April 2022

After her beloved owner dies, Mayhem invents a game to find a new, equally caring, friend Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Naming of Cats” It was a dark time for animals. Wise elephants were dying. Raptors and other birds had lost their homes. Polar bears were still swimming for their lives. Baby penguins, because they cannot swim, were drowning. Unmindful people were stepping on snails. Fearful owners were abandoning their pets who could spread new, lethal viruses. Pet cats and dogs were kidnapped and then returned for reward money. In this dreadful time, a cat named Mayhem wanted to have some fun with humans. Besides, her owner had died, leaving her abandoned. She didn’t really want to become a feral cat. She longed to find a new, right owner. So, when she learned of a new way to use her secret name to serve this purpose, she was elated. She found one of the portals for “cats only” in the nearby city park on a picnic table by the water fountain. The forever-green park was always relaxing. The old oaks, chestnuts, and elms were relaxing deep into their roots in the cool earth. The bookworms, leaning against their trunks, were relaxing. The mallard ducks in the pond were relaxing. The reeds, the wind, the fish, and even the water were relaxing. The blind walking with their guide dogs were relaxing. The gardeners were relaxing into their work, the grass was relaxing, the roses, poppies, peonies, water lilies—all were relaxing. Only the police were vigilant, and the weeds were stressed. There, feeling calm and relaxed, Mayhem spoke her secret name at the portal, leaving behind an optical illusion of herself inside a glass full of water. Mayhem first explored the feline world. She found it as dark as black pepper and very cozy—a perfect refuge for cats. All cats in the world could secretly go there to party with all of their friends and enjoy everything they could possibly want! From there, Mayhem could always return to her water-glass portal and, through a special lens, inspect people and play her game. Every day, when people would pause, curious about her image reflected in the water, Mayhem would speak to them: Forgotten Moon “If you want to save me, guess my second name, and if you guess correctly, you will receive a reward.” In the feline world, one of Mayhem’s friends asked, “Why are you so interested in humans?” Mayhem explained that she was trying to find an owner. Her friend replied, “If you do find an owner, please visit us daily, or I will miss you.” Mayhem nodded and smiled. “Of course. I will come back daily, and I will never forget you.” Another cat came by and said to Mayhem, “Why do you want to find an owner? I think the cat world is great.” “I want to find an owner because it is a love that nothing can beat. So whenever a person tries to guess my name, I need to be behind the scenes, ask questions, and study the person’s characteristics to learn if she or he merely wants a reward or truly wants to save my life.” She never told any of her cat friends that she had planned to accept the guessed name only if the person had shown true care for her. Mayhem soon saw a person strolling through the park reading a newspaper. He smelled like sweat and rotten eggs. Yuck, thought Mayhem. How gross. I would prefer an owner smelling of catnip. Yet reflected sunlight through the glass of water, unfortunately, caught the man’s eye, so he stopped to stare at—oh, my gosh—the cat in the water glass! Unsuspecting a real cat listening nearby, he laughed out loud. “So ridiculous! A cat in a water glass?” Mayhem thought him mean, but because she wanted some fun, she encouraged him: “Perhaps your guess will be just as ridiculous!” Embarrassed by the hidden cat’s voice, he became serious. “Okay, I will try to guess your name.” “Definitely not a person who could be my rightful owner,” Mayhem grumbled to herself. “Is it Leggy?” “No,” replied Mayhem. “Is it Koko?” “Sorry, Koko isn’t the right name.” “I give up. Besides, I’m due at work in five minutes.” As he walked away from the water glass, folding his newspaper, Mayhem felt relieved and patiently waited since the park would be full of people during the noon hour. After a minute, a high school boy saw her. “Haha, a cat in a water glass! Someone must have painted it!” To Mayhem it looked like he had painted himself. He wore a funky hat with dots and splashes of vibrant colors, a plain blue shirt and pants splashed with the same vibrant colors, and his shoes were jolly-looking, being unmatched. He himself was as white as blank paper, except for a painted monkey on his cheek. He also smelled like caramel candy. He’s a person who loves to laugh and to make others laugh too, Mayhem discerned and, rolling her eyes, said, “I’m real, not painted. Do you want to save me?” The boy blithely replied, “Oh, a talking cat that doesn’t appear at all to be afflicted by water. You must be a joke.” And he walked away. Yet reflected sunlight through the glass of water, unfortunately, caught the man’s eye, so he stopped to stare at—oh, my gosh— the cat in the water glass! Back in the cat world, Mayhem took a nap. A dozen people had tried to guess her name, all of them wanting the reward. She returned to her post for the after-school kids. A kid soon walked by, engaged in reading an All About Science book. He wore large, round-rimmed glasses and a navy blue-and-grey school uniform. He looked up to the cat in the water glass and politely said, “Hi, my name is Joe. What’s your name?” Mayhem thought, How nice! “My name is Mayhem.” Joe stared at Mayhem and