The Thing that swallowed Marmalade

Nobody in the village suspected that the old lean-to opposite the bakery was headquarters for one of the most secret organisations in the world.

To most people, it looked like a few bits of wood, a tired roof, and an old carrot box.

But some of the letters on the box had faded, leaving only:

CA T

And that, according to Mister M, could only mean one thing.

C.A.T.

Cat Action Team.

“Agents, we have a situation.”

Shadow sat up straight.

Marmalade stopped washing one paw.

“During my morning prowl,” said Mister M, “I observed a thing.”

“What kind of thing?” asked Shadow.

Mister M lowered his voice.

“A living thing. A thing with teeth. And it was moving.”

“Shadow,” said Mister M, “you will observe the thing. Follow it. Learn where it goes.”

Shadow rose at once.

“And make sure you’re not spotted.”

“Naturally,” said Shadow.

Shadow crossed the street and slipped through the alley, hugging the darker side of the wall.

Shadow found the thing beside a garden hedge.

It made very little noise as it moved slowly along the pavement.

Shadow, crawling on his stomach, followed from a short distance.

In a garden, a woman looked up from watering her plants.

I wonder why that black cat is following that inflatable toy, she thought.

After a short while, the thing stopped beside a bush and appeared to be waiting.

When it looked like it wasn’t going to move again, Shadow made his way back to HQ.

Sitting very straight in front of the box, he made his report to Mister M.

“The thing was observed,” said Shadow. “It moved slowly beside the garden hedge. It has teeth. It did not appear to know I was there.”

“After a while it stopped beside a bush, and appeared to be waiting.”

He paused.

“I’m pretty certain I wasn’t spotted.”

Marmalade’s ears pricked.

“A thing with teeth,” he said slowly. “Waiting by a bush.”

Shadow nodded.

Marmalade narrowed his eyes.

“VERY suspicious,” he said. “Very suspicious.”

Mister M looked from Shadow to Marmalade.

“Then this is no longer simple observation,” he said. “This requires investigation.”

Shadow sat even straighter.

Marmalade looked hopeful.

“And evidence?” he asked.

“Evidence,” said Mister M.

Marmalade stood at once.

“Shadow, you will return to the thing and watch for movement. Marmalade, you will inspect the area and gather evidence.”

Marmalade puffed out his chest.

“Food evidence?”

Mister M looked at him.

“All evidence.”

“Understood,” said Marmalade.

The two agents left headquarters. They slipped past the bakery, through the alley, and along the next road until they reached the garden hedge.

The thing was still there.

It lay beside the bush with its mouth open and its teeth showing.

Shadow crouched low behind a flowerpot.

Marmalade stood in the middle of the pavement and stared.

“It does not appear to be moving,” whispered Shadow.

“It may be sleeping,” said Marmalade.

The wind stirred.

The thing shifted slightly.

Shadow flattened himself against the ground.

Marmalade took one careful step forward.

Shadow took up position behind a low wall on the opposite side of the road. From there, he could see the thing clearly without getting too close.

Marmalade, however, crossed the pavement towards it.

Shadow watched carefully.

Marmalade sniffed the ground.

Then he sniffed the thing.

Then he walked around it once, very slowly.

Shadow narrowed his eyes.

Marmalade had found something.

Marmalade peered into the open mouth.

Then he put his head inside.

Shadow sat up.

Marmalade’s shoulders disappeared.

Then his back.

Then his tail.

Shadow froze.

The thing had swallowed Marmalade.

Shadow stared.

One moment Marmalade had been in front of the thing.

The next moment, he had vanished into its mouth.

For a heartbeat, Shadow did not move.

Then he turned and ran.

He did not stay close to the walls.

He did not hide behind flowerpots.

He did not stop when a woman in a garden called, “There’s that black cat again!”

He ran along the pavement, round the corner, across the next street, through the alley, and straight back to headquarters.

Mister M was on top of the box.

Shadow skidded to a halt in front of him.

“Mister M!” he gasped. “The thing has swallowed Marmalade!”

Mister M did not ask for a full report.

He did not ask Shadow if he had been spotted.

He did not even smooth his whiskers.

He leapt down from the box.

“Take me to him,” he said.

Shadow turned and ran.

Mister M followed.

They raced past the bakery, through the alley, across the next street and round the corner. Shadow was faster, but Mister M kept close behind, silver tail streaming out behind him.

A woman in a garden looked up from her watering can.

“There’s that black cat again,” she said.

Shadow did not stop.

Mister M did not stop.

They reached the garden hedge.

The thing was still beside the bush.

Its mouth was still open.

And somewhere inside it was Marmalade.

Shadow crouched low, ready to spring.

Mister M narrowed his eyes.

“Agent Marmalade,” he called, “report.”

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the thing gave a small wobble.

A muffled voice came from inside.

“I have found no food evidence so far.”

Shadow stared.

Mister M stepped forward.

“Shadow,” he said, “secure the tail.”

Shadow grabbed Marmalade’s fluffy ginger tail gently in his teeth.

“Marmalade,” said Mister M, “reverse.”

There was a rustle.

Then a wriggle.

Then a great deal of muffled complaining.

Shadow pulled.

Mister M placed both front paws against the thing and pushed.

With one final wriggle, Marmalade came backwards out of the mouth and rolled onto the pavement.

For a moment, he lay on his back with all four paws in the air.

Then he sat up, shook himself, and tried to look dignified.

Mister M looked him over carefully.

“Are you injured?”

Marmalade blinked.

“No,” he said. “But the suspect is empty.”

Shadow sat down heavily.

“You were swallowed.”

Marmalade looked at the thing.

Then he looked at Shadow.

“I was not swallowed,” he said. “I was conducting an internal investigation.”

Mister M inspected the thing carefully.

It did not move.

It did not growl.

It did not try to swallow anyone else.

Shadow walked around it once, keeping a sensible distance.

Marmalade sniffed the open mouth.

Then he sniffed it again.

“No food evidence,” he said.

Mister M gave a slow nod.

“Then the matter is clear.”

Shadow sat up straight.

“The thing is harmless?”

“For now,” said Mister M.

Marmalade looked slightly disappointed.

“And empty,” he said.

Mister M turned towards the street.

“Agents, return to headquarters.”

The three cats made their way back through the village. Shadow walked carefully beside the walls again. Marmalade stopped twice to shake a small scrap of leaf from his fur. Mister M led the way, dignified as ever.

Back at the old carrot box, Mister M climbed onto the top and looked down at his agents.

“The thing was observed,” he said. “The thing was investigated. Agent Marmalade was recovered.”

Marmalade puffed out his chest.

Mister M settled neatly on the box.

“Another mystery solved,” he said.

To anyone passing by, they looked like three ordinary street cats resting in the shade.

Which, of course, was exactly what they wanted people to think.

Case file closed. please leave any relevant comments and likes on Jobey's facebook post here. Thanks.

Click on this link. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10164529581469019