Free Hilda - Cats by Paul Kater Page B

were women and children,
only a few men were there and most of them were old. William and
Hilda picked up their cats and put them on a shoulder. Esmee took
all their brooms and took them to one of the people in the street.
"Would you please take care of them for us, while we are here?"
    As the woman she had addressed nodded, Baba
Yaga turned to Hilda and William. "We should do something about
that too. No respect, I'm telling you."
    "Looks to me that our Esmee has plenty of
respect for the people here," William couldn't resist. His remark
made Baba Yaga laugh so loudly that within fifteen seconds the
entire square was empty again, save Esmee who looked back,
wondering what was going on. She returned to her three companions,
broomless.
    "Are you sure our brooms are safe there,
Esmee dear?" Baba Yaga asked.
    "Oh yes, no need to worry about that. I know
these people, they are always very kind to me. At least, until
now," Esmee frowned. She hoped her reputation would not suffer too
much from the presence of the three that were here with her.
    "Now take us to the shops and the good
places, girl," Hilda said, patting Esmee on the arm. She was so
good in creating a false sense of safety.
    Esmee smiled happily, and as she chattered
about the wonderful people of the village, the produce they brought
forth on their fields and the great things that were available in
the shops here, Hilda, William and Babs looked around and hoped to
find anything that could be a clue to finding the strange creature.
They visited several shops too, one with herbs and spices that had
Hilda's interested, and one with fabrics where the owner tried to
sell some pink fluff to Esmee. To his surprise she declined and
bought something burgundy red, stating that it would look great as
a new cloak. Baba Yaga displayed a big and satisfied smile. The
shop owner did not interpret it as such and gave Esmee a big
discount on the material, hoping they would leave the shop quickly
before other customers were scared off.
    As they roamed the narrow streets, the cats
walking by themselves, Babs stated that they'd get somewhere yet.
Hilda and William understood that she meant Esmee, Esmee responded
that they'd just have to stay close and no one would get lost. Her
comment invoked quite some amusement among the three, and she
laughed along. They reached a large area that seemed somewhat lost
between several groups of houses. "This is the marketplace," Esmee
shared with the others. "We have a market here every week."
    "A market. Astonishing. And what do people
market here?" Hilda asked.
    Esmee worked down a list of vegetables,
fruits and meats as if she had studied for it. Or worked in the
market for far too long.
    "So no large cat creatures, eh?" Baba
Yaga.
    Esmee stopped and stared at the ugly witch.
Her face showed that she was really thinking; then a giant grin was
on her face. "Oh no, you almost tricked me, Baba Yaga, but you
don't get me that easily!"
    Babs laughed. "She's good, she's good," she
said, looking at Hilda and William. The two almost died laughing.
Magic helped them to keep a straight face.
    In the market area, six men were working to
load crates on a cart. "Oh, look, there's Jock," Esmee said. "Jock!
Hello!' She waved frantically. Her companions frowned and wondered
what they were up for now. "Come, I will introduce you to Jock,"
the mostly pink witch said as she briskly walked off towards the
cart.
    Jock turned out to be a very simple man who
had been forgotten to come in on the day that 'smart' was handed
out. Actually, he had been absent most days that beneficial traits
were available. It did look as if he spent all that time in the
place where muscle was distributed. The man was enormous in size.
He seemed to care about Esmee a lot, too. She walked up to him and
almost disappeared from view as he wrapped his impressive physique
around her. "Esmee," he said slowly but clearly.
    Esmee spoke just as slowly as she introduced
the people who were with her. Jock