Her sleep was interrupted by Caylee. Her meals were interrupted by Caylee. Her grooming was interrupted by Caylee. But she didn’t mind Caylee. No, it was wrong to say that she didn’t mind her. It would be more accurate to say that she minder her a lot because of these things, but since she was brought into this home she has had a standing friendship with Caylee.
Marley was only five weeks old when she was brought back from the Humane Society. The Richardsons, her owners, picked her out because the markings on her face were adorable as Mrs. Richardson said. Mr. Richardson, on the other hand, liked her markings because it looked like she was wearing a superhero mask. He thought she would be the perfect solution for their mouse problem, because she looked like a crime fighter.
The Richardsons, however, did not know how peaceful Marley would be. They wanted her to be a killer, to be their executioner so they could live in a peaceful house without mice. Marley never signed up for this. She was not a born killer and had no intent of becoming one.
When Marley was brought into the Richardson household and left to explore; she searched for her food, she searched for a place to go to the bathroom and she searched for the perfect spot on the couch which she found to be the most comfortable place in the whole house.
Caylee was born and raised in the Richardson’s household. She descended from a long line of mice that, for many years, had made their living by stealing from the inhabitants of the house.
From the day that she was born, she was taught to steal and to fear anything that was not a mouse related to her. This is how her family had been able to prosper in the walls of the house. Caylee was taught to run to the nearest shelter at the first hint of foreign sounds. She was taught to climb over any and everything that the Richardsons placed in their home. Caylee was taught to fear cats, though she had never seen one, and to die nobly if there was no way to save herself.
Caylee was a born fighter, a master of stealth. She was sworn to the code of the mice and lived every minute with it in mind.
After a month of living with the Richardsons, Marley had not once seen a mouse. She had not looked for one because she didn’t care to kill it as the Richardsons hoped she would.
But today, on the way to her food bowl, Marley saw a gray blur dash out of sight. She was curious and decided to investigate because she was not very hungry after all. It had dashed under the deep-stained oak cabinet where the Richardsons kept their good china. She bent the front part of her body down to look beneath the cabinet, her rear end still in the air with her tail swaying back and forth.
“Hello down there,” called Marley, “is there someone there?”
“There is. Are you a cat?”
“That is what the Richardsons call me, so I would suppose that I am indeed a cat. What are you my squeaky friend?”
“I am Caylee Domino III, eldest daughter of Caylee and Bardolf Domino. I am a mouse. Be warned cat, I will fight to the death before I let you find my family.”
“It would be a pleasure to meet you, had you not threatened my life,” replied Marley, “But I seek no quarrel with you. I am aware that it is expected that I kill you, for the Richardsons speak only of how I have not killed a mouse yet. I prefer not to kill. Run yes, bat string yes, sleep yes, but not ever do I wish to kill. Please come out from hiding so I may see you, I wish you no harm.”
“I cannot trust you cat, I have been of the tricks that cats are known for. I will stay put.”
“Suit yourself. I am off to get some dinner.” And with that, Marley left the mouse to eat a bowl of food.
Caylee was left to wonder whether this was some grand scheme of the cat’s, to trick her and kill her when her guard was down. Caylee stayed put until well in the night when the cover of darkness could protect her return to the walls where her family lived.
More encounters such as this one came to pass. Marley would see a mouse while walking to her food bowl, or her litter box, and stroll over to voice a hello to the mouse. And then she would go about her business.
For a while, all of Caylee’s family was skeptical of Marley. Would not let their guard down, for they did not trust her. Only Caylee trusted her.
Caylee had eventually shown her face to Marley, and eventually she came out from cover while talking to Marley. She would even run alongside Marley while on the way to her food bowl and sit and chat with the cat while it ate.
Mr. Richardson began to notice this; or rather he began to think that he saw this. When Mrs. Richardson saw a mouse run across linoleum of the kitchen floor twice in one week, he knew he had to do something. Even thought he believed the cat did not understand a word that he said, he yelled at it to kill the mice. When this did not seem to help, he yelled louder and kicked Marley across the room.
For Caylee, this did not go unnoticed. She and Marley had become friends. Caylee understood why Mr. Richardson abused Marley so. She could not sit idly by while her friend was beaten on her behalf.
At the food bowl one day she said to Marley, “I want you to kill me. I have seen why you limp across the room, why you struggle to get up from your favorite spot on the couch and I know it is because you let me and my family run around without killing us. I want you to kill me Marley, to end this.”
“You know I will not kill you Caylee, you have know that from the day that I met you,” replied Marley.
“Then I will kill myself. I will kill myself and you will bring my body to Mr. Richardson. I have told my family of my plan already. Some of them still don’t trust you, but the others think this is the best for everyone. They will go back to living in fear of you, just so the Richardsons think you are doing your job.”
With that, Caylee climbed to the top of the cabinet nearby. She looked down at her friend, and then jumped headfirst towards the ground.
Marley could only stare in disbelief.