A Grand Celebration - Pt.3

The celebration was in full swing and cats were dancing and singing away.  The Black Queen was in a very jubilant mood and kept plying me with booze.  My vegetarian diet at the temple had never permitted partaking of hard liquor but to be polite, I had to drink and it was making my head spin!  I wondered whether I would pass out before the night was through!

At around midnight, a big black cauldron filled with boiling water was pushed into the centre of the hall.  Noticing my curiosity, the Black Queen laughed and said, "That's my special dessert!  It is made from several types of herbs and is simply divine!  We usually save it till the end of dinner."  She then left the table and went over to take a look at the boiling concoction.

Just then, Lao Tze, who was still working away on his computer, let out a sharp exclamation.

"What is it, Lao Tze?  Have you found something?"  I asked.

"Yes, look, I have no time to explain.  Just do as I tell you.  Pretend you are violently sick from all the booze you have drunk and leave the hall.  Quick, do it!":

"But ... but ..."

""Do as I tell you!"

There was an urgency in his voice which could only mean that he was dead serious; I was beginning to feel sick anyway, so pretending was no problem.  I asked to be excused and left the hall.  Lao Tze followed me  and once outside, he said, "We've got to get out of here fast!  Head for the castle walls, we can take off from there!"

I was still puzzled but did as I was told.

Just as we jumped on Lao Tze's star and took off, the Black Queen, Black Star and a few others came rushing out.

"Stop them!"  screamed the Black Queen but we had already shot into the sky and there was nothing they could do.

"What's going on?  Why did we have to leave so abruptly?"  I asked as we sped through the heavens.

"I shall tell you when we reach Earth.  Hang on tight!"

We flew at an incredible speed through space and in a short while landed on Earth.

"Now, my friend, I shall explain everything to you," said Lao Tze.  "Remember I was working on my computer for info on curses.  Well, I found a site which had everything I was looking for.  The Black Planet was placed under a curse by a wicked witch about 100 years ago when she failed to win the love of one of the princes and the only way to break the curse is to sacrifice a cat of three colours. You, my friend, with your black, brown and white fur was going to be the "sacrificial lamb" during the so-called victory celebrations tonight!"

"What?  I don't believe it!"

"I'm afraid the Black Queen made use of us. She's a cunning one, I must say.  She knew we sympathised with her over the destruction of her planet by Black Eye and saw the celebrations as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. You see, the curse can only be lifted if the sacrifice is made when the Black Planet aligns with seven other planets in the galaxy to form one straight line ... this happens only once in 500 years and tonight is the night!  The Black Queen knew this and was smart enough to hold the celebration on this night as a cover to get you here.  How else could she get a suitable sacrifice on a planet full of only black cats? She knew you trusted her and she took advantage of that.  There's nothing she won't do to save her planet, whatever the cost.  Unfortunately for her, we managed to escape, so I'm afraid the Black Planet will remain dark for another 500 years!"

""Phew!  That was a close shave.  No wonder all the cats were looking strangely at me.  I still can't believe the Black Queen has deceived us.  I truly thought she had turned over a new leaf.  How come they didn't come chasing after us?"

"Well, call it my sixth sense.  After we landed, I secretly removed a few vital parts from the Black Queen's spaceship - it won't be able to fly for a long time yet!"

"So you mean I'm quite safe from them?"

"Yes - at least for the next 500 years!"  laughed Lao Tze.

"Thank God you came with me, Lao Tze.  You saved my life again!  Just one more question - surely she could have kidnapped some cat from Earth instead of going through all this trouble?"

" Good question.  Believe it or not, the cat to be sacrificed had to have not only three colours but be a non-meat eater as well!  There wasn't enough time for her to go searching!  You were just perfect for her purpose! Well, I'm sure you've learnt a valuable lesson from this episode.  Be more careful next time.  I have to go now.  Sleep tight!"

I was unable to sleep of course just thinking that I nearly ended up as soup!  I blamed myself for being so gullible and resolved to apologise to Head Nun the next day for causing her so much fear and anxiety over my safety.  No more adventures for me if I can help it  ... that was my last thought as I at last fell asleep....

Escape from the Black Planet