The next morning, Tumblebrutus woke up early and went outside into the clearing. He saw Coricopat sitting with his twin sister Tantomile on top of the TSE-1. They did not appear to notice Tumble. He casually strolled over to them and said "Good morning, Coricopat, Tantomile."
They turned to him and smiled simultaneously. They told him "Good morning, Tumblebrutus."
He hopped onto the half-buried car's trunk and asked "What are you doing?"
"We're just meditating," answered Tantomile.
"I see," said Tumble.
"May we ask what you are doing up this early?" queried Coricopat.
"Sometimes I just happen to wake up this time of day," was Tumble's response. "What about you?"
"This is one of the best times of the day for us to meditate," said Tantomile, "It is early in the morning, before the rest of the tribe is up and about, and we are given plenty of peace and quiet to reflect on the events of the past and the upcoming future."
"That makes enough sense to me," said Tumblebrutus, "Cori, would you mind if I speak to you?"
"Alone?" said the male twin.
"No, Tanto can stay here… if she wants to," Tumble replied.
The female twin merely nodded. Tumblebrutus turned to Coricopat and told him "I just wanted to thank you for the helpful advice you gave me yesterday morning."
"It is my pleasure to assist you," Coricopat assured him, "Did you accept the job?"
"Yes, I did," answered Tumble, "The first night was rather uneventful, I might add. We just picked up someone and hauled some cargo around. But I still enjoyed myself."
Tantomile did not say a word. She was not one to make other people's business her own without due cause.
"You still haven't told anyone about my job yet, right?" asked Tumble.
"No, not even Tantomile," said Coricopat, "We take confidentiality in conversations with our patients very seriously."
"I wouldn't exactly label them as 'patients,'" said Tumble, "but that label's fine by me. At any rate, I plan to go back there tonight. Perhaps something more exciting will happen there tonight."
"Perhaps," Coricopat shrugged, "I wish you luck on your second night on the job."
"I don't need luck, but thanks anyway," Tumblebrutus turned around and jumped off the TSE-1. He did a somersault in mid-air and landed on his feet. Then he walked away from the car.
Just then, Jemima came into the clearing. Tumblebrutus spotted her and quickly moved out of the clearing. He still felt some foolishness from how he had reacted the other night, and he was not ready to face Jemima just yet. He whispered to himself "Then again, perhaps I do need some luck."
Jemima saw Tumblebrutus climb over a pile of junk. She opened her mouth to call him, but then she closed it and shrugged. She could somehow tell that Tumble wanted to be left alone. However, she was still determined to find out what he had intended to talk about the other night. She decided to do a little investigating.
That night at nine o'clock, Tumblebrutus returned to the docks. He met up with Grumbuskin to receive his orders.
"Tonight, I want you to guard the starboard half of the bridge," the First Officer instructed the patched kitten, "We'll be travelling in the opposite direction tonight. We have to be more cautious when travelling that way."
"I understand, sir," Tumblebrutus nodded, "I will inform you and Bill Bailey if I see anything suspicious."
Grumbuskin smiled down at him and said "Excellent. I will be downstairs should you need me."
After Grumbuskin left and the ship got underway, Tumblebrutus turned to the railing of the ship and leaned against it. He looked around at the buildings alongside the water, and once again, he was deeply impressed by their beauty. He took some time to savor the sights while he was there.
A few minutes later, a voice said behind him "Enjoying the view?"
Tumble looked over his shoulder and saw Growltiger standing behind him. He responded "Yes, I am. I could definitely get used to a sight like this."
"I recall that you told me that the river brings you harmony and bliss the other night," Growltiger remarked, "However, you never exactly told me why."
"Well, it's difficult to describe why exactly, sir," said Tumblebrutus as he leaned on the rail and looked out into the horizon, "But I suppose I could try. I enjoy being around the river because of its vastness, its magnificence, and its unfathomable roots. It's like something out of poetry."
Growltiger leaned next to the wall behind him and spoke aloud: "'What is a river? It is not merely a continuous body of water that runs in two directions. It is a channel, a road, a path, a way of life. The river is an enigmatic symbol that gives us the power to expand, to unite, and to achieve glory.'"
"Sir?" said Tumble, looking over his shoulder.
Growltiger continued: "'Life is like the flowing waters of a ocean: It surrounds us, it drives us. It has always been around, but it is still virtually a complete mystery to us. There are the parts we understand now, parts we can comprehend, and parts that are yet to be revealed. Not to mention parts that we may never come to decipher. It is possible to lose yourself in it, but it is equally possible for you to discover who you are and what you are destined to do.'"
After a moment of silence, Tumblebrutus realized that Growltiger was quoting something. He quickly recognized those lines. He commented "The opening lines to The Catastrophic Seas."
"You are familiar with that musical?" assumed Growltiger.
"Well, somewhat," answered Tumble, "I've seen it a few times. How did you come across it?"
"I saw it when the lead role of Captain Morgan was played by a legendary actor cat named Gus," replied Growltiger.
Tumblebrutus turned to the Bravo Cat and inquired "You've seen Gus the Theatre Cat perform?"
Growltiger seemed surprised to discover that Tumble knew who he was talking about. He nodded and told him "Yes, I have. How do you know him?"
"He's my grandfather," Tumblebrutus immediately replied.
Growltiger was a little startled – both by Tumble's abruptness and his answer. He just said "Really?"
"Yes," Tumblebrutus stated proudly, "He's the father of my father, Asparagus."
Growltiger smiled down at the patched tom and told him "You sound proud to be related to him. And you should be."
"Oh, I am," Tumblebrutus assured his Captain, "My mother talks about his accomplishments more often than he does. She's proud just to be his daughter-in-law."
"As she should," Growltiger remarked, leaning against the balustrade next to Tumble, "Ever since I was a kitten – perhaps when I was even younger than you are – I have been an avid fan and admirer of your grandfather. Whenever there was a new play that starred him, I would always attend the very first showing."
"Were there any plays that stood out from the rest?" asked Tumblebrutus.
"Gee, I'd need to think about that," Growltiger stood thinking for a bit. Then he told Tumble "The first show I ever saw was Hackney. You know; that one about the troubled pair of mates that resided in the district of London by the same name. I recall that I was not especially delighted to go see it at first and that I reluctantly agreed to go with my parents. But I never went to another show reluctantly again after that. Even at that age, I was impressed by Gus' strong performance alongside his future real-life mate Malpora."
"Wow, if you saw that show when my grandparents were still single, you must be at least one human year older than my parents," Tumblebrutus figured.
"I believe you are correct," Growltiger agreed, "In fact, I remember that I got to meet the two of them one time when they were taking autographs. I made a direct comment that the two of them would make a lovely couple. I can still remember them when I told them that; their fur and figures were rather similar, as were their personalities. Who knows; perhaps that one comment was what brought them together in the first place!"
"That would be amazing," Tumblebrutus concurred, "If that were the case, then I suppose I have you to thank for my own birth!"
"Indeed," nodded Growltiger, "Now, another show of your grandfather's that I saw was the mystery thriller Broken Shaft. That was the one about a rich tom's murder that implicated over a dozen suspects, each of which had a different motive, but the murderer turned out to be the detective's assistant! That one ran a long time, and I must have seen it half a dozen times at the very least.
"Another one I happened to like was Sapphires on the Windowsill," Growltiger continued, "Griddlebone convinced me to see it shortly after we became mates. It was more of what humans call a 'chick flick' – what with there being many more female roles than before, and what will some of the plot threads pertaining to fashion and style – but there was enough suspense and enough of Gus' strong and authoritative acting to satisfy the toms in the audience, too."
"I believe that was around the time my father was born as well," Tumblebrutus noted, "Because I do remember that around that time, my grandmother had taken a brief hiatus from acting to be on maternity leave."
"Yes, that's correct," said Growltiger, "Malpora did take a break from her acting career for a short time around then. But Gus and the rest of his troupe stayed in the game. That was also around the time when another of my favorites – Experiment – came into production. That was Gus' shortest and only one-tom play, but it provided an interesting and realistic perspective of a cat trapped in a human science lab awaiting some form of unusual treatment. That was arguably his most powerful performance."
"Perhaps it was," agreed Tumblebrutus.
"That was also around the time when I meet Grumbuskin," Growltiger went on, "I already lived in a different part of down from my parents, and I took him in as my roommate at my flat. He and I got along very well."
"That's good," Tumblebrutus commented.
"Then, of course, there was A Demon Within," Growltiger got back to the first subject, "I got stuck in the back for that show's premiere, but it was worth every moment."
"Ah, yes," said Tumble, "I am familiar with that one. That's the play about the cat that becomes possessed by his primal side at erratic intervals. Then he becomes a vigilante and kills off his enemies using particularly brutal methods. When his family is killed by some of his surviving enemies, he goes insane and kills everything in his path. That's when his primal self becomes his normal self, and he feels inexplicable grief. So he throws himself off a building and falls to his death."
"People only believe that he falls to his death," Growltiger pointed out, "You mustn't forget that at the end, the sole surviving member of the protagonist's family – his son – has a vision and tells everyone with him that his father only died in the corporeal sense. His existence continues to live on spiritually."
"That is correct," said Tumblebrutus, "When I first saw that play, it scared the hell out of me. Then again, I was probably too young to see it. It also began around the time my grandmother died. Some would argue that my grandfather seemed somewhat distraught in his performances around then."
"Yes, everyone missed her," said Growltiger, "There was a service held for her that I attended. Fortunately, your grandfather managed to stay in character after that time."
"Yeah, I know my grandfather; he always stays focused on his work," said Tumble, "In fact, he continually emphasizes that the main character of that play – Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell – is his grandest creation."
"That could be," Growltiger speculated, "But my absolute favorite play was always The Catastrophic Seas. I saw that one after Sapphires on the Windowsill, but before Experiment. Captain Morgan's character and his various tales of his voyages were what principally inspired me to become a sailor in the first place."
"That was a good show," nodded Tumblebrutus, "It combined humor, adventure, drama, and friendship all into one."
"That is precisely why I enjoyed it so." stated Growltiger.
"From what I recall, The Catastrophic Seas was a sung-thru musical," said Tumblebrutus, "Were there any songs from it that you particularly liked?"
Growltiger answered "Yes, in fact, there's this one duet that both Griddlebone and I enjoy: The Ballad of Billy McCaw. She and I would sing that duet all the time."
"The Ballad of Billy McCaw," Tumblebrutus muttered, rubbing his chin "Isn't that the one about the parrot at the Old Bull and Bush?"
"Indeed it is," said Growltiger, "I practically memorized the entire musical myself. Shortly after that, I entered the pirating business."
"So, how did that happen?" Tumblebrutus asked curiously.
Growltiger turned to Tumblebrutus and placed a paw on his shoulder. All he said was "That, my young friend, is a tale you may hear another time. No one other than Grumbuskin and Griddlebone know about my rise to power on the Thames."
Tumble shrugged and remarked "That's alright with me."
