A Christmas Kibble (Part 2): The Ghost of the Marley-Moth ⛓️👻🦋✨🐾

Muffin closed the door with a bang. *Boom.* 🚪

The sound echoed through the house like thunder. He was not a cat to be frightened by knockers, but his tail was, for a moment, a trifle larger than usual. He walked through his rooms, checking under the **Oakwood Sill Throne** and behind the curtains. Nobody there. 🕵️‍♂️

He sat down before the radiator to eat his gruel—a very thin broth of leftover kibble dust. It was then that a low, clanking noise began in the cellar. *Clank... rattle... clank.* 🔉⛓️

"Humbug!" said Muffin. "I won't believe it."

But the noise came closer. It came up the stairs. It came straight to his door. And then, without a sound, the figure walked through the wood and stood before him. 🌫️👻

It was Marley. But not the Marley he remembered. The figure was translucent, and it had the wings of a giant, dusty moth. 🦋 Around its middle was a long, heavy chain made of empty tuna cans, rusted cat carriers, and locked pantry doors. 🥫⛓️

"How now!" said Muffin, bristling. "What do you want with me?"

"Much!" replied the voice. It was Marley's voice, but it sounded like the rustle of dry leaves in a gutter. 🍂

"Why do you trouble me?" Muffin hissed. "And why are you wearing a chain of refuse?"

"I wear the chain I forged in life!" the Ghost cried. "I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?" ⛓️⚖️

Muffin trembled. He looked at his own luxurious fur and thought of the times he had refused to share his sun-spots. ☀️🚫

"I am here to warn you, Ebenezer!" Marley-Moth fluttered his dusty wings. "You have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. A chance and hope of my procuring, Ebenezer." 🦋✨

"You were always a good friend, Jacob," Muffin purred, though his teeth were chattering.

"You will be haunted," resumed the Ghost, "by three Spirits. Expect the first to-morrow, when the bell tolls one." 🕐👻

"Couldn't I take 'em all at once, and have it over, Jacob?" Muffin hinted.

"Expect the first at one!" the Ghost repeated. And with a final, mournful yowl, he flew out of the window and into the foggy night. 🌌🌑💨

Muffin, feeling the need for entirely efficient rest, crawled under his blanket and fell asleep instantly. 💤

Ready for the next chapter? Who is the Spirit of Sunbeams Past? Find out in Part 3! 🐾✨