And then, just as he felt his body go completely limp and his mind start to turn black, Malcolm heard a voice:
“Step away from the pigeon …”
“Eh?” said Ticky. Or Tacky.
“You heard me: step away from the pigeon …”
Malcolm felt the teeth slowly being removed from his aching neck. His head flopped to the other side. His vision was cloudy but he could see, through the mist, standing in front of the gate to 43 Kendal Road,54 her fur up and her tail raised and her teeth bared: Zsa-Zsa.
“And if I don’t …” hissed Tacky or Ticky, “who’s gonna make me?”
“Me,” said Zsa-Zsa.
“Oh yeah? You and whose army?” As Tacky or Ticky said this, another cat – a brown one; the first one was white – came round the corner of the house and joined Ticky or Tacky. This must be Tacky. Or Ticky, thought Malcolm, groaning inside.
Zsa-Zsa blinked, a long, slow blink. And then behind her appeared: Snowflake, Ludwig, Mabel, the three Dollys, Trotsky and even Benny and Bjornita.55
“Me …” she said, “and this army.”