“Munkus, what happens to bad cats after they die?”
Munkustrap turned from his work, blinking as he glanced down at the group of kittens that were suddenly before him. They all had grim looks on their faces, and we’re shifting nervously on their paws. “What brought on such a morbid question, little ones?”
Pouncival and Etcetera glanced at each other, and Electra put her paws around Etcetera’s arm, cuddling close to her. “Well… We know good cats go to Heaviside when they die… We just wondered if bad cats go there too…”
Deep questions for kittens to ponder. Of course Munkustrap couldn’t blame them, with the ball having been not too long ago, and the questions of death and rebirth hanging amongst the Queens and Toms. “Alright, come…sit close. I’ll tell you the story of the Otherside.”
Etcetera couldn’t help but shiver at the name as she laid herself across Munkustrap’s lap, Pouncival getting in close to his side while Electra laid at his feet. “The Otherside..?”
“Yes.” His paw rested on her head as he put his arm around Pouncival, drawing him closer. “But first, I know you all know of the Heaviside Layer, the place where the Everlasting Cat herself resides, resting in a nest of clouds and stars. When a cat passes from this world, their souls are drawn up into her arms.”
“Even bad cats? Like Macavity?” Electra glanced up from by his feet.
“Every cat is taken to the Layer. Cats that are bad are pitied by the Everlasting. Bad cats-yes, like Macavity-simply need to be healed and taught the errors of their ways. But…”
He looked at each of them in turn, his voice lowering. “There are those that reject the Everlasting, and what she does for them, or there are those who wish to be reborn too early, or don’t think they had a deserved death. So they run from her.”
Etcetera rolled onto her back, scrunching her paws up to look as small as possible. “As they run, because they don’t have her to guide them to return to our world, they become lost and afraid. That is when they hear it, feel it deep within themselves, a longing, a desire. And so they follow it, not realizing what it is that is pulling them.”
“What is it..?” Pouncival’s voice had grown small.
“The Otherside. A place with no moon or stars, no light, and no warmth. It is a cold, heartless place, where the dark shadows the Everlasting banished from Heaviside reside.”
Electra pressed in close to his legs, and Munkustrap gently pulled her up to rest on his lap with Etcetera. “In the Otherside lays the opposite of the Everlasting Cat, a being made of pure darkness and smoke. It is he that draws the souls of these lost cats into the shadow, and he twists and warps them, changing them through fear, anger, and terror. Cats like Macavity, if he ends up there, would be made to relive all the horrible things he had done, all the pain he had caused, until there is nothing left of him. And he will be one with the shadow.”
“Do…do kittens go there?” Etcetera whimpered at the Guardian, hugging him tightly around the waist.
“No, of course not.” Munkustrap smiled brightly at her, leaning down and giving Pouncival a nuzzle until he broke into a smile as well. “Kittens are treasured, the Everlasting would never let any kitten be lost in the shadows. Besides, you all have a long, wonderful life ahead of you, you won’t be visiting the Heaviside Layer anytime soon. Does this answer your questions?”
“Yes! Thank you, Munkus!” Electra got up on her knees and gave the Guardian a lick on the nose, to which Munkustrap chuckled and groomed her ears affectionately.
“Off you go then. Have fun, and let me know if you need anything.”
Satisfied with the story, the three kittens ran off to find their friends, a new game brewing in their heads.
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