CLAIR DE LUNE'S
The Part 33

He did not understand; but he knew it was important and

must be returned to Clair-de-Lune. But he was just about to pick it up…

A large, padded claw descended slowly and nailed the pendulum on the stage floor.

The moon has disappeared, and the sky is dark. But Bonaventure's eyesight at night was quite good; therefore, when he looked up, he recognized Minette, Mrs Costello's cat.

Minette curled quietly and patiently on stage; her tail swayed back and forth. For a moment, involuntarily, Bonaventure looked into his eyes; even in an instant, he felt attracted to them, like a creature about to sink into the sea. But then he regained consciousness, and looked at the pendulum.

There are times in life when choices are obvious. Rats always face death, because rats always live in danger. But Bonaventure wants to live! He owns a dance company, he wants to develop his ballet dance. Perhaps, he thought in that instant, I don't need to worry about the pendulum. That pendulum will hinder me—and who knows, without bringing it, I can still escape.

But what if I can't escape, and what if the pendulum is gone forever? Clair-de-Lune probably won't see it. He won't know…

Love is more important than Dance, Bonaventure thought, and she darted to one side; the side where the cat's claws were covering the pendulum.

The cat raised its claws to prevent it from escaping; in the blink of an eye, it,

Bonaventure changed direction, grabbed the pendulum, and ran rushing across the stage, down the stairs, and out from under the door.

But Minette, who knows Bonaventure's day-to-day activities, already knows where to go. Anyway, he has a shortcut.

Without hurrying, he turned around, and walked back in the direction he had come. A ladder leaned against the wall, he climbed up, and jumped from a tall window, a window that emitted moonlight. But now the sky had started to clear by dawn.

Minette walked quickly like a shadow on the roof of the theater. Then—because the road was narrow and the roofs were close to— in one jump he had settled on the roof of the Clair-de-Lune building. He did it without thinking because every night he did it. He entered through the window in the embroidery outside the door of Clair-de-Lune, jumped down the stairs, and sat licking his body while waiting for Bonaventure's presence.

Rats don't think like cats. A cat full of strategy, a mouse acting only according to his heart, Bonaventure had only one thought in his head: give the pendulum to Clair-de-Lune. He rushed down the stairs, went under the door, crossed the street, entered the building, climbed the stairs (through the stairs). His movements were awkward and not as agile as he usually carried the pendulum he had transported between his teeth.

Of course he did not forget the cat, but, thinking like a mouse, he thought the cat would chase after him. It was not at all possible that he himself was approaching her.

When, gasping for breath, he circled the corner and arrived at the last rung of the stairs, before reaching the door to the basement of the roof, he did not even see Minette waiting on the stairs above him. Dawn! He thought when he saw a grey glint on it.

But when he set foot on the last rung of the ladder— as he used to do when picking up Clair-de-Lune met Brother Inchmahome— once again, a claw came down right in front of him.

When Clair-de-Lune came out of her residence half an hour later, she noticed something strange.

Clair-de-Lune freezes. He was not surprised

Bonaventure didn't pick him up. He thought, the rat must be busy finishing his ballet. When he woke up, he thought about last night; what he heard when he finally really listened.

He tried to understand it, because everything was still not clearly true for him. And he also thought, how strange it must have been this morning: I felt my head light, weak, and warm. But, when he saw the cat, he shuddered and felt cold from the tip of his head to the tip of his feet.

Minette looked at him with a strange facial expression, as if guilty. Clair-de-Lune clenched his legs suddenly, and hissed.

The cat dropped its weight, turned around and ran. And there, on the steps, badly wounded, he saw Bonaventure.

Clair-de-Lune covered her face with both hands. No, I want it to feel like he said that. No, this is not true. This isn't reality.

But, when he looked again, he saw the rat's tail twitching. He ran down the stairs and knocked himself down nearby, looking at his small body and hoping.

“Ah... Mademoiselle Clair-de-Lune! Fortunately, you have come. I can say to you, goodbye!—God bless you!—and ask you to say the same to Brother Inchmahome. And maybe you can tell her.ah, come on, she definitely understands!”.

Clair-de-Lune cried so loudly—but without a sound!—so he could barely see the rat through his tears.

So, he also did not see the silver object that until now was still held by the rat in his claws, and which he stretched out to him with great difficulty.

Bonaventure dear, my dear friend, said he was broken, and his voice did not resemble a young bird, but a seaside puppy whining at his mother.

You can't die! You need to heal back! I'll take care of you! Brother Inchmahome and I will take care of you until you recover! Then we'll protect you—we'll take care of you very carefullyso no cat—no cat—and his tears fall into the mouse's fur and he lifts it gently into his palm and hugged him in the chest, swung him.

“Ah!” Bonaventure. “But—I asked myself—is it alive? True life, Mademoiselle, there must be a cat!” then he stopped talking, and looked at the girl with a new expression on his face. “And do you know, what happened?” tanyanya gently. “I can understand what you say! As Brother Inchmahome— saysprovided we really listen!”

“But you're sad!” he continued, after a long silence, and after a long time Clair-de-Lune hugged him and wailed.

“Don't be sad. Because nothing really bad is going on in this house. No. gabe. Not forever. How bad it looks..”.

Seriate...