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castle’s mirrors. We could make it a curse that would turn you from a human into something else—perhaps a cat like me, or something silly like that—if you glanced into one. That would make you think twice before looking at a mirror, wouldn’t it? Ha ha, wouldn’t it?” he repeated, laughing.
    The queen looked at him, and he could tell that, though he had only been joking around, she was seriously considering this. “You could do this for me?” she asked. “Oh Caterwaul, if you will do this for me, I will share the castle with you.”
    â€œShare the . . . the castle? You mean to say that this huge castle would be partly mine?” He could not believe his ears.
    â€œYou would like that wouldn’t you, Caterwaul? I mean we share it right now, don’t we? You are my only true friend in the world. My life has become so much more enjoyable since you first arrived. Why not make it official? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
    She went on. “You could remake half the castle in your image. Design it to what you think cats would enjoy. And then you could invite your new cat friends over to enjoy it with us. I do so much prefer the company of cats to that of dreary old humans.”
    â€œYes, of course . . .” Caterwaul stammered, surprised. “I mean, I suppose I could. But why would you want me to do it? I mean, aren’t there enough unwanted cats in the world already? The sudden appearance of more could create a lot of problems. Who would take care of them all?
    â€œAnd what if you were to forget that all of the mirrors were cursed, and you accidentally looked into one? You don’t really think that you would be happy as a cat? Do you, my queen?”
    But the wheels were already turning inside her corrupt mind. “Oh don’t worry, my dear. If there is a sudden rise in the feline population, things won’t be so bad. The people who remain will just have to take care of them. And they will, Caterwaul, because now the cats will literally be part of their family. And those cats that don’t have someone to love them can come live here with us in the castle. We have more than enough room here at Castle Cathoon. Oh Caterwaul, it will be a paradise.” She was positively beaming.
    â€œBut remember my beloved pet, it must be every single mirror in my kingdom; you have to curse them all.”
    Druciah chuckled—no, it was more of a cackle of delight.
    She thought to herself: every time that a beautiful young girl and a handsome man even glanced at a mirror, they will be transformed. Pretty soon, there will be cats everywhere, and people will wonder what happened to all of their loved ones. Eventually, the people will catch on, and they will smash every mirror in the kingdom, but by then the damage will be done.
    â€œOh vanity, thy name is Kitty,” she whispered as she turned her mirror around to face the wall.
    â€œI imagine the mouse population will suffer some,” Caterwaul joked, not really expecting any kind of response. And it was a good thing he was being rhetorical, because the queen was far away, lost in her own thoughts.
    â€œDruciah, my queen,” Caterwaul became serious again. “Just assume that I can do this for you, my dear friend. You know that it really isn’t going to solve the root problem here. You are going to continue getting older. It’s a part of nature, and because of this, it’s unfortunately unavoidable. Unless . . .” his voice trailed off as he was thinking.
    The cat jumped from his resting place and took a seat beside Druciah on the couch. She rubbed the top of his head with her nails the way he liked it.
    â€œYou said unless . . .” she said, continuing the head massage.
    He purred ecstatically as if to say don’t stop, that feels wonderful.
    â€œPlease, by all means continue my pet.”
    He leaned his head back. This is very satisfying , he thought, and then he