Narratives

I've started to get down on paper some of the narratives relating to my characters. I thought I'd jot them down here. They're the back stories of the relationships between Scrawny, Deaders and Lady Delores Raphus-Schilling.

Scrawny

On a frosty morning near old London town

A flea-bitten cat jumped off the fat belly of a clown

Who had passed out under the stars, in a drunken haze

Another night pickled, the same as his days

The black, skinny cat had a job to do

For just like the clown, he worked for the freakshow too

He was tasked with catching all of the mice

That customers declared were not very nice

And the freaks themselves were not fond of a mouse

Living in their tents, a temporary house

So the ringmaster had found the skinny black cat

And he took him back home, tucked under his hat

He named him Scrawny and told him the rules

If he wanted to eat, he'd have to find his own food

Scrawny had stood still, pinned to the spot

He couldn't believe his ears, he was frozen in shock

Did the ringmaster think he could kill something so small

For mice were his friends - he loved them all

With a passion and fervour he'd defend to the last

He'd never killed a mouse, not in all of his past

But Scrawny needed the job, he was down on his uppers

So he agreed to the terms, to kill for his suppers

He must hatch a plan to get the mice on his side

When any people appeared, they should all go and hide

Then the ringmaster, the freaks, and all of the crowd

Would believe Scrawny had done his job and he could act proud

The only flaw in his conjured up plan

Was where he'd find food without telling the ringmaster man

Scrawny Meets Deaders

In the dead of night with a still, crisp air

A skinny black cat sits motionless and stares

He's listening carefully for a specific sound

The noise of a mouse, he knows they're around

For it is his job to rid the freakshow of mice

A role that Scrawny finds not very nice

And he needs to explain to the mice tonight

That being eaten by this cat will not be their plight

For Scrawny has sworn to never eat mouse

As that would make him a rotten, horrible, louse

But he needs to impart this to the local mouse clan

Without them telling the ringmaster man

All of a sudden Scrawny hears a noise

And he silently switches into a pouncing poise

Quick as a flash and before you could blink

Scrawny pins the mouse who can only think

"I've 'ad it! I'm doomed," as he breathes his last gasp

"My new best friend!" says Scrawny, as he held the mouse tightly in his grasp

A little too tightly for the mouse's wellbeing

And it took Scrawny too long to realise exactly what he was seeing

For the soul of the mouse rose into the air

Going higher and higher leaving Scrawny aware

That all he now held beneath his paws

Was a tiny, dead mouse, no more life, just a corpse

Scrawny miaowed at the horror of his careless actions

Until he suddenly became aware of a niggling distraction

The wee deceased mouse was furious with rage

Berating Scrawny, saying he was of no great age

To have died, and now he wouldn't be fulfilling

His duties as butler to Lady Delores Raphus-Schilling

And when Scrawny could get a word in between the mouse's ranting

He explained something had gone awry with his departing

For he was still there in an ethereal way

And could continue as butler each and every day

As well as explaining to the freakshow mice

That Scrawny the cat was a friend who was nice

The wee dead mouse was convivially appeased

Realising Scrawny owed him made him cunningly pleased

And the mouse introduced himself, "Call me Deaders," he said

"That's an apt name," said Scrawny. "Given you're dead."

It was in that moment that the two became friends

With Scrawny owing Deaders until the very end