It was the kitten’s first Halloween, and she was enjoying it as much as could be expected. Not much at all. She had fled from the noise, the frenzy, and stumbled into the drain where I hide out this time each year. Normally this place is crawling with rats. It’s where young cats come to kill and earn a reputation. Not tonight. The rats were gone to their nests. The kitten barged right into me and bounced back against a wall. ‘Take it easy kid,’ I told her. ‘An old alley cat like me has survived lots of these. Just stay close and you’ll be fine.’ She licked herself nonchalantly, like she had no care in the world. I liked this kid. I pretended not to notice her jump as another bang resounded around the world. ‘It’ll be over soon enough,’ I assured her. ‘Of course it would be different if we were witch’s familiars. They have it easy alright. Flying around on broomsticks, laughing at us below. Although, between you and me kid, I’ve always heard that those witches get a bit too familiar, if you know what I mean.’ But she was too young to understand.
