The next morning, Fran was gone. Mistoffelees stayed in bed an extra half an hour after waking. Yawning hugely, he got up and stretched each of his limbs in turn. He rolled his shoulders and jumped down. According to the calendar, this was the day of Skimbleshanks' arrival. He was unsure if he was ready to tell Skimbleshanks about himself, but Fran had encouraged and assured him that he would understand. Mistoffelees hoped so.
"Good morning," he spoke into the empty room. He had gotten used to waking up alone, both with Fran and Skimbleshanks. "Well, I guess I should do something… hmm." He wandered around the room. After deciding there was nothing for him in there right then, he left and padded his way to Skimbleshanks' den.
The present he had received was still lying on the bed. He hadn't drunk any of the tea yet. The pin lay there, and Mistoffelees picked it up. Examining it, he turned it over to look at the back. On the back was nothing, as he had expected, except for a pin, but he hoped there would have been something. A note, maybe. Yeah, a note inscribed in a metal nametag.Mistoffelees shook his head, feeling foolish. He put it back in the box.
He was about to walk away when he saw a hat. Not just any hat, but Skimbleshanks' hat. Mistoffelees couldn't believe it. Skimbleshanks would never leave without it on purpose… he wasn't too sure now. Taking the nametag, he pinned it on the hat and put it on his head.
"Why would Skimbleshanks just leave it here? Does he think it'll make me forget he's gone?" It felt weird wearing it, but it was nice. He wished he would have noticed it before today, when Skimbleshanks was going to return. "I bet it just gave him a reason to come back to this train… he wouldn't come back because of me. This hat is closer to him than I'll ever be." He felt angry. "He doesn't care about me at all. All he likes is his tea and his hat and his stupid train and his stupid job and his stupid friends! Yeah! I'm not even good enough to be one of his stupid friends. Not magical Mr. Mistoffelees.
"If I told him the truth, he wouldn't like me the same, anyway! He would just like me because I have magic. That's all anyone has ever cared about. Maybe I shouldn't tell him. Maybe I'll just be Quaxo. Quaxo is much better than Mistoffelees. Quaxo didn't hurt anybody… people like Quaxo…" he was hitting himself in the middle of his chest weakly. He dropped his paw, and sat down. "I don't like Mistoffelees… I'm hungry."
He felt exhausted, and went to Skimbleshanks' food bowl. It was frequently refilled every day by one of the workers on the train, but usually by Fran. The food was a delicious combination of salmon, chicken, and turkey. Skimbleshanks told him this superb meal was called by the mysterious alluring name, Meow Mix. Not that Skimbleshanks was to thank for this food. The chef who had concocted this mixture was a pure genius.
Mistoffelees quickly finished his meal of Meow Mix and water. Feeling full, he waddled over to the bed. After he collapsed into the softness, he closed his eyes. Napping was great when you had a full belly of Meow Mix.
A loud whistle interrupted his dreams. He looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. He got up, and fell back down immediately. He noticed the train was going awfully fast today.
A boy ran into Skimbleshanks' den. It was Junior Conductor. He couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. "The train can't stop! None of the other men'll go and turn the brake wheel! You had better hide somewhere safe, kit! Maybe I should do it." The boy bolted out of the door. Mistoffelees felt a pressure weigh on him. He had to help this boy. He was faster than Junior Conductor, and could activate the brake wheel in less time, and hopefully stop the train. Skimbleshanks had told him before that the brake wheel was on the top of the train… Mistoffelees would not let Junior Conductor do this to himself. He would have to jump gaps across the train. While it was moving faster than it had ever went.
The cat ran in the direction the boy had left. He caught a glimpse of Fran's golden hair in another van, and saw the Junior Conductor talking to her. He ran out of that van and started climbing a ladder. Mistoffelees took a breath and crossed the gap between vans. It was snowing heavily and the sun was covered with the clouds. It was dark.
He ran between Fran's legs without being noticed and ran out the other door. He spotted the ladder, and Junior Conductor's feet leave his sight. Wrapping his arms around the bars, he pulled himself up the metal ladder. His progress was slow, and his muscles strained. When he got to the top, he could barely see with all the snow rushing into his eyes. Mistoffelees raised a paw to keep Skimbleshanks' hat in place and began running.
Junior Conductor wasn't that far ahead, and Mistoffelees caught up with him. He looked down at the cat, who quickly overtook him. Mistoffelees came to a gap between vans, and jumped. He made it, and dashed onward.
Mistoffelees saw a glimmer of the metal on a wheel, and he sighed in relief. It was the brake wheel! He ran even faster towards it, after barely clearing two more gaps. The second one he was saved only because of his claws.
He slammed into the brake wheel, and gasped for air. He knew he barely had time, as they would reach the next train station in ten minutes. A train was very hard to stop, and it would need all that time. In fact, it should have begun slowing down earlier. It was of no use to dwell on the past, Mistoffelees decided, and acted.
Gripping the wheel with both of his paws, which involved letting go of the hat, he started turning it to the right. He remembered a silly rhyme when he was a kitten, which went, righty tighty, lefty loosey. Mistoffelees would have laughed it if had been another time, but he wasn't in a laughing mood at the moment. It was easy to turn at first, but then it became more difficult, and he had to walk while turning the wheel.
As he was doing this what little light there was, was suddenly gone. The train was in a tunnel, which meant they would soon arrive. He probably had eight minutes now. He heard a scream. Turning around, he observed the Junior Conductor duck just in time to avoid colliding with the wall of the tunnel. Then he disappeared in the darkness.
Mistoffelees turned the wheel, feeling his arms starting to give. Clenching his teeth, he gave his last efforts. The Junior Conductor kneeled down next to him, and then finished turning the wheel with him. The train had started to slow earlier as Mistoffelees had turned it, and now it was slowing even faster. He looked at Junior Conductor and smiled, but doubted he could see through the darkness. He had even saved the hat.
"Shit, that was exciting," Mistoffelees heard him say, laughing loudly.
