The Third Cat Story Megapack: 25 Frisky Feline Tales, Old and New Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  INTRODUCTION: HERE, KITTY, KITTY! by Robert Reginald

  THE CHESHIRE CAT, from ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll

  ALL IN THE GOLDEN AFTERNOON, by Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen

  FAT CAT, by Robert Reginald [Poem]

  ALEX, by Mary A. Turzillo

  THE CAT-TRACKER LADY OF ASAD ALLEY, by A. R. Morlan

  A LIMP DEAD CAT IN MY ARMS, by Michael Hemmingson [Poem]

  THE RUINED QUEEN OF HARVEST WORLD, by Damien Broderick

  STORIES OF CAT SAGACITY, by W. H. G. Kingston

  MAU, by Douglas Menville [Poem]

  CAT IN THE BOX, by A. R. Morlan

  PURPLE, by Mary A. Turzillo

  EBENEZER WHEEZER (c1972-1990), by Douglas Menville [Poem]

  CONCERNING THE “PRETTY LADY,” by Helen M. Winslow

  THE BOYS, by Kathryn Ptacek

  REVERENCE FOR CATS from THE INNOCENTS ABROAD, by Mark Twain

  “…AND MONGO WAS HIS NAME-O,” by A. R. Morlan

  TOMMY’S CAT, by David C. Smith

  TATIANA, by Mary A. Turzillo [Poem]

  LIN JEE, by Mary A. Turzillo

  THE SQUAW, by Bram Stoker

  HOW THE FORMER PETS SURVIVE OR DIE, by Michael Hemmingson [Poem]

  CAT BURGLAR, by Kathryn Ptacek

  PUSS IN BOOTS: Two Versions, by Charles Perrault and Dinah Maria Mulock

  NO HEAVEN WILL NOT EVER HEAVEN BE…, by A. R. Morlan

  THE QUEEN’S CAT, by Peggy Bacon

  CHOCOLATE KITTENS FROM MARS, by Mary A. Turzillo

  CATS CAN COLONIZE MARS, by Mary A. Turzillo [Poem]

  CAT ANECDOTES, edited by Adam White

  THE ADVENTURE OF THE HANOVERIAN VAMPIRES, by Darrell Schweitzer

  THE BEANCOUNTER’S CAT, by Damien Broderick

  A LITTLE PINCH IS ALL YOU NEED, by A. R. Morlan

  THEY ALWAYS DIE, by Michael Hemmingson [Poem]

  SCOUT, by Mary A. Turzillo

  THE CAT, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

  THE HUNTER’S MOTHERS, by Mary A. Turzillo [Poem]

  HUNGER, by A. R. Morlan

  RYAH’S GUEST, by Robert Reginald

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Third Cat Story Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

  * * * *

  “Introduction: Here, Kitty, Kitty!” by Robert Reginald, is original to this book. Copyright © 2013 by Robert Reginald. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “All in the Golden Afternoon,” by Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen, was originally published in Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble, 2000. Copyright © 2000, 2013 by Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Fat Cat,” by Robert Reginald, is original to this book. Copyright © 2013 by Robert Reginald. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Alex,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March, 1993. Copyright © 1993, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Cat-Tracker Lady of Asad Alley,” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in The Hemingway Kittens and Other Feline Fancies and Fantasies, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “A Limp Dead Cat in My Arms,” by Michael Hemmingson, was originally published in Conjunctions, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Hemmingson. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Ruined Queen of Harvest World,” by Damien Broderick, was originally published online at Tor.com, August 18, 2009. Copyright © 2009, 2013 by Damien Broderick. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Mau,” by Douglas Menville, was originally published in 1976. Copyright © 1976, 2013 by Douglas Menville. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Cat in the Box,” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in Sci Fiction, March 28, 2001, and reprinted in The Hemingway Kittens and Other Feline Fancies and Fantasies, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2013. Copyright © 2001, 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Purple,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Aoife’s Kiss, June 2012. Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Ebenezer Wheezer (c.1972-1990),” by Douglas Menville, was originally published in 1990. Copyright © 1990, 2013 by Douglas Menville. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Boys,” by Kathryn Ptacek, was originally published in Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble, 2000. Copyright © 2000, 2013 by Kathryn Ptacek. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “‘…And Mongo Was His Name-O,’” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in The Hemingway Kittens and Other Feline Fancies and Fantasies, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Tommy’s Cat,” by David C. Smith, was originally published in Space & Time #37, July 1976, and has been revised for this anthology. Copyright © 1976, 2013 by David C. Smith. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Tatiana,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Lovers & Killers, by Mary A. Turzillo, DarkRegions Press, 2012. Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Lin Jee,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble, 2000. Copyright © 2000, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “How the Former Pets Survive or Die,” by Michael Hemmingson, was originally published in Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, 2012. Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Michael Hemmingson. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Cat Burglar,” by Kathryn Ptacek was originally published in Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble, 2000. Copyright © 2000, 2013 by Kathryn Ptacek. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “No Heaven Will Not Ever Heaven Be…,” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in Twists of the Tale, edited by Ellen Datlow, Dell, 1994, and reprinted in The Hemingway Kittens and Other Feline Fancies and Fantasies, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2013. Copyright © 1994, 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Chocolate Kittens from Mars,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Space and Time #107, Summer 2009. Copyright © 2009, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Cats Can Colonize Mars,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Star*Line, July-August 2008. Copyright © 2008, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Adventure of the Hanoverian Vampires,” by Darrell Schweitzer, was originally published in Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Martin H. Greenberg, and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble, 2000, and reprinted in Deadly Things: A Collection of Mysterious Tales, by Darrell S
chweitzer, Borgo Press, 2011. Copyright © 2000, 2011, 2013 by Darrell Schweitzer. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Beancounter’s Cat,” by Damien Broderick, was originally published in Eclipse Four: New Science Fiction and Fantsy, edited by Jonathan Strahan, Night Shade Books, 2011, and reprinted in Adrift in the Noösphere: Science Fiction Stories, by Damien Broderick, Borgo Press, 2012. Copyright © 2011, 2012, 2013 by Damien Broderick. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “A Little Pinch Is All You Need,” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in New Blood, Fall, 1988, and reprinted in The Hemingway Kittens and Other Feline Fancies and Fantasies, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2013. Copyright © 1988, 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “They Always Die,” by Michael Hemmingson, was originally published in Chattahoochee Review, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by Michael Hemmingson. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Scout,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Cat Tales: Fantastic Feline Fiction, edited by George H. Scithers, Wildside Press, 2007. Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “The Hunter’s Mothers,” by Mary A. Turzillo, was originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 1998. Copyright © 1998, 2013 by Mary A. Turzillo. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Hunger,” by A. R. Morlan, was originally published in Night Terrors #3, 1997, and was also collected in Ewerton Death Trip: A Walk Through the Dark Side of Town, by A. R. Morlan, Borgo Press, 2011. Copyright © 1997, 2011, 2013 by A. R. Morlan. Published by arrangement with the author.

  “Ryah’s Guest,” by Robert Reginald, is original to this book. Copyright © 2013 by Robert Reginald. Published by arrangement with the author.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  This volume was edited by Robert Reginald and Mary Wickizer Burgess.

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  INTRODUCTION: HERE, KITTY, KITTY! by Robert Reginald

  Our third offering of kitty delights and delectables features twenty-five cat stories, two nonfiction compilations, and nine poems—but the emphasis overall is decidedly more modern than in our previous two Cat Megapacks.

  Heading the list this time around is Mary A. Turzillo, who contributes eight wonderful and wondrous tales and verses relating to our feline companions. Perennial contributor A. R. Morlan, another lover of our kit
ty friends, shares her affection in six stories set on the dark side of town. Her visions are both moving and unique.

  California writer Michael Hemmingson, who penned the screenplay for the film, The Watermelon, stirs the heart with his sad visions of cats abused and dying. Australian-Texan author Damien Broderick provides his unique take of the universe in two stories that send his cats beyond-beyond the ordinary. Horror writer Kathryn Ptacek contributes a pair of poignant fantasy tales, including “Cat Burglar.” Our dear friend Douglas Menville adds a couple of delightful verses celebrating two different kitties that he knew.

  Darrell Schweitzer uncovers the tale of a mystery-solving cat from an alternate universe. David C. Smith’s “Tommy’s Cat” tells the story of a boy and his pet—a creature who’s not quite what he seems. Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen gives us the real story of how the author created Alice in Wonderland—and, of course, that forced us to add the vignettes relating to the “Cheshire-Cat” from Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy tale! Speaking of older material, we’ve included two versions of “Puss in Boots,” Dracula-creator Bram Stoker’s “The Squaw,” Mark Twain’s vignette, “Reverence for Cats,” Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s “The Cat,” nonfiction compilations celebrating “Cat Sagacity” and “Cat Anecdotes,” and much more besides.

  So, settle back in your chair, your couch, and your bed, cat-lovers everywhere, and enjoy this third selection of frisky feline tales!

  —Robert Reginald & Mary Wickizer Burgess, 8 Oct. 2013

  THE CHESHIRE CAT, from ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll

  Alice opened the door and went in. The door led right into a large kitchen, which was full of smoke from one end to the other; the Duchess was sitting on a three-legged stool in the middle, nursing a baby; the cook was leaning over the fire, stirring a large caldron which seemed to be full of soup.

  “There’s certainly too much pepper in that soup!” Alice said to herself, as well as she could for sneezing. Even the Duchess sneezed occasionally; and as for the baby, it was sneezing and howling alternately without a moment’s pause. The only two creatures in the kitchen that did not sneeze were the cook and a large cat, which was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Please would you tell me,” said Alice, a little timidly, “why your cat grins like that?”

  “It’s a Cheshire-Cat,” said the Duchess, “and that’s why.”