All kinds of interesting scents fill the air around the beginning of October. From outside the window you can smell the trees and their leaves as they die out for the end of the year and the sweet scent of hot chocolate being made in preparation for the chilling air and snow to come. Children, home from school, laugh in the steadily shortening daylight hours. They speak of costumes and pumpkins and miniature bars of chocolate while older women in their fur coats talk in Russian and other languages from the eastern side of Europe about what their grandchildren are doing now.
       The cat was always around, but it showed up the most during the autumn and winter months. No one ever managed to catch it, and as such, no one knew its gender. It belonged to no man; woman or child in the neighborhood, and as such, was named by the community.
       “Erin!” The children called, tossing the cat toy mice. There was a special jar in the local pet store that people donated money to so that Erin could have nice things. Children were common patrons to Erin’s cause, sacrificing all manner of coins and small bills so that the cat could have food to eat and toys to enjoy.
       Erin would often be found in the alley by the pet shop, nibbling on the food laid out for him/her. Many a time, the shop owner tried to get a collar and nametag around Erin’s neck, but the cat would slip away each time before he could get near.
       The adults treated Erin like any other adult. They spoke of him/her often, wondering where he/she had come from with every pale gray hair and blue eyes. It was agreed amongst them that Erin was simply a lucky stray that knew kind neighborhoods to live with during the colder months. Children were cautioned not to touch him/her and encouraged to leave scraps of food out every now and again.
       Ah, yes! The children… The youngest members of the neighborhoods saw Erin for what he/she was.
       “She’s a goddess!” They’d whisper to one another. “She’s that goddess of cats from Egypt, and she’s here cause no one believes in her anymore in Egypt.”
       Whenever there was a scuffle amongst the children, one girl or another would always be quick to say, “Say sorry, or Erin will get mad and leave us!” None of the teachers saw the harm in the silly stories the children made up about Erin, even applauding the children who would draw pictures of the cat with the moon in some corner of the paper they drew on.
       In this particular year of years, Erin was seen more at night during the day. Her movements had become sluggish over the years, and the adults feared the beloved neighborhood pet would soon be ferried off to the litter box in the sky. The teens and older children also saw that Erin was not as young as he/she used to be.
       There were whispers among the adults that the small-ish cat might not live long enough to see the next spring.
       Weeks went by, and soon it was close to Halloween. The children and teens of the neighborhood were abuzz with news of costumes and who was giving out regulation size candy bars. Even Erin seemed to be in the holiday spirit, pouncing about by the river where the young ones met. They’d toss stones through holes in the fences, and admired the bridges spanning the water, tossing Erin what scraps of meat they didn’t eat during lunch at school. In return for the food given, Erin would listen to the children chatter and offer silent commentary on the ideas they had for costumes and who to go with and where come All Hallows Eve.
       It was a merry time, and by the time the thirty-first of October came, everyone was excited to see the fanfare of costumes and colors and sounds of laughter through the night. However, come the end of school and the start of the festivities that Friday evening, Erin was not to be found.
       Each group of trick-or-treaters kept an eye and ear out for the pale gray cat, wondering where the star of the neighborhood could be hiding with so many of her neighbors afoot. They called out to him/her as often as they called out for candy, and thought no one caught sight of the cat, the joy of the holiday was not ruined in the slightest.
       As the night drew to its close and the younger generations slinked on home to warm water to wash away the makeup they wore and even warmer beds to relax their already aching stomachs, they wondered still what had become of their beloved goddess in furs. One such person was an older teen of eighteen summers named Amunet. She, among other older teens and young adults, decided to stay out later than their younger counterparts to search for Erin.
       Amunet, still clad in her while dress as part of her Egyptian Pharaoh costume, walked along the fenced off edge of the river. “Erin! Erin!” She called for the cat, looking for any sign of his/her pale fur. Frustrated, she turned away from the river and wondered if her sister was already in bed.
       Mreow! The familiar twang rang in her ears like a long-lost song. “Erin?” Amunet turned on the spot, the object of everyone’s worry sitting upon the fence. Mreow! Erin called once more, his/her mouth opening wide as he/she yawned.
       “Oh Erin…” Amunet smiled sweetly at the cat. “Where have you been? Everyone was worried about you.”
       Erin swished their tail a few times before jumping down from the fence, landing at Amunet’s feet. Her form shifted under the autumn moon, spreading and growing as the cat stood up, until a tall and slender woman stood where Erin had landed. Her hair was a deep brown, her skin more aptly described as the shade of terracotta pottery. The woman, like Amunet, wore a long white gown not unlike that seen on the royalty of ancient Egypt. Gold bands on her arms glistened brightly in the moonlight, shining in her bright blue eyes like stardust.
       “I’m sorry for worrying you,” Replied Bastet replied. “I sensed my time here was drawing to a close, so I went to Osiris today to ensure that my death here would be a peaceful one.”
       Amunet bowed slightly, her own dark mane of hair slipping over her shoulders. “I am glad to see you are well,” She straightened back up and smiled more widely. “Perhaps next time it would be wise to leave some sort of message before you go off.”
       The cat goddess chuckled in her rich, deep voice. “I promise I will. Send the young ones my best.” With that, Bastet ran off down the stretch of road, her form shifting like water back into that of a cat. Amunet waved and was soon on her way as well, her own gown fluttering in the night air as she turned towards home to call off the search.