Kitty Kibbles (Authors notes): I just wanted you guys to have the pronunciations of Jemima and
Misto’s kittens.
~Joqui- (Jo-kee)
~Jasperjem- (how it looks)
~Kiabell- (Kie-uh-bell)
~Lylladon- (Lie-luh-dun)
It was the day of the Jellicle Ball. Everyone was getting ready for that night. Jemima could be heard practicing ‘Memory’, with the twins, Sootaput was practicing her solo dance, (Jemima and Victoria were already teenage cats) and Munku was going over how to do his job with Tumble, who would take his place after Munku became leader. Munku told Tumble he’d be telling the cats about The Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy, and the Heavyside Layer, andhow only one Jellicle gets chosen. He was also to tell the cats they could rejoice after Old D showed up. Tumble was grateful, and said he wouldn’t let him down. Munku smiled at the white and brown tom, and said,
“ I know you won’t.” Tumble then went to find Electra to tell her the news. Jellylorum came up to Munku after Tumble had left.
“ Munku, Gus is going to need a lot of help getting here tonight. Do you think you could get Alonzo and Coricopat to help me?” Munkustrap said he’d tell them when he saw them. She gave him a smile and thanked him.
“ What is going to happen tonight?” Jasperjem asked, his blue eyes sparkling.
“ Yes mommy, what is going to happen,” Joqui asked, as she sat between Misto’s front paws. Kiabell who lie curled up next to Jemima, and Lylladon who stopped playing with a piece of string, looked up to Jemima also.
“ Tonight is the night of the Jellicle Ball.”
“ What’s the Jellicle Ball?” Kiabell asked.
“ It’s where we Jellicles get together to sing and dance. Also to send off a fellow Jellicle to the Heavyside Layer,” Misto said smiling at his son.
“ Who’s going to go, to the Heavyside Layer?” Lylladon asked, looking to his father.
“ Yeah, who will it be?” Jasperjem asked walking over to lie next to Kiabell.
“ No one knows, Old Deuteronomy has to choose, who it will be,” Jemima said to her children.
“ Why does he get to choose?” Lylladon asked, he was the kitten they considered rambunctious, for he hung around Tugger too much.
“ Because he’s our leader,” Joqui replied surprising the other cats.
“ That’s right,” Misto said looking to his daughter who sat between his front legs.
“ How did she know that?” Kiabell asked, his dark green eyes turning to slits at his sister.
“ I asked Munkustrap,” she replied as she leaned against Misto’s chest. “I have another question, not about the Ball, but about this tingly feeling I have in my paws,” she said lifting up one of her front paws to her mother. Jemima gasped when she saw a light blue glow coming from the bottom of her daughter’s paw.
“ Misto, lift up your paw.” Misto lifted up one of his paws to Jemima, and watched as her eyes grew wide and a smile spread on her face. “ She’s magical like you.” Now Misto gasped, as he looked to the brown kitten leaning on her daddy.
“ What! No fair!!” Lylladon screeched.
“ I have a funny feeling in my paws too,” Jasperjem said as he showed Jemima his paws. He had a light blue glow coming from the bottom of his paw also. Misto looked to her, and she smiled. Kiabell looked to Joqui and to Jasperjem, then to his own paws. A frown was seen on his face. Followed by,
“ Why are they special, and me and Ly, aren’t?”
“ I’m sorry baby,” Jemima said as she licked her son’s ears. Misto swelled with pride inside. He’d passed down his powers to two of his children.
“ Anyway, back to the ball,” Jasperjem said.
“ Well, we just have fun, and wait to see who gets chosen,” Misto told his children. They nodded, then started to yawn because they were still pretty young. Misto picked Joqui up in his mouth, and placed her next to Jasperjem. Then he picked up a pouting Lylladon, and placed him next to his sister. Misto then lied himself down, and they all were soon asleep. Kittens curled up next to each other in the middle. Adults on the outside.
Tumble found Electra wrestling around with Etcetera. She may be his partner, but she was still a kitten.
“ Ow, hey don’t bite so hard,” Electra giggled.
“ Oops, sorry,” Etcetera said, then pinned Electra to the floor. “Give up?”
“ Yeah, I guess so,” Electra said, then noticed her brown and white tom watching them. “Tumbly,” she cried out happily. Etcetera let her friend up, and watched as the grey and red feline greeted her mate. Etcetera sighed. She wanted a mate too. She left to go find someone else to hang around with.
“ Etcy, where are you going?” Electra called to the white cat with black and brown stripes.
“ I decided to leave you guys alone,” she called back sadly.
“ That’s okay, we can be alone anytime, why don’t you stay and visit with us,” Tumble said.
“ You mean it,” Etcetera asked, her ears perking up.
“ Yeah, come on, we’ll practice our dances together,” Electra told her friend. Etcetera walked over to her friends, and nuzzled against them. She may not have a mate, but she had terrific friends.
Sootaput was having trouble with the solo dance, and went to find Victoria. She found her talking with Patchabie.
“ Hi guys,” Sooty said as she sat down next to Victoria.
“ Hey Soot, what’s wrong?” Patch asked noticing the frown on the black kitten’s face. “ I can’t quite get the hang of the solo dance,” she said quietly. Victoria smiled; she’d had trouble when her sister Etcetera tried to teach her.
“ Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” she said and gave the smaller kitten a lick on her ears. “ See ya later Patchy.”
“ Bye Patch,” Sooty said, as she followed Victoria.
“ Bye girls, have fun.” Quaxo came up to her, shortly after the other two had left. She sensed another presence and smiled when she saw her light brown tom coming from the side of her.
“ What was that all about?” he asked, as he watched the two kittens, who could barely be seen now.
“ Sooty’s having trouble on her solo dance. Victoria’s going to help her. Where were you hiding this morning?” she asked changing the subject.
“ Sorry, I had some trouble getting out of the house this morning, my master insisted that I wear a collar. No matter how much I fussed and scratched at her, she wound up getting the blasted thing on me,” he said showing Patchabie the black collar around his neck.
She smiled, and said, “ I think it looks nice. It makes you look more sophisticated.” He gaveher a silly grin when she said that. She let out a small laugh, and pounced on him. He accidentally kicked her in the stomach too hard, and she let out a cry of pain.
“ Oh, I’m sorry,” he said bringing his back feet down to his belly. She got up from being on top of him, and tried to catch the breath he’d knocked out of her. The light brown tom, got up to sit next to his queen, and nuzzled her head, telling her that he was sorry.
“ What did you do to her?” Marolene (a new Jellicle that arrived last week) asked, poking her head out of Quaxo’s drier in which she slept.
“ I accidentally kicked her in the stomach too hard when she pounced on me,” Quaxo replied solemnly to the small grey queen.
“ I’ll be alright,” Patch said wincing in pain when she stood up.
“ Are you sure,” Marolene asked jumping out of the drier. Patch looked to the smaller cat, that was her and Misto’s age, and nodded. Maro rubbed her head on the light brown calico’s shoulder. Patch licked the top of herhead.
“ I’ll be fine sweetie,” Patch told her friend. Maro shrugged and smiled; then jumped back in the drier to resume her cat nap.
It was beginning to get dark, so Coricopat and Alonzo set out to get Gus. Once out of the Junk Yard Coricopat asked the black and white tom, “ Do you really think Gus should be coming to this Ball tonight?”
Alonzo thought for a moment, then sighed when he said, “ Not really, but what if this is the year he gets chosen to go to the Layer? He shouldn’t miss out on any chance to go to Heavyside.” Coricopat let what Alonzo had said sink in, then nodded in agreement.
“ You know Tant, myself and any other magical cat could already know who’s going to the Layer, but it’s a rule that we can’t use our power to do that. If any cat that has powers does abuse that rule, they automatically lose their powers,” the mystical male told the larger tom.
“ What about Misto? Can he see who’s going to Heavyside, even though hegot his powers from Macavity?” Alonzo asked shakily.
“ Actually Alonzo, Misto already had powers, but limited ones like mine andTant’s. Macavity just improved them.”
“ Why didn’t you say that when Misto confessed? He and every other Jellicle thinks Macavity gave him his powers!” Alonzo snapped.
“ Mistoffelees should know that he got his powers from his mother, and that the ginger cat just advanced them,” Corico retaliated. Alonzo just shook his head, and trudged on beside the mystical cat to Gus’ house. Nothing was said between them, until they reached the theater cat’s house.
“ After you,” Alonzo said to Coricopat when they stopped in front of Gus’s cat door. Coricopat went through the door, and did a quick look around. Spotting Gus in his basket, and no masters around, he told Alonzo it was all clear. Gus heard Corico and lifted his head.
“ Who’s there?” Gus’ voice wobbled.
“ It’s Coricopat and Alonzo,” Corico told the elderly cat.
“ Jellylorum sent us to get you,” Alonzo added. Then both toms started for the older cat. Gus attempted to stand, but quickly fell, for his shaking legs could not support him. When the toms reached him, the ex actor was breathing heavily. They gently got the old cat on his feet, and out of the basket. He was so small, that they could have carried him in their mouths like they would a kitten, but thought better of it. Although, Alonzo did pick him up like that for a short time, so he could place him on Coricopat’s back. The actor held on, but the toms didn’t go very fast, so he really hadno reason to. They reached the Junk Yard an hour later.
The Jellicle Ball started immediately after the toms returned with Gus. They went right into ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats’ and onto the ‘Namingof Cats.’ Sootaput did beautifully on her solo dance, which had Vici grinning ear to ear. Misto called out to all of the cats, and then Tumble went into his job of telling the cats about the history of the Ball, Old Deuteronomy, and the Heavyside Layer. Munkustrap gleamed at the brown patched cat, then went on to introduce Miss Jennyanydots. Tugger made his usual noisy appearance at the end of her intro, but no one really paid him any mind, except for Sootaput and Etcetera, so he cut it short. Grizabella wasn’t there to interupt, and Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had a kid to look after, so they didn’t make a scene. Mistoffelees sensed their leader in the air.
“ Old Deuteronomy?” and the twins quickly answered with their usual,
“ I believe it is Old Deuteronomy.” They sang and welcomed their benevolent leader. They didn’t put on the ‘Pekes and Pollicles’ this time, instead they introduced Ol’ Bustopher Jones, who had come late. The Rumpus was taking care of the dog problems, so he got left out. The Jellicles were very restless, and they quickly went into the Jellicle Ball, after Bustopher Jones had left. When they were done, Old Deuteronomy told of ‘The oments of Happiness’, then they all sat around Gus and Jellylorum to hear the tale of Gus’ theater career. Although, being as weak as he was, he only got out a couple of sentences. Skimbleshanks was introduced after him, then Jemima did ‘Memory’ with the twins. At last it was the moment they’d all been waiting for.
“ Now, Old Deuteronomy, just before dawn, through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife; announces the cat, who can now be reborn, and come back to a different Jellicle life,” Munkustrap informed the group. They all ran frantically to their leader. With his wrinkled, smiling face he scanned the cats faces. Very young, to adult. His dark grey eyes coming to rest on Gus. He reached out his paw to Gus and all the Jellicles moved out of the way. Gus hesitantly took Old Deuteronomy’s gigantic paw, and walked slowly to the large grey and black cat, Mistoffelees helping him. The Jelliclesbegan to sing ‘ The Journey to the Heavyside Layer,’ as their eyes moistenedover when they watched him step onto the magical tire. He was going to bemissed dearly. Poor Jellylorum started sobbing on Bombalurina’s shoulder, after she got out, ‘The Mystical Divinity.’ Joqui, Jasperjem, Kiabell, >Lylladon, Cimmanon, Marolene, Birana, and Patchabie watched in awe as the crystal staircase descended, and Gus stepped on to it. They had never seen a cat off to the Layer, and it was the most beautiful sight they had ever witnessed. Jellylorum calmed a little, and she watched her grandfather ever so slowly walking up to Heavyside. When he was finally out of sight, and the staircase was closing up, you could hear several of the Jellicles saying...
“ Hurry back Gus.”
