CHAPTER EPILOGUE

…between times, and when the moon gets up and night comes, he is the Cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him. Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods or up the Wet Wild Trees or on the Wet Wild Roofs, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone.

Rudyard Kipling,”The Cat that Walked By Himself”

Sultana had enjoyed the trips to the hospital, either in Ayla Hanım’s basket or on her own four paws. It was even better having Haldun at home in the Üsküdar house, where she could sit on his lap or on the comforter folded on the chair near him.

At night, she still explored outside. Part of her patrol was the house where the garbage had smelled strange. But someone had cleaned up the garbage.

The white cat crouched around the corner when anyone came out of the house, which wasn’t often. The person was usually a young man. The young man who had petted her hadn’t been around lately. In the ritual way of cats, Sultana wondered what had happened to him. For a while, she would remember Haldun’s friend, the woman who had petted her.

Then she would curl up in her usual place. Sultana did not worry about any of these strange human events.