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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. Today we

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Speaker 1: are going to share the final chapter of Cat City,

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Speaker 1: written by Patti Larsen based here on Prince Edward Island.

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Speaker 1: If you have enjoyed the story, please consider purchasing the

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Speaker 1: book via her website at Pattilarsen dot com or follow

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Speaker 1: the link in our show notes. If you would like

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Speaker 1: to listen to Cat City from the beginning, you can

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Speaker 1: find all the episodes in order at our website or

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Speaker 1: via our playlist on Spotify. Links to both are in

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Speaker 1: our show notes. Remember last chapter, Susan went before the

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Speaker 1: council and had to choose if she wanted to stay

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Speaker 1: in Cat City or return home. She chose to go home,

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Speaker 1: But what does that mean for her? And what does

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Speaker 1: that mean? Or Talker? Chapter twenty two, Susan knew as

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Speaker 1: soon as she woke up she was back in her

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Speaker 1: own bed. Being above felt different. She realized, for one,

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Speaker 1: the air was wrong, the noises, and oddly she felt

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Speaker 1: empty my magic, she thought, I can't feel it here.

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Speaker 1: For some reason. That made Susan very sad. She opened

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Speaker 1: her eyes in the dark of her bedroom and saw

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Speaker 1: light under her door for the first time. She worried

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Speaker 1: about what to tell her parents she was gone for days.

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Speaker 1: They must have been terrified. Susan struggled through one idea

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Speaker 1: after another and came up blank. Not like they'd believe

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Speaker 1: the real thing anyway, she thought, And I promised I

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Speaker 1: wouldn't tell her. Fingertips strayed out next to her, out

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Speaker 1: of habit and met only cool comforter. She jerked her

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Speaker 1: hand back when she realized what she was doing, and

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Speaker 1: fought not to cry. I can cry in Cat's city,

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Speaker 1: she told herself. Cats don't count. But no way was

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Speaker 1: she letting her parents catch her sobbing like a baby,

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Speaker 1: even though that was exactly what she wanted to do.

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Speaker 1: Either that or try to find the city again and

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Speaker 1: beg Tucker to come home with her. Susan choked on

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Speaker 1: a sob the very idea she would never see her

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Speaker 1: best friend again. She couldn't take it, just couldn't, not,

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Speaker 1: after everything she went through, Despite her best intention, Chins,

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Speaker 1: she started to cry. Footstep stopped outside and her door creaked,

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Speaker 1: and then Dad was there. Susan sat up and he

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Speaker 1: hugged her as she sobbed, and sobbed into his soft

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Speaker 1: brown sweater. It's okay, honey, Dad said, as he stroked

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Speaker 1: her hair. You're safe now, it's okay. She hiccuped through

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Speaker 1: her tears and leaned back. I'm so sorry I was

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Speaker 1: gone so long, she cried, I can explain. Don't be mad.

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Speaker 1: Dad wiped her tears away, shushing her. Honey, it's okay, honest.

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Speaker 1: Mom found you almost immediately. You had a nasty fall, sweetie,

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Speaker 1: hit your head, but you're okay now. Susan stared at

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Speaker 1: him tears forgotten what Dad, I was gone for days.

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Speaker 1: He laughed a little, and she could see how worried

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Speaker 1: he had been. That was quite the fall, Susan, he said,

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Speaker 1: But it was just this morning. Were you dreaming? Was she?

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Speaker 1: She took a long moment to rack her brain. Had

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Speaker 1: it all been a dream? She looked down at her

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Speaker 1: hand where the rat bit her. There was nothing there,

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Speaker 1: no mark, no scar, just her own pink skin. Susan

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Speaker 1: looked up at Dad, confused. Now, I don't know, she said,

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Speaker 1: it seemed so real. She was so sure, but when

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Speaker 1: she touched the back of her head, the huge lump

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Speaker 1: there hurt. You'll have to tell me all about it,

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Speaker 1: Dad said. In the morning, and Mom was there hugging her.

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Speaker 1: When you're rested, Susan nodded a little. She was so confused.

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Speaker 1: She looked up at Mom. Where's Tucker? She said, who? Honey?

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Speaker 1: Mom asked. Susan shook her head, which made it ache. Sorry, kitty.

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Speaker 1: Mom and Dad exchanged a look. I haven't seen him.

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Speaker 1: Mom admitted he may have had another home after all,

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Speaker 1: which made Susan want to cry all over again. Not

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Speaker 1: only was what she had gone through most likely a

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Speaker 1: figment of her imagination, her cat, her best friend, who

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Speaker 1: she built the whole dream on in the first place,

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Speaker 1: was gone. She laid back down, too tired to cry anymore.

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Speaker 1: Mom tucked her in and both she and Dad kissed

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Speaker 1: her softly. Good Night, Love you, honey, Mom said at

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Speaker 1: the door, Love you, Susan. Dad said, love you too,

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Speaker 1: she managed. Mom switched off the light and Dad pulled

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Speaker 1: the door shut most of the way behind him. Susan

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Speaker 1: lay there for a long time, heart breaking. It wasn't

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Speaker 1: a dream, she argued. You hit your head, she reminded herself.

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Speaker 1: You could have made it all up. That's not what happened,

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Speaker 1: she shouted back. You were there, I was there. Cat's city, right,

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Speaker 1: she answered in a magic city under your house, filled

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Speaker 1: with talking cat Mm hmm. Maybe you should have mom

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Speaker 1: and Dad lock you away for a while. Oh, shut up,

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Speaker 1: she told herself. Suddenly miserable, Susan finally closed her eyes

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Speaker 1: and tried to sleep. Maybe things would be clearer in

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Speaker 1: the morning. She struggled with it, though sleep didn't want

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Speaker 1: to come. Finally, she sighed and gave up and heard

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Speaker 1: her door creak ever so slightly. Sue Susan rose, images

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Speaker 1: of rats making her panic. She lay there tense, telling

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Speaker 1: herself it was just the old house, the noises, until

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Speaker 1: she felt something heavy land on the end of her

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Speaker 1: bed and start to make its way up the comforter

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Speaker 1: toward her. She barely managed to hold back a scream

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Speaker 1: when the thing brushed against her hand, burr rats. Susan

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Speaker 1: was a heartbeat from leaping out of her bed when

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Speaker 1: the thing planted itself on her chest, shoved its face

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Speaker 1: in hers, and started to purr. She cried as she

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Speaker 1: wrapped her arms around Tucker Kitty, she reminded herself, though

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Speaker 1: she knew she would never think of him as kitty again,

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Speaker 1: and barry her face in his soft fur. You came back,

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Speaker 1: she whispered, he purred harder, butting his head against hers,

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Speaker 1: rubbing his cheek on her cheeks, rough tongue, making short

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Speaker 1: work of her tears. Oh Tucker, she said, or kitty,

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Speaker 1: whoever you are, thank you for coming back. Susan looked

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Speaker 1: up into brilliant green eyes. Did I dream at all?

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Speaker 1: She asked? Are you just an ordinary cat? The butterscotch

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Speaker 1: tabby began thoroughly cleaning his right front paw, giving it

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Speaker 1: all his attention and ignoring her completely. Susan shook her head.

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Speaker 1: I don't care, she told him if I dreamed, cat,

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Speaker 1: citty up, I don't don't care. I'm just so happy

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Speaker 1: you're back. He stopped grooming and began to purse so

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Speaker 1: loudly she thought he would shake himself apart. I love you, too, Tucker,

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Speaker 1: Susan said. Tucker stared at her for a long moment

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Speaker 1: with those brilliant green eyes. Then he winked, and Susan knew,

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Speaker 1: And that is the end. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Speaker 1: Good Night, sleep tight, un