The Adventures of Caterwaul the Cat by Damon Plumides

to the possum that performed it.
    Pickford turned to the Parliament of Possums. “Is there anyone else here among the Parliament who would volunteer to perform this procedure?” There was silence. “Patience, very well, you may proceed.”
    Patience came forward and sat on a stump before the queen. “Stick your hand in my pouch. By the trembling of your hand, I will know if you speak the truth. If you are lying to me, I will know this too. And for any deception you will be sent away from here, and neither you nor your men will ever find your way out of the forest. Are we in agreement?”
    â€œWe are agreed,” said the queen.
    Druciah slowly slipped her hand in the possum’s pouch as Patience began to snicker. “That tickles . . . ooh and it’s cold too.” The queen kept her hand in the possum’s pouch for what must have been a full two minutes. She remained completely motionless for the entire time. Patience then indicated to the queen that she could remove her hand, and Druciah withdrew very slowly.
    â€œIt’s okay, Mr. Prime Minister,” said the young possum. “She is being truthful.”
    Prime Minister Pickford swung around on his tree limb and dropped to the ground, where he replaced his niece on the stump before the queen. “Very well,” he said, “we will have a vote. All possums in favor in telling her the way to go, say aye!” When the vote was called, it seemed unanimous. The Parliament agreed to help Druciah on her way.
    â€œAll right miss, this is what you will do. Head west from this clearing until you come to a massive oak, and from there head south towards Bug Stool Creek.” Pickford paused there as if to gather his thoughts before continuing. “But I warn you, and this is extremely important, so you must listen well. When you near the area with the oak tree, you should take special care not to disturb the layout anywhere close to the tree.
    â€œIf you should leave so much as a branch or stone disturbed, you will have a very large and angry turtle to deal with. And when I say large, I do not even begin to properly represent this reptile. This turtle’s head alone is so large it is capable of snapping a man in half with a single bite. When you come near him, you will see what I mean. And while you are there, make sure you pick up your trash.”
    â€œThank you, Sir Pickford, for all your help,” said the queen. “We will take your advice to heart.” Then the queen turned to speak with Patience. “I just wanted to say to you, my young possum, that you acted very bravely, especially considering your condition.”
    The Parliament did not know what the queen was talking about. Druciah continued, “When my hand was in your pouch I could feel your babies kicking. I imagine that it will only be a few more days until you will need that pouch for more than just detecting lies. If I were you, I would be expecting at least four or five new family members.”
    The party spent the night feasting with the possums. The next morning, they rose to continue their journey.

6

    While the Queen’s Away the Cat Will Play
    Q ueen Druciah was in excessively high spirits while she prepared for her journey to see the Witch. Caterwaul had done his part. The spell was cast, cursing all of the mirrors in Harsizzle. If anyone dared to look into one, they instantly became a cat. Most of the people who owned mirrors smashed them shortly after seeing what was happening to their loved ones. If Druciah had not been en route to the forest, she undoubtedly would have found it all quite hilarious.
    Since he had done what she asked of him, Druciah kept her promise and allowed the cat to stay behind in the castle. She could hardly have done otherwise, as he was unconscious and likely to remain that way for several days at least.
    The queen had been so pleased with him in fact, that her last words to her staff were, “If