"Tag! Pouncie's it!"
The black patched female "tagged" the mentioned tomkit and dashed off, the latter hot on her heels.
"Mirah's it!"
"Pouncie's it--AGAIN!"
"Will you two cut it out?? There ain't no tag-backs!" Tumblebrutus cried plaintively. "This ain't no two person game, neither!"
"Mirah's it again!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Hey, stinkers!! Bath time!" Alonzo appeared in the doorway of Jennyanydots' attic.
"It's Lon! Run!" cried Pouncival and Tumblebrutus, dashing off to hide. Mirahcles grinned and joined her brother at the door.
"Mirahcles Lorenzo, aren't you getting a little old to be playing tag?" Alonzo teased.
"Yeah. But they threatened to tell Plato I like--um….yeah." Mirahcles stuttered lamely.
"What?? YOU like Plato??"
"She likes Plato! Ooooo!" taunted the kittens, coming out from their hiding places. Alonzo caught them by the tails and carried them, one under each arm, to the door.
"Thanks, Mirah. Ya brought 'em out of their hiding spots. C'mon, let's get these two cleaned. You could use a good bath too, Mirah, by the smell of ya."
Ignoring the comment and grumbling to herself, Mirahcles followed her brother and the "stinkers" to the door.
Clean and smelling somewhat better, Pouncival and Tumble Brutus (who had not gone down with a fight, resulting in an extremely wet bathroom and two even wetter siblings) returned to the attic to attempt to relieve themselves of the "flowery smell" and resume their playing in the dust.
Sighing exasperatedly, Mirahcles gave up as the two tomkits dashed back up the stairs Alonzo laughed and messed up her hair.
"Dun' worry, Mirah. At least they were clean for two minutes. Hey, at least you smell better!"
"Woo hoo!" came the sarcastic reply. "Go watch the kits!"
Alonzo smirked. "Go take a nap, Mirah!"
"HA.HA. Go watch the kits!" Mirahcles called as she retreated to the windowsill for a much-needed catnap. Alonzo grinned and bounded up the stairs after the kittens.
"Hey, Lonzie, look whot we found!" Pouncival called as Alonzo entered the tiny attic, dragging a dusty book out of a corner. Alonzo peered at it.
"Guys, this is Jenny's journal. Would you want someone reading your journal?"
"I don' keep a journal." Tumblebrutus said.
"But if you did?"
"I wouldn't' care."
Alonzo sighed. "Still, no reading it. That's private stuff." He lifted the book onto a shelf to the whining protests of the kits. "C'mon, let's see what's in some of these boxes. We might find a dress to fit you, Pouncie!"
*~*~*
Pouncival and Tumblebrutus pored over the book soon after Alonzo had left to wake up his sister to relieve him, their tails high in the air and noses glued to the pages.
"Hey! I didn' know she was a doctor's cat!" Pouncival said.
"Why d'ya think she's one of the birthin' queens, brainiac??" Tumblebrutus shot back. Pouncival ignored him.
"And she was in the Chicago fire…I think she was makin' that one up." Pouncival said suspiciously. "D'ya think she knew we'd ever read this?"
"I think she hoped two curious toms would not." Alonzo said from the doorway. Both kits jumped. "I thought I told you two not to read that!"
The two mischievous males grinned sheepishly and Alonzo looked stern for once. "Sorry guys. Curiosity killed the kits. Downstairs."
"But--"
"Now, guys."
Grumbling to themselves, Pounce and Tumble made their way back down the stairs, and Alonzo put the book back into a box and closed it, following them down to the main part of the house.
"Jenny, you wouldn't happen to have a looking glass, would you?" Skimbleshanks asked one morning as he got ready to leave for the station. Jennyanydots looked up oddly at her husband as she sat knitting on the windowsill.
"Why, I might. Why in the world, though?"
"One of the fellas at work wants to use one for something. Mind if I lend it to him?"
"Not at all. I might have one in the attic. Let me look."
Skimbleshanks smiled at his wife as she rose and headed to the staircase.
"It's quite a mess up there. If I'm not back within a quarter of an hour, call the National Guard." Jennyanydots called to him. She squinted into the dim light of her attic and peered around at the various-sized boxes and tins lying around. Choosing one randomly, the began to peek inside the boxes, searching for what the humans called a hammer. The first box proved useless and the orange queen moved it aside and started in on the second. She produced a small picture frame and smiled ruefully at it.
"Skimble and my wedding…dear me, that seems so long ago…" the middle-aged queen mused, smiling at the picture of her husband and herself, both much younger then. Putting it aside and vowing to take it back downstairs with her, she continued rummaging. The next item to appear out of the disorder was Skimbleshanks's old pocket watch. The battery had long since died, and the inner parts fallen to rust, but the ornate design on the cover was still beautiful, and distinctly Skimbleshanks-esque. It had to be at least twenty years old, having been passed down over four generations, eventually ended up clipped to Skimbleshanks's waistcoat. How it ended up here though was a mystery.
"I'll just have to bring it down for him…" Jenny said softly, still rummaging. "What's this…oh, my old journal…" The Gumbie cat smiled gently, opening the first page. "21 June, 1981. The first day of summer--" Jenny read. "There's a young tom who lives down the street from me. His owner works at the railway station. He's really quite nice, but not my type…"
Jennyanydots laughed lightly. "How things change! If only I could have seen myself then!"
Skimbleshanks appeared in the doorway, seeming taller and more stately than usual by the light behind him.
"Are you still up here, dear?"
"I'm over here, Skimble. You won't believe it, but I've found my old journal." Jenny handed him the journal, opened to the entry she'd read.
"He's really quite nice, but not my type.." Skimbleshanks laughed. "You had a change of heart, then?"
"Of course! Looks don't make the tom!" his wife laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Go back downstairs, I'll find your glass and be down shortly."
*~*~*
Mirahcles awoke with a stretch as the windowsill cooled and afternoon set in. The house was unusually quiet. 'The kittens must be down for a nap' the queen decided and smiled ruefully. Poor Alonzo. She'd left him to tangle with the kittens by himself. She'd have to make it up to him later.
The young queen entered the kitchen and saw Alonzo nosing around on the counter.
"Hungry, Lonz?"
"As always. The kits are sleeping, thank Bast. I thought they'd never run out of steam."
"C'est la vie with kittens!" Mirahcles laughed. "Where's Jenny? I haven' t seen her all day."
"Beats me. Skimbleshanks left a while ago, but I didn't ask. Maybe she's out with friends?"
"No, I'm right here, dears.." Jennyanydots said as she descended the staircase, still with a stiff grace despite her age. "I found my old journal today."
Alonzo tried to look surprised and decided to keep the kitten's discovery to himself. Mirahcles looked interested.
"Cool, how far back is it?"
"Five years, back in 1981."
Mirahcles let out a low whistle. "Whooee. Gads!" Then, biting her tongue, "I mean…not that you're old or anything.."
Jennyanydots laughed lightly. "Don't worry. It doesn't take a genius to tell me I'm getting up there in years! Still, I don't think I really noticed until reading my journal today."
"Will you read some of it?" Mirahcles asked, now quite interested. Alonzo grinned.
"Yeah, Jen, tell us what it was like in the dark ages."
The Gumbie cat tossed him a look that clearly said 'behave yourself' and smiled. "But of course. Sit down, you two. Have you got a while?"
*~*~*
21 June 1981
There's a young tom who lives down the street from me. His owner works at the railway station. He's really quite nice, but not my type. He seems very chivalrous, but a little old fashioned. I know mother likes him quite a bit, but I just don't like him like she wants me to. I'm sure she'll be a little disappointed, but she'd rather me choose a tom I liked than end up with one I couldn't stand. Not that I can't stand him, but, well, I'm rambling. Anyway, his name is Skimbleshanks.
Deuteronomy and Jersey had their second set of kittens the other day. They're the spitting image of Jersey, both that lovely overall grey. And with blue eyes, too. Blue eyes are getting rare in cats these days…
28 August 1981
I haven't written in forever. There's some bad news. Skimbleshanks is moving to a different state. He came over today to say his goodbyes and tell me he'd write if I wanted him to. Silly me, I started to cry like a little girl. Skimbleshanks was very gentlemanly about it, not commenting at'all. He just gave me a hug and told me he'd write me once a week.
I was just getting to like him…
Mirahcles gasped. "Oh no! What happened??"
Jennyanydots laughed. "Relax, it turned out alright, didn't it? I'm getting there!"
15 January 1982
It is SO cold! The windows have a fine layer of frost on them, and even with the heater on and blankets piled up to Heaviside, I'm still chilled! It's even worse with Skimbleshanks gone. He used to come over on weekends during winter to talk and keep me company. This winter is going to be SO long without him.
28 February 1982
Skimbleshanks wrote me a letter! He says he positively hates Maine, that the weather is awful, there's a terrible storm twice a month, and that it's freezing constantly, even in Spring. He said he'd give anything to be back here where at least it's warm for nine months out of the year.
He also said he'd like to come back for a visit if that was alright. I wonder if he misses me… I'm certainly not admitting anything to him. Just yet anyway. J
10 April 1982
The dates are set. Skimbleshanks is coming for a visit on the twelfth, two days from now. He's arriving on Saturday on the noon train. I'm so excited!
I've noticed something. You don't really think you like someone, and then they move away and you realize you can't stand the time apart! Skimble said he had something for me. I wonder what it could be…
15 May 1983-
"Waitaminute! You didn't write for a whole year??"
"Close to it. Life sped up that year and I had little time for writing. Now settle down, or we'll never finish!"
15 May 1983
I can't believe it's been over a year since I've written! So much has happened since my last entry! In short, Skimbleshanks came back for his visit, and he stayed for nearly a month. During that time, he asked me to marry him! I know it sounds like short notice, but I said yes. I learned something during that visit, and that was that I really enjoyed his company, and that I was awfully miserable when he was in Maine. So, I said yes. Plans were made, and we were married in July of last year. So Skimbleshanks is back here in New York. We've got a little place of our own about 15 minutes from each of our parents' houses. Our parents couldn't be happier. My mother said she knew I'd end up with Skimble all along. I have my doubts about that, but I'm not voicing them. I'll let my mother have her glory!
And I have never been happier.
"Well kids I think that's enough for one day. There's supper for the mice to get on the table!" Jenny said, closing the book. Mirahcles grinned.
"Wow. The stuff you can learn from a journal! Don't get any ideas, Lonz, you're not reading mine!"
Jennyanydots smiled. "Someone might someday, and you'll want them to, I'll wager." She started into the kitchen, the small book tucked into the pocket of her apron. Mirahcles started suddenly.
"I bet those trouble making kittens are back up in the attic again. We'd better go get them ready for dinner and then to bed. It's getting late."
Alonzo nodded. "Hey, Mirah… when you're old, kin I read your diary?"
"No."
"How 'bout now then?"
"Uh-uh."
"How 'bout when you're five?"
"Not even then."
"Or six?"
"Or how about never?"
In the kitchen, Jennyanydots bustled around busily, preparing the mice's supper. The kittens roughhoused in the attic as the two siblings tried to round them up. Outside, the autumn leaves scattered in the evening streets and Skimbleshanks returned home to his wife and friends.
The Middle