On a snowy night in a small town on the outskirts of the city lived a woman with her cat, Mr. Meow, who loved to sleep all day and roam all night. But on this night, Mr. Meow could not go out because of the heavy snow falling outside. His owner, Miss Rin, knew about her cat's nightly adventures but was never bothered by them beacuse every night, he returned safe and sound—through winter, spring, and fall. Mr. Meow never failed. 

But sadly, tonight was different. With snow falling so heavily, Mr. Meow wouldn’t be able to walk ten steps without being buried in snow. Knowing her cat’s disregard for the elements, Rin decided to cat-proof every corner of her apartment before going to bed. After doing everything she could think of, she yawned and said. 

"Good night, Mr. Meow. Sorry—no going out tonight."

 Then, she drifted off peacefully in her sleep. By that time Rin was asleep, the snow had already fallen heavily. Now mister Mr. Meow Curled up in his cat bed opened one eye, then rose quietly and made his way to his owner's bedside. He jumped onto her bedside table and looked over her with a cold, thoughtful expression. Then, he hopped down and walked to the living room. He jumped on a few objects that led him to a mid-height bookshelf, and from there, leapt to the balcony door handle. Pressing down with his paws, he unlocked it. 

He landed on the floor and nudged the sliding door open. Snow was now blowing slowly in as Mr. Meow stepped onto the balcony, he climbed the railing, and looked around. Below him sat a car buried in snow. Her apartment was on the second floor of a short ten-story building with a parking lot directly beneath her apartment. Without hesitation, Mr. Meow jumped onto the car, then made his way down to the ground and into the night, leaving only a trail of paw prints behind. A while later, Rin lay asleep in her bed when a cold chill stirred her. After a few moments of tossing and turning, the cold wouldn’t go away. She woke up groggily, slipped on her slippers, turned on her bedside light, and rubbed her eyes. She looked toward Mr. Meow’s bed with sleepy eyes… and rubbed them again. He was gone. Bolting into the living room, she saw her balcony door standing wide open, moonlight shining in across her dining floor. She ran out onto the balcony, hands pressed to the cold railing, gasping at the icy snow under her palms. Looking down, she saw tiny paw prints. She followed the trail with her eyes—onto the top of a car, and then... vanishing into the snow-covered street. We see Mr. Meow, now sitting contentedly in the lap of a woman whose face we do not see—only her red lips, her soft short curls, her long painted blood-red nails, and her hands with many rings holding a cigarette. She strokes Mr. Meow while sitting in a leather chair before an elegantly dressed table. Back at Rin's apartment, she now sits on her bed, all the lamps in her room on. Fully dressed, she wears a long coat, a big scarf wrapped around her neck, a long skirt, colorful gloves, and lace-up Converse-style sneakers. With dark circles under her eyes, she grabs a flashlight, walks to her apartment door, and begins mumbling gibberish in annoyance under her breath. At the building entrance, she looks up at the full moon lighting up the clean night sky. She speaks to the apartment security guard in his booth. He leans halfway out the window and points, telling her where he saw the cat go. She bows, smiles, and rushes off—following paw prints while they’re still visible, but they soon disappear into the busy street. She ends up near a row of upscale restaurants and small nightclubs. While standing near the last paw print she can see, she spots a man sweeping snow and asks.

 "Excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but did you happen to see a round gray cat with a red leash walking around here?" 

The man gives her a strange look, then gestures for her to come closer, like he’s going to whisper a secret. Once she’s close, he suddenly says—loud and cheerfully—while stretching his back.

"Of course I did! That little hairball passes by every night—acting like he owns the place. He always goes into that club over there." He shrugs.

"Not sure why a cat would want to be in a place like that, though. Why do you ask?" 

 "Oh, thank you so much! You're a lifesaver!" she says, 

shaking his hand aggressively with both of hers. He waves his hat at her as she runs off. 

 "What a strange lady," he mutters. "And boy, what a grip..." he says, rubbing his red hand. 

She nears the club, live jazz music pouring out. Two bouncers guard the entrance. She peeks in and sees Mr. Meow on the lap of a dignified woman, sitting at a table with two bodyguards behind her. The woman smokes, laughs at a conversation, and soon stands. A bodyguard puts on her coat as she gently places Mr. Meow on the table. As she walks toward the entrance, Mr. Meow stretches out on the table, then jumps to the floor and follows a short distance behind her. Rin, now standing outside the club, sees them approaching—the elegant woman walking out, cat trailing behind, and the bouncers parting the red rope. One of the bodyguards opens a door from the black limousine. The cat, like a little host, sits by the entrance and watches her leave. Rin stands beside Mr. Meow at the entrance. The woman glances down lovingly at Mr. Meow, then neutrally at Rin, while Rin looks quietly stunned. The door closes. From across the street, we see the limo drive off. In the distance, only Rin and Mr. Meow remain, the bouncers still standing in place. Rin glances down at Mr. Meow, licking his paw and rubbing his face. 

"Well," she says, "I guess I don't have to wonder anymore about what you get up to at night." 

As the words left her mouth, the snow that had constantly fallen stopped falling, and only carpets of white snow remained.

 The end.     

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