It’s Día de los Muertos and Tilly Simms is on a Mission to Save THAT Little Big Cat!
Tilly Simms hadn’t enjoyed the celebrations of the festival of Día de los Muertos yesterday as she had been very troubled by the strange behaviour of Murphy – the small furry cat who prowls his way through the sleepy hamlet of All Hallows and who charms all who cross his path.

“Oh my!” sighed Tilly.
As she thought about Murphy stalking the All Hallows graveyard at dusk with some very odd looking white foam on his face.

Why was he suddenly leaving his grey fur all over the place, Tilly wondered?
And then she remembered the time she had spotted him hiding behind that strange mask of silver as she was enjoying a quiet walk alone.

“Oh my!” sighed Tilly.

As Tilly is something of a creative soul, her imagination was now flying all over the place like the leaves tumbling from the old oak trees surrounding the All Hallows Hamlet and she began to wonder if the cat she had seen was NOT really Murphy at all BUT a shape-shifter in disguise OR the beastly familiar of an evil witch!
OR could it be that Murphy was now slowly transforming into a werewolf?
“Oh my!” sighed Tilly.
Knowing that help was quickly needed and though Murphy had made Tilly quite cross one day when he had chased away those spiders she had been saving for a very special spell – she was secretly very fond of him!
And having remembered a faded poster pinned to an old tree for a Monsignor Suárez who was known to chase away ALL manner of strange creature – Tilly set off in search of this tree and having remembered that it was near the Dolce Vita Patisserie – she knew that her visit across the All Hallows Hamlet would be worth the long journey for one of those delicious Cream Pumpkin Pies.

Later that evening and with a shopping basket full of pie and and a map in her hand – Tilly decided to pay this elusive Monsignor a visit.

AND even though Tilly had been warned by a sharp-tongued old crone that he lived in the furthest corner of the All Hallows Hamlet and that he did not welcome unexpected visitors – Tilly was still determined and despite her fears, off she went in search of a tiny stone cottage with a rickety wooden porch known to be surrounded by bare trees and mystery.

With the light fading fast, Tilly finally arrived and this grim and forbidding place haunted by some hidden terror was everything that she feared it would be and having seen that someone or SOME thing had been there too – she wanted to run away as fast as she could.

Despite her terror and determined to do all that she could to help Murphy – Tilly decided to push that old wooden door open.
“Oh my!” sighed Tilly.

TO BE CONTINUED…
‘Vampyres and Werewolves? Oh My!’
A Crooked Hen Production