CHAPTER #2 - Mystery Of The Sock Thief

"WTF!" Deadmau5 exclaimed. "Where is my other sock? And my shoe? Why is it I can never find the left pair of anything?"

Nyan looked at him and said dryly, "wearing opposites has become a fashion trend thanks to you, meow."

"Don't just stand there, help me look. You can get under the bed easier than I can!"

She did as he asked. "No one vacuums under here, meow!" She sneezed violently, "you owe me for this…. no socks or shoes under here."

"Meowingtons!" Deadmau5 called and in came the other cat.

"What's up, meow?" Prof. Meowingtons PhD asked.

"Have you seen my white or black socks for my left foot? They are all missing! Same with all my pairs of same coloured shoes. Lately I have to go out in public wearing different coloured shoes on each foot."

"That's a mystery indeed, meow." Prof. Meowingtons PhD walked around the room, sniffing here and there.

"Find anything?" Deadmau5 asked his best buddy.

The black and white feline shook his head, his tail flicking. An ear twitched and he walked into Deadmau5 closet. Just like Nyan he sneezed when sniffing under the bed.

"We need to catch the thief in action, set up some cameras, meow." Prof. Meowingtons PhD showed Deadmau5 the best places to put cameras.

Deadmau5 scratched behind an ear. "You two are always roaming around at night, how about you two earn your keep."

Both Nyan and Prof. Meowingtons PhD looked horrified and offended all at once. "I can't believe you just said that, meow." Nyan said in a hurt tone.

Immediately feeling bad for what he'd said, Deadmau5 picked up Nyan. "I didn't mean for it to sound so bad. I just meant I need both of you to help. Forgive me?"

Both cats sat on his lap, accepting some affectionate chin scratches. Their purring confirmed that he'd been forgiven. It's one thing he loved about them, they were easy to forgive him and rarely held a grudge for long.

"If we work together, we can catch the thief, meow." Nyan said with conviction.

That night, Deadmau5 went to sleep with both cats keeping a watchful eye on his socks and shoes. The cameras showed a red light, meaning they were ready to record everything. It wasn't until the cats fell asleep too, that the thief snuck out. It zipped to the closet and then to the laundry hamper. The thump of a shoe, woke Nyan up and she let out a loud meow, waking everyone.

"What is it Nyan?" Deadmau5 bolted awake, sending Prof. Meowingtons PhD flying off his chest and across the room.

"Meow!" Prof. Meowingtons PhD said in alarmed surprise.

The lights came on, but the thief was gone, having escaped in all the confusion. But Deadmau5 got up and checked the video feed. The two cats following him.

"Nice pyjamas Deadmau5… ghosts, meow?" Nyan giggled.

He looked down at his pjs. "Hey what's wrong with them? It's the Ghost Buster's ghost!"

Nyan gave him a feline grin, "it's better than the pop tart cat Meowingtons, meow!"

"We got something on video, but it's so fast it's a blur." Deadmau5 hung his head in frustration.

Prof. Meowingintons PhD was snooping around to see what was stollen. "You have a red sneaker missing and one blue sock, meow."

Nyan went to look, her tail twitched. "Look at all the dust, meow."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Deadmau5 was puzzled.

Prof. Meowingtons PhD had an idea. "It's a Dust Bunny that's taking your stuff, meow."

Deadmau5 cocked his head to one side, not sure he'd heard the cat correctly. "A dust bunny? That's a pile of dirt, not something real that could steal my stuff."

Now Prof. Meowingtons PhD put a paw on Deadmau5 and said like a teacher, "how do you think it got it's name? Or why a pile of dust is named after a rabbit? They are real. They leave balls of hair and dust behind all the time. They are fast, so fast most can't see them. But normally they don't take anything."

"So why is it stealing from me?" Deadmau5 asked in exasberation.

"Now that is the true mystery, meow. We'll have to trap it, meow."

"Let's kill it for trespassing, meow," Nyan said her eyes glowing with deadly intent.

Deadmau5 objected, "we aren't killing anything. Trap and question, that's it. And maybe relocate."

Later that night, they set a trap with a pile of shoes and socks in a mound. They had coffee to keep them awake, but the room was dark. Only their eyes could be seen in the darkness. Deadmau5 put sunglasses on, so his eyes wouldn't spook the Dust Bunny. The cats were on his dresser, high enough up, that the Dust Bunny wouldn't see their eyes.

Their patient waiting was rewarded, as the trap did it's job. The Dust Bunny let out a terrified squeal and Deadmau5 turned on the lights. His cats showed their fangs and he felt bad for the Dust Bunny.

Prof. Meowingtons PhD. growled, "why are you stealing from us?"

The Dust Bunny trembled in fear, making them all sneeze. So Deadmau5 picked it up, removing it from the trap. It finally spoke, "my family needs it. This place is too clean, I couldn't build a nest to keep my babies warm. So I took a few shoes and socks!"

The cats hid their fangs and looked up at Deadmau5. They had compassion, as did he. "Can you show me your babies?"

The Dust Bunny nodded and hopped to the ground. One glance at the cats and it made sure to move slowly, so they wouldn't give chase and hurt it. Deadmau5 moved a box in the storage room and found the baby Dust Bunnies. They were huddled in the pile of socks, surrounded by shoes.

"I won't hurt you and your family, but you have to stop stealing. Tell me what you need and I'll bring it to you."

In the end the cats showed the Dust Bunny where their sheadded cat fur clumped up. This was exactly what the Dust Bunny needed. The Dust Bunny also promised to relocate to, Deadmau5's tour manager, Dean's house, with some help. Once again the mystery had been solved and in the end Deadmau5 continued to wear the mismatched coloured shoes. He liked that it made him different and not so serious.