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Summary: Can you figure out what story Misto tells to the kittens? E-mail me if you want to see more of these! You know, this may be my favorite story by me...
Jemima, Electra, and Etcetera were curled up in front of Jellylorum. The moon was rising over the trees, and, according to Jellylorum, it was time for kittens to go to bed. "Oh, please tell us a story first!" the kittens clamored.
Jellylorum looked surprised. "Me? I don't know any stories."
"Then read us one," Jemima suggested.
"I don't know how to read! Only some of the younger cats can do that," Jellylorum said.
"Excuse me," Victoria said, walking up to them, "but Misto can read. He was the first one to learn, you know. I'm sure if you found him a book he'd read it to you."
The kittens looked at Jellylorum hopefully. The older cat sighed. "Oh, all right. But only if he doesn't mind." The kittens cheered, and Vicki went off to find Mistofflees.
It wasn't difficult. Misto was almost always stargazing at this hour. "Misto," Vicki whispered.
The black cat jumped. "Don't do tha - oh, hi Vicki." He smiled shyly.
"Misto, the kittens want someone to read them a story. You're the best reader in the tribe, would you do it?" Vicki asked.
"Sure," Misto agreed readily. Victoria led him to the oven.
"Hi!" Misto said. "Have a book to read?" Electra held up a story book one of her humans' kids owned. Misto frowned. "Hmm... Well, I suppose it'll work, but it'll need a few adjustments." The kittens and Victoria settled down to listen, but Jellylorum made an excuse about having to do something for Jennyanydots and left in a hurry.
Misto opened to a random page in the book and began to read, changing the words here and there, of course.
One night - read Misto - Bustopher Jones was asleep in his bed. It was a very, very windy night. Suddenly, Bustopher heard a very strange noise - a noise he had never heard of before. "Brrrrrrrow."
"Is that you, Misto?" Bustopher said nervously, hiding under his blanket.
"Brrrrrrrow."
"Or, tell me about it in the morning, Munkustrap."
"Brrrrrrrow."
"Or, come in, Old Deuteronomy."
"Brrrrrrrow."
Bustopher Jones got up from his bed. Being a cat of very little brain (and here the kittens giggled), he decided to let the sound in. He grabbed his pop gun and lifted the latch of his door. "Hallo out there," he whispered. "Oh, I do hope nobody answers."
No such luck. A large, brown and white blur came streaking through the door, catapulting against Bustopher, who fell over backwards. The cat sat on Bustopher's stomach, looking down into his face.
"Hello," said the cat. "What are you?"
"I'm Bustopher Jones."
"Well, sure, of course you are. Uh, what's a Bustopher?"
"You're sitting on one," Bustopher said dryly.
"Oh!" The cat got up off of Butsopher Jones, shaking his paw as he went. "The names Tumble. T-U-M-B-L-E. That spells Tumble."
"What's a Tumble?" Bustopher asked.
"Well," said Tumble. "He asked for it." He began running haphazardly around the room. "The wonderful thing about Tumbles is Tumbles are wonderful things. Their tops are made out of rubber, their bottoms are made out of springs! The're bouncy trouncy flouncy pouncy fun fun fun fun fun! But the most wonderful thing about Tumbles is I'm the only one. I'm the only one!"
"Well then," said Bustopher, pointing to a mirror which featured Tumble's reflection. "What's that?"
Tumble skidded to a halt. "Gasp! What a strange looking creature!" He stared into the mirror. "Look at those beady little eyes. And that preposterous chin." He rubbed the feature. "And those funny looking spotted pajamas!"
"Looks like another Tumble to me."
"Oh no it's not," Tumble insisted. "I'm the only Tumble!" He turned to Bustopher Jones, pointing to the mirror. "Watch me scare the spots off that guy." He turned to his reflection, arched his back, and hissed. He then proceeded to frighten himself with his own reflection, turn around, and run under the table, with only his tail sticking out from under the tablecloth.
"Is he gone?" Tumble whispered.
"All except the tail."
Tumble whisked his tail under the table.
"He's gone. You can come out now." Bustopher looked around. "Tumble?"
Once again, Bustopher found himself being knocked over, this time from behind. The force of the blow caused him to perform a few somersaults. When he finally lay flat, Tumble was looking down at him.
"Hello," he said. "I'm Tumble."
"You said that already."
"Did I?" Tumble said climbing down from Bustopher's stomach. "Then did I say I was hungry?"
Bustopher blinked and got up. "I don't think so."
"Then I will." Tumble hugged his stomach. "I'm hungry."
"Oh, not for curry, I hope," Bustopher whispered.
"Curry! That's what Tumbles like best!" Tumble exclaimed, bouncing over to the table and dipping his paws in.
"I was afraid of that," Bustopher sighed.
Tumble stuffed his mouth with curry and ate thoughtfully. "Mmmm," he said. "Mmmhmm. Oh!" He dipped his paws in for more. "Oh, hmmm. Yech!" He pushed the plate away. "Tumbles don't like curry!"
"But you said-"
"Ah, that stuff's only fit for Macavity and rats."
"You mean heffalumps and woosels," said Bustopher, beginning to catch on.
"That's what I said, Macavity and rats." Tumble got up from his chair.
"Well, what do heffa- I mean, what do Ma- What do they do?"
"Oh, nothing much," Tumble said, wiping his paws. "Just steal curry."
"Steal curry!" Bustopher cried, pulling his plate toward him.
"Yup!" said Tumble. "Well, I better get going. TTFN, ta ta for now!" He shook Bustopher's paw and took off out the door. Bustopher could hear him singing as he bumped down the road:
"The wonderful thing about Tumbles is Tumbles are wonderful things! Their tops are made out of rubber, their bottoms are made out of springs! They're bouncy trouncy flouncy pouncy fun fun fun fun fun! But the most wonderful thing about Tumbles is I'm the only one. I'm the only one!"
The dark and windy night turned into a dark and rainy night. Bustopher Jones was still awake, Parading up and down the room was his pop gun over his shoulder to protect his curry from Macavity and rats. He walked up to the mirror and spoke to his reflection.
"I'm glad you're here," he said. "It's less lonely with two. I don't want to go to sleep, do you?" Bustopher shook his head, and the other one did, too. "Me neither. I'll tell you what. Why don't I go this way," he said, pointing behind him, "and you go that way." He pointed in the other direction. They nodded, and Bustopher went marching off. He had only taken a few steps when he turned around and ran back to the mirror.
"I didn't see anything, did you?" They shook their heads. "Neither did I." Bustopher went back to his post. He walked back and forth, back and forth, on and on, and on. Finally, he allowed himself to sit down to rest, just for a moment, and in seconds he had fallen into a deep sleep.
He began to dream.
In his dream, Bustopher was walking around, when suddenly giant plates of curry appeared and began to talk to him about Macavity and rats. Macavity and rats began to show up, eating the curry insanely. Bustopher ran around, trying to save his curry, until he finally woke up.
"And that's enough for tonight," Misto finished.
"Oh Misto," Etcetera said. "Please read just a little more! We're not a bit sleepy!" She stifled a yawn.
"Come on, Misto," Vicki called, "read a little more. The kittens are having fun." Vicki like to think she was too old for stories, but was really enjoying herself, too. Misto blushed bright red and began again.
It didn't stop raining in the 100 Acre - um - Junkyard. It rained for days and days. There was a rain shower in the bottom of page forty-two, and a cloudburst on page fifty-three. All through the junkyard it began to flood. Voices began to sing about the flood.
"And the rain rain rain came down down down, in rushing, riving rivlos. As the river crept out of its bed, it crept right into Misto's. Poor Misto he was (ahem) frightened, with quite a rightful fright, and so in desperation a message he did write. 'Help. M-m-misto. Me.' He placed it in a bottle, and it floated out of sight. And the rain rain rain came down down down, so Misto started bailing. He was unaware, atop his chair while bailing he was sailing."
"Jones too was caught, and so he thought: 'I must rescue my supper'. Ten curry plates he rescued, ordered by telephones, but as he sopped up his supper, the river sopped up Jones. And the water twirled and tossed him, in a curry pot! And the rain rain rain came down down down, the rain rain rain came down down down..."
Now, Old Deuteronomy's house lay on a hill, so the flood couldn't reach his house. All the cats were going there for safety. Jellylorum, Victoria (Vicki grinned), Skimbleshanks, and Alonzo arrived safely in an upside-down umbrella.
"Look what I found!" Vicki said once she was safely ashore. "A bottle! And it's got a message in it, too!" She handed it to Old Deuteronomy, who removed the paper.
"Help," Old Deuteronomy read, "M-m-misto. Me." He looked up. "Skimbleshanks, get word to Misto that we will be sending a rescue party. And while you're there, see if you can find Bustopher Jones."
Skimbleshanks nodded and jumped back into the umbrella, paddling away.
Meanwhile, Munkustrap was still out floating around, looking for a home for Skimbleshanks. Skimble's house had been blown down in the wind. Munkustrap spotted a farmhouse just sinking into the water. "There's one. Cozy cottage. Nice location. A bit damp for Skimble, though."
The first thing Skimble saw was Misto, floating on a chair, and then Bustopher, with his head stuck in a floating curry pot. "Hello, Misto!" he said, climbing onto the chair and perching on the back. "I am to inform you that measures are being executed to send out a rescue party on your behalf. Be brave, little Misto."
"It's very hard to be brave when you're such a very small animal," Misto said nervously.
"Then may I distract your small mind with my retelling of the story of my great uncle Thorbert who-"
Attracted by a loud rushing sound, Misto looked forward. They were headed straight for a small waterfall!
"Excuse me, Skimble?" he said.
"No interruptions, please." He continued with his story.
"But we're heading toward a rotterwall, a fotternall, a very large waterfall!" He began to back paddle furiously with his foot, but it was no use. They were dragged over the edge. Misto was thrown off of his chair, and Bustopher's face was wrenched out of the pot. Consequently, Misto fell into the curry pot, and Bustopher fell onto the chair, with the pot stuck under the seat. Skimble was still attached the chair's back, still talking as though nothing had happened.
They floated peacefully down the stream, right to the foot of Old Deuteronomy's hill. Skimble jumped off the chair to the ground. "Ah, Bustopher, there you are!" Old Deuteronomy exclaimed. "Have you seen Misto?"
"Excuse me," came a voice from the curry pot. "I have. What I mean to say is-" Misto's head popped out of the pot. "Here I am!"
"Why, Bustopher!" said Old Deuteronomy, "you saved Misto!"
"I did?"
"And that makes you a hero!"
"I am?"
"Yes. And we shall have a hero party."
And they did. As soon as the flood left, everyone gathered around a table, with Bustopher at the top. Old Deuteronomy began making a speech. "Now this party," he said, "is a hero party. Because of what someone did. And that someone is-"
"Ahem." Every turned and saw Munkustrap, standing by the path. "I found it."
"Found what, Munkustrap?" Old Deuteronomy asked.
"House for Skimble."
"Oh, good!" said Misto. "Let's go see it."
They followed Munkustrap through the woods, until they stopped right in front of -
"Misto's house?" said Alonzo in wonder.
"This is it," said Munkustrap. "It's got his name on it and everything. W-O-L. That spells Skimble."
"Why, so it does!" said Alonzo.
"It is a nice house, Munkustrap," said Jellylorum.
"It's a very nice house," said Alonzo.
"Yes," sniffed Misto. "It's the best house in the whole world."
Bustopher Jones leaned down. "Tell them it's your house, Misto," he whispered behind his paw.
Misto pushed Bustopher's face away. "No, Bustopher," Misto said. "This house belongs to our very good friend, Skimble."
"Why, Misto," said Alonzo, "where will you live?"
"Well, I guess I shall live... I suppose I shall live..."
"With me," said Bustopher Jones. "You shall live with me."
"Why thank you, Bustopher," Misto said happily.
Bustopher Jones turned to Old Deuteronomy. "Could we turn a one hero party into a two hero party?"
"Why of course we can," Old Deuteronomy agreed. And so Bustopher Jones was a hero for saving Misto, and Misto was a hero for giving up his home to Skimble. All the Jellicles went marching around the junkyard, singing about the two.
"We never will forget that hero of the wet, that quick-thinking, unsinking Bustopher. And Misto who indeed will help a friend in need, and truly they're the heroes of the day. So we say hip-hip-hooray for the Bustopher and Misto, hip-hip-hooray for Bustopher. Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray for Bustopher Jones!"
"And now we're really done," Misto said, closing the book. "No, don't say it," he added in response to the kittens' groans, "Jellylorum will kill me if I keep you up much longer."
"Will you come back tomorrow and read some more?" Jemima pleaded.
"Please?" begged Electra and Etcetera.
"Oh, fine," Misto said, grinning. "But for now, you'd better get in bed before Jellylorum skins me alive, or I won't be here to read to you! Get on! Scat!" The kittens ran off, chattering about floods and Bustopher Jones.
Vicki came up beside Misto. "Can I come tomorrow, too?" she teased.
"I certainly wouldn't mind," Misto mumbled.
Victoria grabbed Mistoffelees' paws. "Come on," she said. "I'm tired, too." And they went to go sleep in the drainpipe.
Note: As you probably already guessed, the story Misto reads to the kittens is his own version of part of "Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day." Now if you own either the book or the movie (but preferably the movie), then I want you to run and watch it before I go any farther. Try to guess which cat was which character! If you've done that or can't possible guess yourself, then here are the answers:
Bustopher Jones..........Winnie-the-Pooh
Tumblebrutus..............Tigger
Mistoffelees.................Piglet
Old Deuteronomy........Christopher Robin
Jellylorum....................Kanga
Victoria........................Roo
Alonzo.........................Rabbit
Skimbleshanks.............Owl
Munkustrap..................Eeyore