The Carter File

Molly slowly opened her large green eyes and blinked at the glowing red numbers on the bedside clock. 1:30 a.m. silently cut through the dark. Perfect. The meeting started in half an hour. That gave her more than enough time to grab a quick snack and check on the house before heading out. She stretched her long, lithe limbs, arched her back, and let out a satisfied sigh. Once on her feet, she stretched once more for good measure. The catnap had been a good one. The kind that left one feeling rejuvenated and clear-headed.

Before moving to the kitchen, Molly gave a quick look over her shoulder. Thomas still slept, his mouth slightly ajar. A soft snore tickled the back of his throat. Contented that her movements hadn't woken him, she padded down the hall to stir up some grub. On silent feet, Molly moved from room to room, checking each door and window to make sure they were locked. She then made a point of checking on each sleeping person, taking extra care with the children. Satisfied that all slept soundly, she headed for the back door.

Clear of the house, she broke into a fast trot. She hurried to the McCreedy's barn across the field from the small farmhouse she called home. The crisp night gave the first inklings of autumn. Molly loved how the cold air felt rushing past her ears.

She made it to the McCreedy's yard just as the distant town clock tower gave a double chime. At the exact moment, Angel's long-limbed figure came into view from the opposite side of the yard. Her younger sisters, Bets, and Paige, followed her. The trio nodded a silent hello to Molly, and they entered the barn together. Inside, a group of about twenty had gathered in the shadowy space. Shafts of blue moonlight seeped through the weather-worn roof interrupted the darkness. The dramatic effect added to the tension felt by all in attendance.

Molly found a spot next to a small calico cat called Sweets. Well, not a cat, more of a kitten. Sweets, not yet a year old, sat with the alertness of one desperate to be taken for an adult. She nodded to Molly, excitement at having been invited to the meeting exuded from her taut muscles, which quivered in the moonlight.

Remembering her own maiden invitation, Molly suppressed a smile. She wondered how excited little Sweets would be when things got real.

“As you know, we are here to discuss a grave matter,” Miss Cups' confident voice proclaimed, quieting the din produced by small talk and greetings from the meeting's attendees. She stood on the far side of the barn atop a makeshift stage of farmer McCreedy's dilapidated tractor. Seeing that she had everyone's attention, Miss Cups continued, “So far, three of our number have fallen prey to the vile beast posing as the human Mrs. Mary Carter. This alien creature has taken up residence in our fair and humble community, keeping hoards of maddening parakeets and poisoning felines!” Miss Cups swished her tail with agitation, punctuating her words.

Molly’s face soured. Mrs. Carter was a Lyranian. As far as cats were concerned, these aliens were either the best or the worst thing to take up residence on earth. Aliens like Lyraninas had a penchant for keeping small, cute creatures as pets. These included hedgehogs, birds, most breeds of small dogs, rodents, and even cats, especially the Scottish Fold. This scenario tended toward the mutually beneficial when cats were the object of affection. However, it could go awry when other small fluffy creatures were the “pet” of choice. As one can imagine, cats also have a great taste, so to speak, for small, fuzzy creatures. This ended up being a point of contention between the Lyranians and cats, especially since Lyranians took to poisoning the felines to keep their fluffy broods safe, causing local cat populations to retaliate.

“The presence of this interloper must be eradicated before more harm can come to us!” Miss Cups announced, raising her hackles. “We must do away with this menace before more of us come to harm.”

“What do you suggest we do?” asked a gruff voice from the back of the barn.

Molly turned to see who had spoken. A large alley cat emerged from the shadows, revealing intelligent yellow eyes in a large orange head.

“As you well know, Midas, we cats have our ways,” replied Miss Cups. “You who were right beside me during the Reptilian Invasion five years ago know what we are capable of.”

“A family of three is hardly an invasion,” retorted Midas with a swish his long tail, his fight-notched ears twitched.

A smattering of giggles rippled through the crowd. “Have you stopped to think that this Mrs. Carter knows what cats are? What are we doing here, and this is why she poisons us?”

Miss Cups snorted and rolled her eyes, “Only the insane think cats are alien spies delivering messages to their overlords. Not even other aliens believe the rumors are true.”

This fact had often bewildered Molly. Cats had been deposited on Earth by the Andromedans thousands of years ago as a means of gathering information on human advancement. During naps, everything a cat saw and heard was transmitted directly to the Andromedans, where transcribers recorded and filed away the data. Over the centuries, this tactic had been played out on several other class M planets throughout the solar universe, giving rise to the abundance of cats throughout the cosmos. As a result, the Andromedans have one of the most complete and well-documented libraries on alien existence in the universe. One had to wonder why more didn't suspect what cats were up to. After all, wasn't all that napping suspicious?

“As far as Mrs. Carter knows,” Miss Cups pointed out, “cats are only a threat to her parakeets, not to her personally. She has no idea of our advanced mental status. She only sees us as bird killers in need of poisoning to protect her precious feathered friends.

“All right. I assume you have a plan?” Midas curled himself into the seated position and neatly wrapped his tail around his paws. Molly noted how majestic he looked in the shaft of moonlight raking through the barn's roof.

A cat to Miss Cups' right stood and came forward. He outlined a plan involving most of the cats gathered to rid their community of the horrible and murderous Mrs. Carter. Tiger had been the military mastermind behind the obliteration of the epic rat plague perpetrated by the Reptilians as a food supply. After the team had expunged the trio of scaly intruders, rats had nearly overrun the town. The local cats had gotten to work, systematically exterminating the furry scourge.

Having finished doling out instructions and parts to be played, Tiger dismissed his makeshift army of felines until the following night. They would meet at Mrs. Carter's home and execute her “accidental” death.

Molly said her goodbyes to her cohorts and made her way back across the field to her family's house. She silently entered the kitchen through the cat door, and curled her sleek gray body against the warmth of her Thomas' feet, and waited for sleep as she mentally reviewed the plan for the following night.

“Can you believe it? They’re using me!” Sweets practically danced with nervous joy. “My milk siblings told me I was too small, but I told them I had to try.”

Molly smiled. “Everyone must prove themself at some point. Earlier is better than later. I am very proud of you, as will be your milk sibs when they hear. Did none of them come with you?”

“No, our mother wouldn’t allow it. I snuck away.” Sweet lowered her eyes.

“I see. Well, there’s no helping that now. Tiger has chosen you. I am sure you’ll bring honor to your family and name.” Molly smiled again and pressed her gray head softly against Sweets orange and black brow. “You will be amazing tomorrow. Rest well.”

***

Just before one the following morning, Molly joined Angel under the hydrangeas bordering the redwood fence of Mrs. Carter’s backyard. A few minutes later, the clock tower gave its solitary chime, and together they silently scaled the fence and tightroped along its edge to the garage. Once atop the roof, they located the open bedroom window with the damaged screen, compliments of Tiger’s visit the prior afternoon, and tiptoed into a vacant bedroom.

Once safely inside, they peered up at the walls of their entry point. The moonlight streaming in through the window illuminated the small room. At least fifty framed pictures of parakeets started down at the intruders.

“More than a little creepy,” commented Angel of the room's decor.

“I couldn't agree more,” Molly whispered, suppressing a shiver. How could anyone be so obsessed with squawky birds? The idea was beyond Molly's comprehension. “Let's get this over with.”

Angel arrived at the door to the hallway first and made sure the way was clear. The duo crept toward the stairs to the living room. Here they sneaked through the landmines of cloth-covered birdcages where scores of parakeets slept.

Finding their way to the kitchen, Molly leaped easily onto the Formica counter and nosed at the casement window overlooking the farmhouse’s front porch until it swung outward.

On silent paws, cat after cat funneled through the kitchen window. Like a well-oiled machine, each found its place among the birdcages, doorways, and overstuffed home furnishings. Molly and Angel crossed the living room again and took up their assigned post at the top of the stairs next to the grandfather clock.

Miss Cups and Tiger double-checked to see that all were in their appointed spots and ready to proceed. Satisfied, Tiger gave the nod.

At his signal, the ten or so cats positioned around the living room lunged and jumped at the fabric blanketed cages, toppling them.

The cacophony of crashing metal and shrieking birds rang throughout the sleeping house. The closed door at the far end of the hall slammed open, exposing the rotund figure of Mrs. Carter, complete with hard-rollered hair wrapped in a kerchief and flannel nightgown falling to mid-varicose-mapped calves.

In her plump hand, she brandished a wooden baseball bat ready to dispatch who or whatever caused this caterwaul from her precious parakeets. Just as she took her first step into the hallway, Bets and Paige raced from their hiding place just outside Mrs. Carter's bedroom door. They blocked the old alien's way with their bodies.

The result couldn't have made the war party happier. Mrs. Carter’s attention focused on the commotion downstairs, didn't notice the two small cats right in front of her. When her barefoot came in contact with the furry body of Paige, she lost her balance and began to topple forward. In an attempt to regain her equilibrium, she hopped along on her other foot, only to set it down on Bets' tail. The combination of cat screech and bony tail only served to upend Mrs. Carter further. She lost the battle to stay on her feet and tumbled in a heap of plastic curlers and chubby limbs just outside her bedroom door. The fall caused her to bang her head rather harshly on the hardwood floor, loosening her grip on the bat, which slid down the smooth polished wood just out of reach.

Mrs. Carter lay on the cold floor, bewildered and confused. Wet, sticky blood spilled from a cut near her temple. With an effort, she pushed herself to her feet and peered into the dark hall. She spotted the dropped bat and moved toward it. As she bent to retrieve her weapon, Sweets, who lurked in the shadows of the hall, hissed and swatted at Mrs. Carter’s stooped face. The attack startled the old Lyranian, causing her to leap sideways, placing her backside toward the top of the stairs. Her position gave Angel and Molly a clear shot. Together the cats burst from the shadow of the grandfather clock and leaped into the air. They landed squarely on the alien's sternum, knocking her towards the lip of the top stair. Tiger and Miss Cups, seeing their cue, charged up the stairs and twined themselves round her ankles, causing Mrs. Carter to begin her backward descent. With madly cartwheeling arms, the Lyranian tried to remain upright but failed to grasp the railing. As gravity took hold, Mrs. Carter’s eyes danced wildly, looking for whom or what was to blame for this inexplicable series of events. Her eyes caught Mrs. Cups' cool green stare, and the full motivation of the attack became clear.

“Cats?” she whispered, “But that's just a rumor.” Before she could say more, Mrs. Carter tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap at the foot, her neck at an impossible angle.

Mikey and Snubbs, part of the crew who had attacked the cages, crept cautiously up to the prone figure and gave it a tentative sniff. Mikey nodded to Tiger.

Miss Cups sprang to the banister and addressed the cats in attendance, “Good work, everyone. The alien known as Mrs. Carter is no more.”

A cheer went up, which from an outside perspective would have sounded less than joyful unless you're the type of person who likes the stridencies of yowling of cats.

As the war party congratulated themselves, Snubbs let out a grief-stricken cry that cut through the exuberant din.

A short, calico tail protruded from underneath Mrs. Carter’s heavy form. The group looked on in horror as Midas advanced on what appeared to be the crushed figure of Sweets. Midas gave the tail a tentative sniff, and finding no life in it, gave a single nod to Miss. Cups at her post on the banister.

“Once again,” Miss Cups began, “our number has suffered a casualty. Today our family mourns the loss of yet another. Dear Sweets has gone home to Andromeda. However despairing this tiding may be, we shall have to forego our grieving. Our work here is nearly finished.” Miss Cups turned to Angel. “Open one of the cages,” she called to the cats waiting near the fallen cages.

“What about Sweets?” called a faceless voice.

“We leave her.” Midas gave Sweet’s limp tail a loving nudge with his scarred nose before moving up the stairs.

With a cage worth of birds flying wildly around the house, the cats gathered themselves into a procession and gave Sweets a last sniff before exiting through the parakeet room and back to their homes.

Molly Stopped and pressed her head against Sweet’s tail and gave a silent prayer of thanks for her sacrifice. She would be sure to tell Sweet’s milk sibs of their sister’s bravery.

***

The following morning, Molly awoke to hear her family discussing the untimely death of their neighbor, Mrs. Carter. A neighbor’s cats had sneaked into her house sometime in the night and tried to get at her parakeets. From the looks of things, Mrs. Carter went to investigate the commotion with her birds when she startled the creature, and in its attempt to escape, it tripped the poor woman who fell to her death, ironically crushing the cat beneath her.

Molly stretched and lolled on her back in Thomas' empty bed. A pang sliced through her heart at the mention of Sweets and her sacrifice for the community. The sadness quickly transformed to triumph at the thought of what a few cats could accomplish when organized. The satisfaction longed for by cats everywhere glazed Molly’s eyes, and she began to purr.

***

If you enjoyed this short fiction piece, consider checking out some of my other short stories.

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