang and the steel prong of a mounted battering ram swings into the ornate doors of the temple. Soldiers operate the brutal siege engine slamming the doors again and again.

Out from behind one of the columns a woman in a hooded white gown that concealed her face maybe a high priestess she moved from one kneeling woman to the others pouring a dark liquid from a be-jewelled decanter into golden goblets then she pours one for herself. She raises her goblet toward the statue of Bast as do the others as they drink in unison.

All of a sudden the goblets crash to the floor and the women slump to the ground dead look behind me to see Midnight watching me a scarab mark on her head. She let out a cry which prompted an eerie, growing chorus of meows and howls from the other cats as they begin to emerge from the hiding places, leaping from niches, converging on the bodies. Midnight leads the way moving to the high priestess and leans her head down towards the woman's mouth.

Just then the temple doors buckle and swing open soldiers bearing torches and swords storm inside grabbing anything of value, smashing and defacing everything else. I turn back to the foot of the statue where nine robes now lie but there's no sign of the women who wore them, they slash the robes with their swords anyway and snatch up the goblets for booty.

An unearthly cry rings out - half-human, half-feline - from somewhere high above the rampaging soldiers. They freeze, looking around frantically as more eerie cries echo off the walls, from all directions. They raise their weapons, clustering defensively from out of the shadows above them.

Dark human forms suddenly leap down with impossible agility attacking the soldiers.

The torch-cast shadows of the violence below play upon the statue's golden surface that looks to be peering down impassively. Flailing swords are no match for the swift silhouettes of the naked women I can hear the guttural cries of the soldiers, clearly outmatched in this mortal combat.

I look up to the cats perched above the fray, looking downward as they pace the temple's ledges and ramps excitedly. Midnight is up there too and takes a final look at her handiwork then leaps up and slinks through a crevice at the roof.

-x-

I woke up in the middle of an alley my clothes were torn and my body ached I have no idea what

I'm doing here I open my mouth to shout for help but all that comes out sounds like a strangled cat cry. I wiggle my jaw but I can't produce human speech my head starts to spin and I get disoriented and overwhelmed fast.

Everything around me was loud almost amplified the sound of the water running under the drains in the street, the cars zooming past down on the main road. I opened my eyes wider trying to make sense of what was going on but the images seem solarised the darkness brightened and objects of interest were highlighted as I look around.

I sense something behind me and whip round seeing Midnight perched on the pavement in the distance the cat turns looking over her shoulder once at me her eyes catch moonlight and glow. Clearly I'm meant to follow. I stand up tenuously at first proceeding to follow her, my body felt different but good different it seemed slimmer more muscular.

Midnight pauses to sharpen her claws on the bark of a gnarled old tree I copy and lean forward against the trunk arms straight out my head arched back. I stretch my neck my back, god that felt great no wonder cats do it all the time. I try to pull my hands from the tree but can't for a moment finding my finger nails stuck into the bark, like a cat at a scratching post.

When I hear a dog bark without thinking about it I scramble up the side of the tree like a streak from the tree I look down to see a large dog on its owners leash some distance away but the dog walker just yanks the dog onward.

I hear a meow from Midnight who is perched above me very Cheshire cat like I look around self-conscious for a moment realising that I am in fact up a tree? Oh gosh bad idea to think I lose my

Balance trying to clutch at branches as I tumble out of the tree I flail for a moment in mid air and shriek as my body instinctively twists, i reach the ground landing on all fours with one leg kicked out hunched low. Midnight landed beside me almost nodding approvingly at my landing.

She darted away and I kept up following her leaping to the top of a high fence "oh come on." I hesitate then crouch and spring up landing triumphantly on the fence I thought that would have ended in disaster I drop down to the other side fearing I would fall off.

Looking up a Midnight who seemed almost disappointed I jumped up again quickly pretending that never happened this time I manage to hold my balance. The cat gives me a look then leans onward I'm careful at first moving like a tightrope walker but my steps become more confident. Soon I'm moving as quickly and smoothly as the cat.

Midnight leaps off the fence and darts across a road we pass tall wrought-iron fence surrounded by greenery and distant cages in an urban area. I see a sign 'Arboretum - Zoo.'

Midnight squeezes through a gap between the upright bars I don't want to follow her through that this is too narrow for a normal human. She flicked her tail impatiently as she waited for me on the other

I slip a foot then a leg into the opening, twisting and contorting. Amazingly succeeding my torso ripples and contracts as I insinuates myself between the bars. Finally only my head is on the wrong side and with a final tug I'm through.

Midnight crouched low, stalking I copy the slowly approaching a moth fluttering near a flower in this botanical garden she sneaks up close then pounces but the moth flies out of the cat's grasp.

I giggle and she turns to me hissing I stroke her head down her body up her tail and we playfully fight

And roll together in this neat little garden she led me to. I read a small sign nearby which labels this planting as 'Catnip'

-x-

I stretch out keeping my eyes closed to the light feeling Midnight climb on top of me to start kneading. She meows and I roll over opening my eyes seeing gorgeous confused brown eyes peering back at me.

I squint at the morning light through a window realising that Ashley Davies was indeed staring down at me I sat bolt upright banging my head on something noticing that I am in fact in the lobby of my apartments curled under the radiator.

"Big night was it?" Ashley grinned down at me "I was just coming to see you"

I stood up to face her "Um yeah I um sleepwalk sometimes um... What's up?" Midnight begins licking at my hand.

"Well I was just wondering if you maybe would want to go get coffee?" her eyes dropped towards the floor "You know with me maybe?" she smiled shyly.

I grinned "Sure, that'd be good I'm free tomorrow for most of the day" I took her hand in mine ignoring the shockwave that rang out through my body taking the pen out of her top pocket I wrote my number on her hand "Give me a call"

I sauntered off I can't believe Ashley just asked me out and I stayed calm and collected maybe even came off as cool I though excitedly. I had to know what was going on with me and there was only one lady who could tell me.

-x-