The Jellicle Chronicles - Year Five

Cassie's Ball

”On the Beach of Memories” is what Rumblepurr had written as a title on his notepad as he sat on a pillow in the Nursery. He was still close to the two Black Jellicles, the subjects of the story that Nightchaser first allowed him to experience last moon. This time, he had learned more. Of course, he had collected other notes from the busy week that had culminated with the Jellicle Ball, and the disappearance of Aphrodite. But, the first on the list was the story of the Guardian and his Mate. 

      Rumblepurr chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip as he started to write. It was a truly strange story and he still could not grasp the full width of it. Feeling like he stood on the verge of an abyss of memories, this story seemed deeply embedded in all the Jellicles. Eyeing the sleeping couple in the Nursery, he set out to write down the past two days happenings, feeling the need to save this remarkable story for future generations. A smile crept across his face as he saw Shadowdancer wake up for a moment, scoot closer to Sundancer, and spoon up behind her to hold her back against his chest. The massive Guardian let Sunny use his arm as a pillow, which seemed to amuse him somewhat. Before he slipped back into sleep, Shadowdancer’s paw traveled over her waist, coming to rest above her abdomen. 

      Rolling the pen between his fingertips, Rumblepurr read over the series of notes he had made on the two Blacks. Even using shorthand, he realized this would be a long storyline. He hated to condense it in any manner. Then again, he could always write it out on scrap paper and then edit it. Finally, Rumblepurr shook his head. If he started going back over his notes, he would start to visualize again. He needed to put the story down, while it was still in his mind. With one more glance toward Shadowdancer with his Mate, Rumblepurr started to write.

      If you are asleep, really, really deep, it is almost as if you loose contact with yourself. You feel as if your mind and body are two separate beings, unchained and free. When this occurs, strange things float to the surface and reveal parts of yourself which you had never encountered before. 

      Sunny had fallen asleep in the afternoon, after having helped out watching over the kittens along with a couple of other Queens. Even though Jellylorum gave her a seriously displeased glare afterward, Sunny had insisted on being useful somehow. If she could not help find food, or rearrange her and Shadowdancer's quarters to suit them, she had to do something. So kitten watch it was. But now, she lay curled up on a big yellow pillow with little black and purple butterflies printed on it. Jenny had tucked an old but soft white blanket around her, caressed her cheek and wished her a pleasant nap. 

      The Black Queen had slid into the REM sleep faster than ever before. It was unsettling, but it soon passed. Quite often, her dreams focused around Shadowdancer and the Junkyard. And this night, the second of these subjects showed up first. She found herself standing out there; under a full moon so bright, it shone like a car’s headlight. At the entrance of the main section of the Yard, two piles of old furniture heaped on top of abandoned old lorries towered up like door pillars creating an entryway. In the strange moonlight, she saw Shadowdancer walk by her. She reached out, but something held her in place and he passed her by without seeing her. He stopped by one of the piles and looked up at it. His eyes found the right and safe path, and, within moments, he was at the top of it, finding a ledge made of an overturned old cupboard. Up there, he settled down on his knees, staring at the moon and then down at her. Sunny slowly turned her head in the dream, seeing a safe path up on the opposite side. Guided by the light, she easily made her way up, feeling lighter and faster than ever before. Once she reached her destination, she could see right over to Shadowdancer. As if on a silent signal, the two laid down, staring right at each other, their black-furred bodies arranged like Egyptian Sphinxes. In her dream, she closed her eyes. And fell! It seemed like she was pulled out and up from herself there in the Yard, and the next time she opened her eyes, she was somewhere else...