"It's such a pretty day, " said Pat. "I'm sure Rascal would rather be outside. Let's take the kitten on the deck, too."

She picked me up and opened the door. Rascal jumped off the cabinet and led the way. Pat sat in a chair beside a round, wrought iron table. I looked around as she held me on her lap.

The wooden deck covered half of the roof and a 3' tall wooden railing ran along its edge. Rascal was eating dry food out of a stainless steel bowl. When he finished, he took a long drink of water out of an identical bowl.

A long-haired black cat was reclining on the far north corner of the roof. The bright sun shone on his coat, giving it a reddish sheen. This was the cat that I'd seen through the window. Now I was sure that he was Midnight. As Rascal walked toward him, Midnight slowly rose and stretched his body. Then, he ran toward Rascal. They greeted each other by touching noses. In a few minutes, Rascal began to lick Midnight's ears. Midnight seemed to enjoy being groomed, until Rascal gave him a playful bite. Then the game began! Midnight ran across the deck with Rascal in hot pursuit. When Rascal caught up with him, they rolled and tumbled near the edge of the roof. I was afraid they would fall off, but finally they broke apart. Rascal raised his paw, as if to say,"That was fun, but enough is enough."

I jumped out of Pat's lap and ran toward Midnight. I wanted to play, too! When Midnight saw me, he arched his back and hissed at me. Then he ran to the edge of the deck. I thought this was part of the game, so I ran after him. Suddenly, Pat scooped me up and said, "I don't think Midnight wants to play with you. I better put you back inside, before you get hurt."