Mother left me this morning. She packed the enormous zipper box and has not returned from the Out World. I took up my watch atop the stairs when Mother did not return at her usual time. The Big Light continued to move across the floor until it went soft, hidden behind the homes across the road. Mother had not returned. It was time to take matters into my own hands.
I scoured the upstairs to gather all of my light balls. Several were underneath Mother's bed, which were easy enough to retrieve. I struggled to rescue one from the wet basin. It kept rolling back down to my feet, and even when I took it in my mouth, I struggled to climb back out. Those balls I pushed to the bottom of the stairs, enjoying their flashing from above before followed them down.
The rest were easy to recover from under the big seat. I arranged the light balls in front of the door, on the other side of the floor mat. The door would not hit and activate them, and anyone intruding my domain would surely trip over them, alerting me to their presence.
My next task was to gather my everlasting prey. I knew not where Mother found them, they did not even taste good. But whenever I attacked them, they always screamed, which I quite enjoyed. Those, I interspersed through the home. I laid several on the stairs, then more in a path through the big seat room to the food area. As much as I preferred to be the only one making my prey scream, it would be useful if they cried to alert me of an intruder's movement.
As I carried more prey to lay around the room with the tall surface, my ears caught a sound from the Out World. I froze, then headed straight for the invisible barrier in the big seat room. There was a wheel box beside the grass where Mother's wheel box usually stayed. But this wheel box was brown, not blue.
I jumped down quickly from the ledge of the invisible barrier, running for the stairs. I expertly leapt over my prey and balls. At the top of the stairs, I curled my body around the corner, peeking out only enough to see the door.
The Big Light was nearly gone, but that would not impede me. Rather, I knew the Invader would need the home lights to see, if my traps did not scare it away, first.
My ears twitched and I bared my teeth as I heard the Invader using a metal piece in the door. Mother had many little metal pieces and only one for the door. How did this Invader get it? Perhaps Mother hadn't even noticed it missing from her collection! She could not find things by smell as I did, it would be easy to take something if she was not looking.
The door opened, and the Invader stood there on the Out room, a light square in its hand. It lit the Invader's face, and I saw it laugh before the back of the light square flashed. I flinched back, hiding fully behind the wall. The home lights came on downstairs, and I knew there was only one option left.
I ran around the corner, hissing and barrelling down the stairs at the Invader. It squealed and backed out onto the Out room, closing the door behind it. I remained at the bottom of the stairs. I was scared, of course, but I had to protect my home. I growled and hissed, pacing the length of the mat, keeping guard.
From the Out room, I could hear the Invader. I know not how it managed, but when it spoke aloud, I heard Mother answer, her voice faint.
"You saw the pic I sent. I'm so serious, your cat is trying to kill me. She, like, sprinted down the stairs!"
"Millie's just territorial. And probably really hungry. She knows her Auntie Steph. She just needs to smell you first."
Auntie? No, I would recognize my Auntie.
Mother kept talking to the Intruder, and I kept pacing until the Intruder went silent. It tapped at the door, so I hissed.
"Millie⌠c'mon baby, it's Auntie Steph! Your mama just wants me to make sure you're fed. I'm not gonna stay."
I hissed again, growl sitting in my throat as I stalked towards the door. I scented the air. My growl quieted as I pressed my nose to the crack of the door, sniffing up and down as far as I could reach. I did not smell any Intruder on the other side of the door. I did smell my Auntie! She chased away the Intruder!
I meowed, so she could hear me. I shuffled around my light balls, pushing them around and out of the way so Auntie would see their light and not step on them. I stood on my hind legs and pawed at the door, meowing louder for Auntie to know I was calling for her.
The door pushed open and I moved quickly through it, weaving around Auntie's legs. I stood to paw at her leg, and she laughed, bending down to scoop me into her arms. She never held me the same way Mother knew I liked, resting over a shoulder. But being cradled was good enough; I was just happy she was not an Intruder.
Auntie sighed and carried me to the food area. "Yeah, yeah, you're gettin' fed. You little psychopath."
I purred and rubbed my face against her shoulder. Now, I would certainly recognize her next time. She would smell like me. The enormous zipper box, I now remembered, did usually mean a visit from Auntie. But still, I could never be too careful about my territory. I would leave the everlasting prey around the downstairs for the night, just in case.
