{C-8-A}

You don’t know where to look first but you decide to start your investigation far away from the pet shop owner. You and Neko-chan quietly move down a very long corridor.

“What type of mythical animals are we looking for, anyway?” you ask Neko-chan.

“I don’t know but we will know when we find them,” he answers. “We could split up if you like.”

“No,” you say. “I think it would be safer if we had each other's back. Let’s stay together.”

The two of you explore the floor you are on and find a hidden passage behind one of the large cages. Before long, you lose track of the number of secret doorways you’ve found.

Each secret passage leads to another, some lead to dead ends, and even some doors opening onto brick walls. Neko-chan leads you up a flight of stairs, but when you reach the landing there is nowhere else to go except down another flight of stairs. At the bottom, another flight of stairs turns at a ninety degree angle from the one you just descended, and before long it seems like you are walking up and down endless staircases. You become so confused that at one point you aren’t even sure if you are walking upside down on the ceiling or not.

You are so lost in the pet shop that you begin to feel like a rat in an endless maze. You realize that you aren’t going to find the mythical creatures. You are now the one that needs to be rescued.

“Help!” you yell every so often as you sit with Neko-chan in your lap. You stroke his fur as you wait for someone to eventually come to your aid. You are completely surprised when the floor below you vanishes and you land on a counter at the front of the pet shop. Your mom is there waiting for you; you are so excited to see her that you forget that you wanted a pet in the first place. The pet shop owner takes Neko-chan and wishes you a kind farwell. You are happy to finally be out of the pet shop.

Destiny Discovered.