"Ok, come on then…" She sighed.

We went through into the house. Man this place was a palace. Some cats have all the luck… We went up the stairs, all three floors of them, until we reached the smaller rooms at the top. Pricilla came to a halt outside of one of the rooms.

"It's in there…" she said hesitantly. "In that room there is a door to a smaller room… it lives in there."

Unsure as to what I was letting myself in for, I braced myself and let some speed start to pump through my body. If this thing wanted a fight it was going to get more than it bargained for. Ben Gun could fight like the best and I wasn't about to be shown up in front of a queen. My vision cleared and my senses sharpened, the whole world seemed to snap into focus, and I felt invincible.

Slowly, I crept into the room, hunched low and moving with caution. I approached the door to the beasts' lair, the handle was of the lever type, which would pose no obstacle to a dexterous cat like myself. I paused and looked round to see that Pricilla had entered the room. She sat nervously waiting by the door.

There was something not quite right here.

"Are you sure it's in here?" I asked

"Yes that is where she put it," she replied. "It's a really small room though, with no windows or anything. It must be really cramped. Maybe that's why it roars so loud, I know I would be upset if I was kept in a room like that.

"I lowered myself and sniffed at the door. "But there's no scent," I commented. "Well not a live one anyway."

"But I know it's in there" She said, "I saw it myself. Maybe it doesn't have one?" She suggested.

"Aw come-on Kitt," I replied. "Everything has a scent, even humans. Okay so they spend half their lives trying to hide it, but they still one." I glanced once more at the door. "Well we'll soon find out."

I reached up and pulled down on the handle. The catch gave and the door started to swing open. I leapt back, clear of the opening door and dropped into a fighting stance, ready to spring into action should it decide to go for either of us.
Pricilla backed right, ready to run.
I moved in again, real slow and pulled the door open with my paw. The giant grey beast just stood there in its small room, motionless. Presuming it asleep, I moved in and hit it with a right jab. There was no response, so I tried a couple more hoping to wake it.
The speed was coursing through my veins, bringing on that fighting fever. I was ready for anything it tried, but it just sat there un-responding. I tried one last strike, an upper slash, with my claws fully extended. I caught it hard on a shiny lump that was located on its back. 'The damn thing nearly broke my claws!' Then something happened, its belly slowly opened up. (I was impressed with myself, I must be tougher than I thought.)

Out came its stomach, dropping forward. There was no blood, which I found rather strange but I had obviously wounded it badly.
Then the smell hit me! A stench of decay, and decomposing dirt. Whatever this thing ate, it certainly wasn't good. Full of the sense of victory I moved in once more and slashed at its belly, which exploded. A shower of dirt, dust and hair covered us both.

It was just then that the human entered. We had been so caught up in our fight with the beast that we had failed to notice her arrival. The human screamed so loud I thought my ears would burst. Pricilla and I looked at each other and ran. The clumsy human took a swing at me with the stick she was carrying, but she was far too slow to even come close.
We didn't stop until we reached the garden, panting, yet somewhat exhilarated by the excitement, we hid near the back wall, laughing at the situation and the state of us. That was until Pricilla had time to think about the situation.

"I'll have to leave," she stated mournfully.

"Why?" I asked.

I was not really concentrating on the conversation. As I was busy going over the recent events in my mind, trying to make sense of the whole situation.

"We just killed it," she said. "I mean you killed it but that human saw us both. She's bound to tell my Humans and they won't be happy. They'll probably have me down the vets for 'that thing' at the very least. Maybe even give me to someone else. I couldn't bear that."

There was something in the back of my mind, something I was trying to remember from one of the places I used to frequent. Meanwhile Pricilla was working herself up to something; I was listening, but only with my ears. 'If only I could place…'

"Those friends of my humans have always been interested in me." She continued, "But they are horrible they keep their cats in cages outside. I won't have that I would rather run away. You'll look after me wont you Ben? Do you there is room in that basement of yours for two?"

That brought me back with a bang.

"What umm… yes of course… but why?" My mind was now racing, with images of nights in that basement with her… I nearly yowled in delight at the thought.

"I'd rather make my own choice as to what happens to me, and where I end up," she stated, then: "So if I can't go back, I'll go with you." She saw the look of surprise on my face. "What's the matter?" She asked. "You look shocked. Isn't it what you've always wanted? What you always dreamed of? I may not have been brought up on the streets like you Ben," she said, "but I am no Persian. I can take care of myself."

PERSIAN!!! THAT WAS IT!!! I reached over and kissed her on the nose.

"You're an ace Pricilla, a real ace of diamonds come on…" With this I made to go back to the house. But Pris didn't move.

"I can't go back Ben," she said. "I told you. I'm not going to those people."

I went back over to her and said: "Look kitten, what you're offering is real sweet, but there is something not right about this, any of it. There's something that's been troubling me, something I've been trying to remember. That was until you reminded me."

"What?" She exclaimed, "What did I do?"

"It wasn't what you did." I replied, "It was what you said. One word, one little word brought back the link I was trying to think of."

"I don't understand Ben," excalimed Pricilla.

"'You don't have to," I said, somewhat smugly. "I'm the detective remember? I want another look at that monster, I've got a feeling it ain't quite dead."

"But you killed it Ben. I saw you, you ripped its belly open, nothing could have survived that."

"Look you're going to have to trust me on this Pris," I stated. "If what I believe is correct, you're not going to have to leave home and your not going to have to worry about being eaten alive."

With that I turned and headed back to the house, Pricilla was right behind me.
We sneaked back in and made our way cautiously back up the stairs. Sure enough as we reached the second landing we heard it.

"But that's impossible you killed it!" Pricilla exclaimed.

I said nothing and sneaked up the hallway towards the room at the end. We stopped outside the door and I pointed to the black lead stuck to the wall.

"Is that the leash you mentioned?" I asked.

"Yes that's it," she replied. "That's what stops it getting away."

I smiled to myself and peered round the door. Sure enough the female human was leading the beast back and forth across the room.
I signalled to Pris to come and look and as she peered round the edge of the door she saw it.

Looking horrified she was about to run when I stopped her. "It's okay sweetheart, you're quite safe, it won't hurt you." I said, trying to calm her. "Look lets go over to the room opposite where we can watch from a safe distance," I suggested.

We moved into the other room.

"I thought you said it wouldn't hurt me," Pricilla commented .

"It won't," I replied.

"So why the safe distance?"

"Its not that I'm worried about," I replied, indicating the beast. "But I wouldn't lay bets on that human being too happy to see us. We made one hell of a mess up there."

We watched as the human moved around the room with the thing. Stopping only occasionally to move some furniture, whilst leaving it standing, still roaring as she did so. Then she touched it with her foot and it stopped. She came out the room, removed its leash from the wall and moved it to another room, starting the whole process again.

We watched for a little while longer, but I'd seen enough.

"Come on," I said. "Lets go before we're spotted."

Back outside, I flopped over onto my side and started to wash the dust off. Pricilla came over and helped me before starting on herself. It felt so good that I had to fight, to retain my composure and believe me it was a far tougher fight than the one I had had earlier upstairs in that house.

After almost an hour of messing around, Pris suddenly stopped and looked straight at me.

"It was never alive was it?" She asked.

I sat up and smirked. "Nope."

"It's just a machine thing like the cloth wetter isn't it?"

I was still smiling. "Yep, just a machine," I replied, smugly.

"When did you work it out? And how?" She asked.

"Persian." I said.

"Persian?" How can a flat-faced fur-ball connect with a machine?"

"Well kitten as I've told you before, I have always worked the streets," I started to reply. "Well a few years back I had a nice little number going in a carpet shop, that sold Persian rugs. Which I always thought as kind of funny, as they look nothing like cats, they're not even fluffy, or made from their fur.
Anyway," I continued: "Seems these humans had mice trouble, --which is not a good thing for rugs,-- and old Ben is one of the best mousers there is. So I cleared out their mouse problem and they fed me chicken, tinned tuna and all sorts of other treats. I had the run of the whole place and they all liked me. Closest I've ever come to having a real home scince...
Anyway, they even gave me my own dirt box and let me stay in at nights…" I paused remembering those days of luxury. Pris seemed to sense this, and gave me my moment, before I continued:
"Anyway, they also did this thing called carpet cleaning, and I remember one of them bringing a machine in one day. A bit like that one, but much bigger and it had water in it as well. The first time I saw it, it frightened the life out of me, and like you I ran. One of them noticed this, and when I eventually returned, they made a real fuss of me. Even went and got me some salmon and cheese from Abe. Then they let me look at the thing slowly with it sleeping or switched off I think they call it.
After that they always made sure I was ready when they used it, so I could leave if I wished, which I usually did, not because I was scared, but because those things are so dammed noisy.
The place closed about two winters ago, and I forgot about the whole thing. Staying alive was more important. All that time leading an easy life, I got soft. The first winter after that nearly killed me. So as I said, the whole thing just slipped into the recesses of my memory."

I paused for a moment, and Pricila asked: "So how come you didn't remember it straight away?"

"When I was upstairs?" I asked, then: "I was only going on a description and I let my imagination get the better of me. All fired up like that, it was hardly surprising I went in off the deep end. But once I got outside, I had time to think about what you said and what I saw, but I couldn't quite bring that memory forward. Then when you said Persian, it all clicked into place."

I sat back and looked at Pricilla. I could see she was contemplating something.

"What is it Blue Eyes?" I asked. "What's still troubling you?"

She looked up at me, with those big eyes. "You," she said softly.

"Me?" I asked. "Why what have I done?"

"It's what you didn't do. I've misjudged you Ben and I'm sorry."

Speech failed me. She continued: "You knew it was a machine before we went back in didn't you?" She asked.
Still speechless all I could do was nod. "And yet you made me go back in to see it for myself."
Again I nodded.
"Knowing that if you kept quiet, I would have gone with you. I did mean it you know."

For a cat that was usually so full of himself, I was having real trouble with words all of a sudden.
"So knowing that, you took me back inside. Just so I would see for myself. Knowing that until I saw it I wouldn't believe it, and knowing that you were destroying the only chance you had of getting me all to yourself."

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