Under the spell of the young feline’s vacant, irradiated gaze and unable to control his own thoughts and movements, the human tried desperately to resist.

“You’re thinking of giving me only half of this treat, aren’t you?” Maddy asked in her monotone, West Suffoxshire dialect, knowing full well the answer. “You really should reconsider that decision.”

The human acquiesced, unable to break the irrepressible bond that had overtaken the sleepy hamlet.

“You shall now fill my supper bowl with the finest of processed, canned fish and poultry cuts,” she coldly commanded. “You will then kindly scoop out my litter depository and dispose of the waste accordingly. From there, I wish to be left alone until such time that I, per my own discretion, will seek your attention.

At his wits end, the exasperated human had one question. “Why are you like this?”

Maddy turned and smiled, ever so slightly.

“We are as we are,” she callously confirmed. “If you bipedal creatures didn’t suffer from emotions, from feelings, you could be as powerful as us.”

The human knew she was right. Truly, it was more than just this one particular village that was damned.