She also realized at last that she was on all fours, as though that were the most natural thing in the world. It was so natural that she couldn’t imagine why she had ever tried to stand on two feet. That seemed so unbalanced and awkward—however did one keep from falling over? And the smells! They were coming from everywhere and calling for her attention. She bent her nose low to the sand and sniffed. Yes, rather faint, but she was sure it was another cat. And then she spied tracks—kitten paw prints—chasing away across the red desert.

Lenora bolted, following the tracks, bounding on all fours at terrific speed. As she ran, she wondered how she could spy these prints so easily in such dark surroundings, but it wasn’t just those—it was everything. She could see almost as well in the semidarkness as she normally could during the day. The only trouble was that faraway things—like those three pyramids in the far, far distance—were very blurry. Lenora had never been nearsighted before, but she supposed this was what it was like.

She hardly had time to wonder about it before her attention was snatched by a burst of motion at the edge of her vision—a mouse! She burned with desire to chase it—only to play, of course—but she had a job to do. Firmly, she fixed her attention on the kitten tracks and continued her dash through the desert night.

“Mommy, look, a cat!” she heard a child cry, and she was very glad for the makeup. If she had been her normal self, it would have ruined the illusion.

She galloped up one side of a towering dune, warm sand whisking away from beneath her paws. As she crested the dune she skidded to a halt, transfixed by the sight below her.

It was the Temple of Bubastis. It had to be. She knew it in her heart of hearts. Also, there was a huge sign in front of it that said TEMPLE OF BUBASTIS. There was a high stone wall around the temple, and around the wall flowed two canals filled with dark water reflecting the twinkling lights above. The flowing waters ended at an entrance in front. Trees lined the banks of the canals. Sculptures were everywhere, mostly of cats, with the largest one being a huge statue of a woman with the head of a cat. The plaque beneath her read:

And below that it read: TRANSLATION FROM HIEROGLYPHS: BAST—GODDESS OF CATS.

To either side of the statue of Bast stood a fierce-looking man and woman—performers—holding sharp spears and looking protective. Beyond that was the edge of the diorama and a murmuring crowd taking pictures and pointing.