The cat sat still upon the hill... until the Town Hall clock... struck the midnight hour.
It arched its back... and curled its tail... in anticipation of what was to come... waiting patiently as the big town clock twelve times did strike.
And with every strike... the cat's tail twitched... as if it was counting down...
Then as the echo of the twelfth strike faded... the cat was gone... like a streak of light through the underbrush.
And quickly disappeared in the shadows of the night,
The cat sat still upon the hill... as dawn crept slowly across the land.
And in the stillness of the village below... folks began to stir... to awaken and greet the new day.
Halloween was over once again... and there were lots of displays to dismantle.
Things that were damaged by wind... or clumsy visitors... would be discarded... and the rest would be carefully stored... for another year.
And the cat waited patiently for things to unfold.
The cat sat still upon the hill... watching the action below.
Some items, of course... were only designed for one-time use... made of paper and other thin stuff... and that was normal.
But this year... for some unknown reason... the "trash" piles were larger than years before... much larger than the "keep" piles.
The cat's eyes glowed as the trash piles grew... for they included... every one of those 'now deflated' cats... in their capes... and their silly witch hats.
And the cat flexed its claws with a sense of triumph.
The cat sat still upon the hill... overlooking the village in the valley below.
Just as it did every year... after Halloween... when the lights... and the pumpkins... and all of the other things... had been removed.
But this year... unlike previous years... it felt satisfaction for a job well done... and if it was possible... the cat would have smiled.
Then it rose up on its paws... slowly arched its back... turned around three times... and lay down to sleep.
Which - by the way - is a perfectly natural thing for a cat to do.
