The Rockin' Rodents

David Meowie, Fat Cat.

The trio walked from the dump to the edge of the town, where they had to go their separate ways. Tina was going to stay with Jimmy until she could get a place of her own, Ronny was hungry and Jerry would have to sneak in and get clean before his mum and dad started to worry.

"Same time tomorrow for rehearsals?" Asked Jerry.

"OK," they chorused.

"We'll need a name and some songs and..." Ronny began excitedly.

"Let's take care of that tomorrow," Tina stopped him, "it's been a long day."

"OK, see you guys tomorrow," agreed Jerry.

Jerry grabbed his bike and headed home. Suddenly, out of nowhere, jumped a white cat with different colored eyes and the greenest suit he had ever seen.

"Hello, little mouse. Where are you off to?" the cat asked in a luxurious purr of a tone.

"Home," Jerry answered curtly, trying to maneuver his bike around the cat, who moved to block him.

"I hear you've got a band together, perhaps you'd like to sign up for my battle of the bands."

Jerry listened as he looked up at the cat, trying to put on a brave face when he was terrified. Staring into the cats' different colored eyes, it struck jerry that this was the same cat in the photo with Jimmy. His Uncle had mentioned a fat cat (although this cat was very thin, like most street cats), what did he say his name was?

"You're David Meowie," Jerry said finally.

"I see my fame precedes me, or is it infamy? I hope Jimmy still isn't sore over the silly issue of the business we used to do."

"What business?" Jerry asked.

"Well, I used to manage Jerry and, we had a difference of opinion on creative monopoly control," Meowie told Jerry in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

"Creative..." began Jerry,

"All water under the bridge, I'm sure" Meowie waved his paw dismissively as he continued, like an actor performing a monologue, or a school teacher continuing his class.

"This!" he said producing a poster seemingly out of nowhere "is my battle of the bands, the biggest musical event since Catstock," the feline announced theatrically, waving his other paw in the air.

"And you and your band might have the lucky opportunity to qualify; there are openings for three local bands,"

"And our creative control monkey?" asked Jerry suspiciously.

"What's that? Ah, I think you mean monopoly. Don't worry about that! You're musicians; you shouldn't soil your hands with the problems of money. The artist must be free to concentrate on the music, on the soul, it's got to have soul, as they say," he said, his claws extending, his arms rising, as the passion in his voice hit a crescendo.

"Besides you haven't qualified yet," he added his voice dropping before overemphasizing the word yet.

"Perhaps your band, what are you called again?

"The Rockin' Rodents" answered Jerry, inspiration striking him, anyway he thought, they could always change the name later.

"Perhaps, you aren't ready for the big times yet, shame really, such a lost opportunity." He rolled up his poster going to walk away.

"Wait!" shouted Jerry. "OK, OK, how do we enter?" he relented.

David Meowie turned, smiled slyly, and gave him an entry form.

"Don't bother with the small print; just get everybody in the band to fill it out." The cat said quickly before slinking away into the shadows. "I'll return to collect it tomorrow."

Jerry looked at the form in his hand. At the top there was a logo with a band in shadowy silhouette, a drummer's sticks held above the cymbals, guitar, and bass neck's sticking out. It was the same image as the poster but in miniature, with the words "Battle of the Bands" emblazoned across it.

Jerry rushed home with images of rock concerts swimming around in his imagination.