A Journey Into the Land of Mooch - Part 2

 As Delilah and Kieran walked the streets of Mooch with their new resident guide, they learned a lot about the town.  They learned that their guide was actually the Mayor, Mr Rustynail. He showed them around the library, made entirely out of Kieran's Star Wars lego from 2 birthdays ago. He brought them to Nerf Lake where the "logs" were actually Nerf darts. They ate some lunch at the local Diner, The Hockey Bag. Obviously that was their Dad's old bag, hollowed out and set up with tables inside. It still smelled a bit but the sandwiches weren't bad! They passed the museum, made of old VHS tapes. They wandered by a beautiful cathedral made of burned out Christmas light bulbs. Next, they visited the local swimming pool. This was the funniest spot of them all. Every lost water bottle they had ever had all lined up in a circle, and in the middle was a swimming pool. If their Mom found out about this one, they thought, she would go totally crazy. She was always pulling her hair out over how many water bottles they lost, and here was this town having a swim with them all. When finally they sat down on a park bench, Delilah's dollhouse couch, they had a moment to take it all in and got around to the task at hand. 

"Mr Rustynail?" Kieran asked.

"Whats that, fella?" He said.

"We followed our cat, Juniper here. We need to find her and bring her back home. Our Mom and Dad will be worried." He professed.

"Cat? Hmmmm. What's that?"

"A cat? It is a furry little animal. She wears a pink collar with a tiny bell on it? She has little pointy ears and she is striped with brown and white fur. Have you seen her?" Asked Kieran.

Mr Rustynail's face went white. He got up from the bench and looked back and forth, then up and down. Unsure of where to look and what to do. 

"Oh my! Are you talking about Queen Meowzers?" He cried. "Queen Meowzers is our high and mighty, honest to goodness maker and provider of all of Mooch!"

Delilah and Kieran were astonished. They were completely astounded! Queen Meowzers? Their cat, Juniper? Who barfed up hairballs and kicked her kitty litter all over the floor? Juniper, who bounded out the front door only to race back inside the house at the teensiest rustle of leaves? High and mighty, honest to goodness maker and provider of all of Mooch? 

"Are you sure we are talking about the same thing?" Delilah wondered aloud. "Juniper is just an every day normal type of cat."

"Oh yes. Our Queen and provider wears a pink collar with a bell, has pointy ears and striped white and brown fur." Mr Rustynail said. "Here is my neighbour walking down the road, Ms Mousetrap. She can tell you all about it. She's a real follower."

Sure enough, there was a lady with a round red face and a dress made of one of Grandma's stack of Christmas doilies their Mom inherited and never brought out of their box. She was smiling big and coming right towards them.

"Hello Ms Mousetrap, these young people here are new to town. They have some questions about our high and mighty Meowzers." Bellowed Mr Rustynail.

"Well hi there and hello!" Said Ms Mousetrap. "I am your lady. I know every last thing about our Queen."

"Do you know where she is now?!" Cried Delilah and Kieran.

"Well sure. She is having her feast on Lostsock Mountain." Said Ms Mousetrap. "Same as she does every day."

They all set off towards Lostsock Mountain to find Juniper, errr Queen Meowzers. Along the way Ms Mousetrap told them the story of how the Queen had found them. Back then they didn't have one thing to string together to make another. No town, no cars, no houses, not even any clothes. The Queen had fallen out of the sky, chasing a mouse. The Queen was upset because the mouse got away and she was hungry. The people of Mooch had taken a liking to her and started to give her pets and scratches behind her ears. She started visiting every day and soon she started bringing things for them. She brought doll clothes, washcloths, paper clips, lego, pencils and seed packets. Then more and more was delivered. There were water bottles, flashlights, gluesticks, clocks, teeshirts and lighters falling from the sky! They used everything she brought them to build the land of Mooch and in exchange they trapped mice on Lostsock Mountain for her to feast on. 

The little bugger! That explained it all. Kieran and Delilah had to give her credit. She was obviously a whole lot more clever than they knew her to be. It also explained how she would disappear every day for a while. They always just thought she was sleeping in a strange hiding place, like under the bed or in a cupboard.  Never could they have imagined what she was actually up to each day.

They rounded a corner and came to a place where the floor was covered in bones. They looked up to see a mountain of old socks, so many of them they recognized as the missing pair to the ones in their own drawers. At the top of this mountain sat the cat, licking her chops and looking completely content. There were people scratching her ears and another person holding a bowl of milk for her. Clever little cat indeed!

Delilah called out "Juniper, you little furball. You better get down here."

Juniper looked at the group at the base of the mountain and her ears perked up. She gave a little meow and quickly came down to greet them. She rubbed up against their legs and swerved between them all, purring. 

"Oh Queen Meowzers." Exclaimed Ms Mousetrap."We are sorry to interrupt your feast. These newcomers wanted to see you."

Juniper meowed and Delilah and Kieran got her, picked her up and told the people of Mooch that they must be going. They ensured them that their Queen would be back the next day and they needed only to borrow her for a while. Mr Rustynail thanked them for coming for a visit and told them it was his pleasure to show them around. The people were kind and friendly and did not cause a panic or seem worried. They gave the cat another pet and wished them all well before continuing about their day.

Kieran and Delilah put the cat down and told her they needed to get back home before their Mom started to worry. They had been gone quite some time. Juniper seemed to understand because she quickly ran back where they had come from. They followed her through the town with the lovely people of Mooch waving and smiling as they went. The group came to Nerf Lake and the cat took off around the lakes edge. They followed as she went to the other side of the lake and soon they came to a drop off. The cat gave them a wink and jumped right off the edge and disappeared.  

Now what were they going to do? Kieran, forever the older protective brother, peered over the edge. It looked like foggy nothingness below. He couldn't see a thing. That darn cat they thought. Who's cat winks like that anyway? It was decided they must have to exit the Land of Mooch the same way they arrived. They would have to jump and trust that the cat knew how to come and go safely. What choice did they have? Again, on the count of three they held each other's hands and took a giant step off the edge and into the space below. 

They fell slowly, like before. Past more of their basement belongings. Snowshoes and Christmas wreaths, fishing poles and golf clubs. There was their Moms old track and field trophies. Delilah almost got hit by a pack of dead batteries. Then pop, they landed on their bums right back where they started, sitting in front of the green camping tarp. They grabbed the corners of the tarp and together they covered the opening back up. Nothing to see here!

They were so happy to be back in the familiar spot of their basement. They were their right shape and size and looked just as they should. No one would ever know they had gone on such a trip. They heard a rustling noise behind them and turned to see Juniper bound back up the stairs and out of the basement.

They slowly and silently crept back up the basement stairs. They opened the door and Kieran, Delilah and Juniper returned upstairs to rejoin the household. Just as they were closing the door, their Mom came around the corner and spotted them. 

"What have I told you about going into the basement on your own?" Cried their Mom. "It isn't safe down there for you. Mousetraps, dust and goodness knows what else."

"Oh yes, Mom. We were just getting the cat. She was trapped down there." Said Kieran.

"Ah, that little kitty. Always getting into mischief". Exclaimed their Mom.

"Yeah" The kids said together.

"Say, have you guys seen my water bottle anywhere? I can't find it and I have looked all over." Asked their Mom.

They looked over at the cat who gave them another wink.

"No Mom." Delilah and Kieran said together. "We haven't seen anything like that. It must be lost".