Money Can Buy Happiness

One day Jemima was walking down the street when she spotted something on the pavement.  She stopped, looking puzzled, and scratched her head. She stooped down, and saw it was a pound coin! 

She looked around cautiously, and tried to pick it up. She couldn't! She stayed there for a few minutes, meowing cutely, and trying to pick up the coin. She sighed, and walked off.

From behind the tyre, a round of giggles exploded, and Pouncival, Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie began to roll around on the floor, laughing.

"Did you see her face?" laughed Pouncival, thumping the floor with his hand.
"I know!" giggled Rumpleteazer

The three troublemakers were silenced by a whistle from around the corner. Quickly, they crept back behind the tyre, and who should come walking round the corner, twirling his tail in his hand, but Rum Tum Tugger!  The large maned tom stopped, spotting the coin and grinning admired himself in it's reflection.
"Heavyside! I'm gorgeous!"

Rum Tum Tugger walks off, still twirling his tail as the puzzled young Cats appear yet again.  The three mischeavous cats came out from their hiding place, looking puzzled.  They exchanged confused looks, before they were silenced by a familar sound.

"Mwahahahahahaha...."
"MACAVITY!" yelled Rumpleteazer, and they jumped behind the tyre, cowering in fright.

A few special effects later, a tall brown and white tom giggled hysterically, at the "cleverness" of his trick. The tom was no other than Plato, he sat down laughing hysterically.
"You all fall for that every time!" he giggled, "since when have i ever resembled Macavity?"

Suddenly there was another crash.  Plato glanced around as the other Cats emerged again.
"What was that?" Pouncival whimpered "I don't like the sound of that...."

Suddenly a small looking figure dizzily walked around the corner.  Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Pouncival and Plato peeped round the corner, and saw a familiar sight.  It was Etcetera! She looked around sheepishly, and spotted the four cats.
"Sorry guys," she said foolishly, "I ran into the oven again!"
Rumpleteazer rolled her eyes and sighed. 

Suddenly the group were silenced by an angelic voice singing. Rumpletezer quickly pulled Etcetera behind the tyre, and the five cats watched as a small female cat came dancing round the corner. It was Victoria.
"Hello! What's going on?" she asked smiling. "I followed Etcetera..."  

Rumpleteazer gave Etcetera an angry look! 
"Listen Vicky, we're playing a trick on everyone else, trying to get them to pick up that coin over there," she said, gesturing to the coin on the pavement, "As its April Fool's Day."
"Oh!" said Victoria, "I'll be off then. Come on then Etcetera."

With that the two cats walked off, arm in arm. Plato stared after Victoria dreamily, and started to follow.  Then a flash told the three mischeif-makers that Mistoffelees had arrived, so they dived back behind their tyre, hoping he would fall for their trick. 
 
Mistoffelees walked down the pavement and spotted the coin.
"Wow! That's shiny!" He said bending down. 

He like Jemima tried to pick it up but it wouldn't budge.
"Hmmmm that's weird!"he muttered. 

Behind the tyre, the three trouble makers were doubled over with silent laughter, they couldn't believe that the supposedly clever Cats of the tribe had fallen for such a stupid trick. But their laughter was cut short when they heard Mistoffelees exclaim.
"PRESTO!"
They looked around the side of the tyre to see Mistoffelees using his magic to remove the coin from the ground! He stood up smiling to himself. 

Rumpleteazer exchanged annoyed looks with Mungojerrie. 
"Pouncival? I thought you said that coin wouldn't come off the pavement! Magic proof you said!" she exclaimed angrily.

She glanced round to hear Pouncival's explanation, but he was no longer there!

"Mungojerrie? That was our last pound!" she sighed.
"We'll get him!" replied Mungojerrie, watching the small, brown figure of Pouncival run out of the junkyard, like he was running from Macavity.

An evil smile spread across Mungojerrie's face. 
"We'll get him back," he said
"Go on. What's the plan?" prompted Rumpleteazer, leaning in to her mate.
"Well..." began Mungojerrie in a hushed voice, "What we'll do is we'll jump him tonight. When he least expects it.....Mwahahaha!"

Rumpelteazer smiled
"Oooooh you're evil.....you should have swirls coming out of your eyes while the overture plays very slowly in the background..."
Mungojerrie stared at her.
"What?"
"Doesn't matter!"
The two notorious cats made there way to the oven, and hid beside it, patiently awaiting Pouncival.

At last, at 12:08am, three hours after them hiding, Pouncival came walking past dizzily.  He had had too much catnip, and was singing to himself joyfully, unaware he was being watched.

The two naughty cats, exchanged evil glances. Mungojerrie nodded.
"After three," he whispered, "one...two...THREEE!"

The two Cats jumped out and found themselves face to face with none other than the tom who had foiled their plan!
"Misto!"
"Hi! You'll never guess what?" the black and white tom asked excitedly.
Rumpelteazer rolled her eyes.
"What?"
"I found a pound!"Misto grinned.
"How did you get out?"Mungojerrie cried his eyes wide with terror.
Mistoffelees looked confused.
"What?"
"The pound...how did you get out?"Mungojerrie asked.
Mistoffelees frowned.
"How can you be inside a pound?"
Rumpelteazer sighed.
"He thinks you mean a dog pound"she said.
Misto laughed.
"Nooooo! Money! I went to the shop and bought some toffee...want some?"
"You spent our pound....?"Teazer yelled, her face turning red.
"No, my pound!" Mistoffelees said recoiling slightly at Rumpleteazer's fury not noticing that Mungojerrie had been helping himself to the bag of sweets. 

"No!" Rumpleteazer yelled, "It was our pound. Pouncival stuck it to the pavement, and you....you nicked it!" Rumpleteazer was turning a funny shade of purple in her rage. 

"Calm down!" said Mistofeelees, "I didn't know it was yours. I just picked it up off the floor. You can't expect people not to if you put it there!"
"IT WAS GLUED TO THE PAVEMENT!" screamed Rumpleteazer, "WASN'T IT MUNGOJERRIE?"
Mungojerrie nodded, and continued stuffing his face with toffees, gleeful that Mistoffelees hadn't noticed yet.
Mungojerrie stuffed the rest of the toffees down his vest, and handed Mistoffelees back the empty bag.
"I'll sort her out," he reassured Mistoffelees, "C'mon Teaza."
"What? No!" she cried.
Mungojerrie picked up his petite mate, and carried her back to their home.

When the got there, Mungojerrie put down the kicking and screaming Rumpleteazer, and said "Shhh! I have a plan, to get our own back on Misto."
"Ooooh!" said Rumpleteazer, suddenly interested, "What is it?"
"Well we'll need some toffees..."
"Check."
"...a corkscrew...."
"erm...Check!"
"...and some superglue." Mungojerrie laughed.
"Ok! Check!"
"Right. We're ready then..."  

Meanwhile back at the Junkyard, Victoria was sat grooming herself on the tyre.
Suddenly, she heard a strange noise coming from her left...there it was again!
Victoria began to get worried....
"Oh no! I hope it's not Macavity!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Victoria lept nearly 20 feet into the air, she spun round to see Mistoffelees stood laughing hysterically!
"Plato's right! That gets everyone!...You're face it was.."
He broke off laughing.

Unfortunately Victoria didn't see the funny side and got extremely angry!
"YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER IDIOT! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU PLAYING AT...TRYING TO SCARE ME LIKE THAT! PLATO DID THAT TO OLD D THE OTHER DAY AND NEARLY GAVE HIM A HEART ATTACK!"

Outside the Junkyard, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer were on their way to scewer Mistoffelees when they heard Victoria yelling.
"What's goin' on?" Mungojerrie asked puzzled as they entered the Junkyard.
 
They peeped round the corner, and the sight that met their eyes caused them to exchange worried glances.

They watch in horror, as Victoria chased a yelping Mistoffelees around the Junkyard, with a corkscrew!  They shrank back as Victoria, clearly bored of her 'game' rounded the corner.

"Damn it!" said Rumpleteazer, "She got here before us"
"It doesn't matter," grinned Mungojerrie, "we still have the toffee!"
"Oh yeah!" replied Rumpleteazer

The mischievous pair walked over to Mistoffelees, who was nursing his bleeding paw.
"Did you two see what that loon did to me?" he asked
"No, but it don't take a brain surgeon to work it out. What with you bleedin', and Vicky stompin' off with a corkscrew!" said Mungojerrie.
"Anyway," interrupted Rumpleteazer, fearing Mungojerrie would give away their carefully prepared plan, "We brought you some toffee, to make up for the stuff 'Jerrie ate."
"Thanks guys," Mistoffelees said, "What would I do without you?"

The naughty couple watched in glee as Mistoffelees took a hand ful of toffee and raised his paw to put it into his mouth.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" wailed a voice, as a fluffy white object hurtled across the Junkyard, "DON'T EAT THAT!"

Mistoffelees stopped in surprise. He looked at the crumpled mess that was the flying white thing, and saw to his amazement that it was none other than Victoria!

"What?" Mistoffelees asked looking surprised.
"Don't eat that!" Victoria said quietly.
"Why not?"
"They're gonna poison you with it" Victoria said, beginning to cry.
"Poison me?" Mistoffelees squeaked." Why would you care? You hurt me before!"
"Misto! I love you! That's why i poked you with the corkscrew!"
Mistoffelees looked at her wide eyed.
"You do?...But that doesn't make sense!"
I know i tried to kill you..but i have a weird way of showing affection" Victoria blushed.

Mistoffelees suddenly looked exremely happy!
"Oh Vicky!"
"Oh Misto!"
The pair of them hugged as Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer stared in disbelief.

Later, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer sat in their home, still trying to understand what had just happened.

Mistoffelees and Victoria had gone into romantical couple mode, after Victoria's revelation, and had walked off, hand in hand.

"I can't believe they foiled our plan again!" sighed Mungojerrie.
"I know, stupid Victoria though," replied Rumpleteazer, "I mean thinking we were goin' to poison him. Honestly! We were only goin' to stick his teeth together for a while..."
"Yeah. I mean he's a magician. I'm sure he could have unstuck it. Like he did our pound"
"I don't know what she got so upset about!"

Mungojerrie sighed, and wrapped his arm around Rumpleteazer. 
"Never mind, eh? At least she'll take him off our hands for a bit," he said.
"Yeah. It'll give us time to deal with more pressing matters" she grinned.

Copyright Velina and LilTeaza