Special Mention - Angus Smith

Chapter Two

The Cat Man by Angus Smith (Auckland North Intermediate)

It wasn’t a cold morning, yet Remy was shivering in fear. The amber dawn light lit up the scene before him as if it was upon a stage and he was an actor. It was one hundred percent unmistakable–someone had been in his back yard. Dad clomped sullenly from the cramped canvas tent, yawning like a grizzly bear.

‘Hey, Remy!’ Dad frowned, clapping his son heartily on the back. ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost. You okay, mate?’

‘Yeah, D.’ Remy mumbled thoughtfully, taking the dressing gown that his father proffered.

It was then that the boy noticed the exotic, almost soporific fumes that drifted out of his house’s open back door. His face lit up. Remy bounded eagerly towards the faded white Titirangi house that he’d called home for as long as he could remember.

Mum stood in the doorway, and she was smiling.

‘Oh, you two!’ she laughed, throwing an arm about Remy. ‘Come on in and help yourself to some of your mum’s cooking.’

The happily reunited family sat around the bulky oak dining table, chomping down bacon and eggs. Behind the table stood a gargantuan fish tank, crammed with all manner of assorted fish and even a pygmy octopus. After Remy had eaten his fill, he pranced over to the tank, pressing his chubby face against the glass.

‘Hi Simon, Jethro, May, Jerome and Mary-Sue.’ Remy beamed, his jubilance causing him to forget all about the late-night visitors.

Remy was happy. He was happy, for the first time in many a month. His parents were actually talking again!

*   *   *   *   *

The fish named Simon, Jethro, May and Jerome peered out in dismay at their pet human.

‘Why is that foolish tool grinning like a startled starfish?’ the depressive clownfish Jethro moaned. ‘Doesn’t he know what’s going on?’

‘Humans are boring pets, stupid too,’ the young May huffed, pouting. ‘Why did we have to choose them? They suck. All they do is hover about doing nothing. Let’s just bin them!’

‘Now, now, May,’ the whiskered elder Simon shook his striped head, ‘enough of that contumely language. We have to help the humans; it’s our responsibility as owners. But how to tell them?’

‘Rikkygee!’ the octopus Mary-Sue gurgled, crawling out from behind the tall rock. ‘Indeed, how were we meant to communicate that the Cat-Man has been patrolling their garden and violating their home? Rikkygee! I fear for our pets’ lives.’

‘Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.’ Simon nodded encouragingly.

‘They’re dead.’ The black emo fish Jerome muttered. ‘The Cat-Man is an evil magical mutant of unbelievable power. Rem-e and his stupid folks are doomed.’

‘I knew it!’ Jethro sobbed, hiding in the wrecked pirate ship.

‘Guys, calm down.’ Simon groaned, ‘We’ll work this out.’

May and Jerome swam away after Jethro, leaving the aged fish and the octopus alone. Mary-Sue flexed her tentacles agitatedly.

‘Looks like it’s up to us two again. Rikkygee!’

‘Another schism. I wish those three would help for once….. hey, look!’

The humans, in their furnished tank, were packing up to leave. After a few moments they had left, the front door clicking shut ominously behind them. Silence reigned for a while.

‘Now we wait.’ Simon muttered, breaking the spell

Sure enough, the cat-Man came. He stepped straight through the wall, its fangs bared. It stood for a few moments, sniffing the air. Simon and Mary-Sue quickly hid with the other marine creatures inside the wrecked pirate ship.

The ghastly apparition moved. It was at the secret wall safe, scraping at it with its sharp claws. The fish (and octopus) held their breath. Without further ado the cat-Man wrenched off the safe door. Its brute strength was terrifying to behold.

Within the pirate ship, the fish were almost hyperventilating in terror. The depressive Jethro was so terrified that he reverted to his dog-mode.

‘Woof!’

‘Good lord,’ Simon moaned, shooting an angry glance at Jethro, ‘Not this again!’

‘Growl.’

‘Shut up!’

‘Bark.’

‘Be quiet or I’ll throttle you. Rikkygee!’ Mary-Sue warned.

‘Whimper.’

Unfortunately, the Cat-Man had heard them. Cocking its hideous head to one side, the fell being stalked cautiously around the room. No fish dared to breathe. Finally, when the Cat-Man was unable to locate the source of the noise, it returned to the safe. As the fish watched helplessly, the Cat-Man withdrew several bulging bags of what was presumably the humans’ money. Then the Cat-Man simply walked through the wall and was gone.

Once he was sure that they were in the clear, Simon huffed, ‘Oh dear, I didn’t think that hideous creature would strike so soon! What on earth can be done now?’

‘Our pets are stuffed.’ Jerome muttered.

‘Now don’t be so negative, guys.’ May smiled half—heartedly.

‘Woof.’

‘Why does he always have to do that?’ Simon said irritably.

‘I’ve had enough of all this pet business!’ May proclaimed, resuming her customary dramatic temperament. ‘I say we should release Remy and his family back into their natural environment.’

‘Their cage is a bit restricting,’ Mary-Sue admitted, squelching to the top of the ship’s mast, ‘Rikkygee! Maybe May’s right.’

‘I agree.’ Jerome mumbled.

‘Guys.’ Simon pleaded, ‘Have a heart!’

‘Growl.’

‘No, Jethro, you’re on your elder’s side, okay? If you agree with them then no feed for you.’

‘Whimper.’

‘Thank you, at least someone’s on my side.’ Simon glowered at his companions.

But at that moment, he front door of the humans’ enclosure banged open. They had returned! The burly human father rushed in dismay to the broken safe. The female clapped her hands over her mouth and Remy himself merely looked bewildered. But after a few moments the boy’s face began to change as he realized what must’ve happened.

The fish (and octopus) could almost picture Remy’s thoughts exactly. Oh dear god, the people rooting around my back garden! Why, oh why didn’t I at least tell Dad about my fears?

Eventually, the humans departed into the next room. Mary-Sue held her bulbous mottled head in her tentacles, panicking.

‘Oh good lord, good lord! Rikkygee! We might as well have left those humans to fend for themselves, judging by how excellent we are as owners.’

‘Bark.’

‘I agree with Jethro.’ May announced, her blue scales rustling in agitation. ‘We should’ve stood up to the Cat-Man, not hid like a bunch of cowardly greenhorns. Simon, you’re an old fool!’

‘Now, now,’ the elderly fish glared frustrated, stroking his whiskers, ‘Enough of that contumely banter, young one.’

‘Contumely yourself, square.’ Jerome shot at his elder. ‘Just because you’re not phat enough to stand up to some fanged clown!’

‘What era do you live in, seriously?’ Mary-Sue complained. ‘Rikkygee! phat- I man, really?’

‘Wooof!’ Jethro barked, silencing the increasingly inane squabbling.

‘Jethro’s right,’ Simon sighed, hanging his head, ‘We’re becoming naught but hyper babies!’

The others all looked to the pebbled floor shamefacedly.

‘Okay,’ May said slowly, breaking the reflective silence, ‘Jerome, Simon, Jethro, Mary-Sue, Cat-Man… wait, Cat-Man?’

Indeed it was. In all his fearsome glory, the Cat-Man stood before them, in a more shrunken form. Hissing evilly, the wicked demon took a step towards the terrified marine creatures.

‘Wh-what are you going to do with us?’ Jerome stammered, his pupils paling in fear.

The Cat-Man grinned in an eerily unfathomable fashion. Then he pounced. Caught tight in the grip of vice-like teeth, Jethro uttered one last, pitiful ‘Whimper!’

‘How dare you!’ a sobbing May screeched, launching herself at the villain.

‘May- nooooo!’ Simon yelled, throwing his feeble frame after her.

But salvation came in the form of Mary-Sue the octopus. Leaping from the mast of the ruined pirate ship, she wrapped herself around the sleek neck of the Cay-Man. Yowling and ripping at the fleshy tentacles with his claws, the Cat-Man eventually toppled under the octopuses bulk. Thrashing madly through the pebbles, a whirling mass of yellow, orange, black and glinting teeth, the two creatures were locked in a fight to the death. Aye, an epic fight to the death! But eventually, the melee ceased and the writhing halted. Cheering their brave friend, the three surviving fish hauled the battered, bruised but very much alive Mary-Sue from the snarling stiff.

‘Rikkygee! Mary-Sue… saved us?’ the octopus smiled, beginning to pass out.

‘You certainly did!’ May beamed, heartily embracing her friend.

‘But look at this.’ Simon gasped, peering at the deceased Cat-Man. ‘It looks like he’s wearing a mask!’

‘Well let’s see who he really is, for Jethro’s sake.’ Jerome said bluntly, reaching down and pulling off the highly intricate cat mask.

Upon seeing the face beneath, the fish all screamed collectively in horror.

‘We killed him!’ May moaned, bursting into tears.

Beneath the mask, gazing up at them with a cold, dead stare was- Remy?