Toy. Thank you, mom.

Melisa. Take this lucky gold coin. (She gives it to Toy.) You will do great, son. I believe in you.

Yumi, Toy and the mice leave. Melisa is left alone.

Scene 8.

Late in the evening. Premises of the animal control center.

Yumi, Toy, Yin, Yang, Titmouse.

Titmouse. Where have you been?

Yumi. It’s a long story.

Toy. How is the situation?

Titmouse. After the round-up they brought a lot of stray animals here. Lord’s lawyer posted a bail for the cat burglars and they were set free.

Yin. Such a rascal!

Yang. They are the real Mafia.

Yumi. Where is my mom?

Titmouse. Greta is in the basement with others. Poor dogs are caged in the dog prison.

Toy. What do the tormentors plan to do?

Titmouse. I’ve heard a conversation: tonight they will put down all the caught animals with some lethal fluid.

Toy. We need to make haste!

Titmouse. Be careful. I’ve seen a grown dog on the center premises. He is clearly not a member of the animal tormentor gang and was snooping around.

Yin. He may be another poor fellow who is trying to find his family.

Toy. It doesn’t matter. Titmouse, you stay here, maintain outdoor surveillance. We are going inside.

The titmouse flies away, the rest of the group enter the animal control center. They walk along. At the end of a passageway they see a shadow of a big dog moving towards them.

Toy. Run! Yumi, hurry up!

They run along the center passages and find the entrance to the basement.

Toy. The entrance to the basement is here. Let’s split up. Mice, go through the ventilation system to scout out the situation. We are going down.

The mice go through the ventilation system. Yumi and Toy go down.

Toy. Why are you shaking? Are you cold?

Yumi. I am afraid of the dark.

Toy. Why haven’t you told me before?

Yumi. I’ll be fine.

Toy. If we go together, the tormentors will lamp us at once. See, that would be a strange scene: a cat burglar and a police dog’s son went for a walk together. (They laugh.)

Yumi. What are we supposed to do now?

Toy. You will cover the rear. This outer door is our only escape route. Watch over it. Warn me in the event of emergency.

Yumi. And you?

Toy. I will go further, to the dog prison. The entrance is right here.

Yumi. I get it. Watch over the escape route, warn in the event of emergency.

Toy. I nearly forgot. Give me your spongy bone.

Yumi. Here, take it. (He gives the spongy bone to the kitten.)

Toy. I will give it to the jail-keeper rat, otherwise he will raise alarm.

Yumi. Told you, this bone would bring us good luck.

Toy. Yumi, I meant to tell you…

Pause.

Yumi. What did you mean to tell me, Toy?

Toy. Thank you for saying a good word for me in front of Melisa and for calling me your friend.

Yumi. You are my friend. My best friend.

Toy. I’ve learnt a great deal from you today. It never occurred to me that dogs can be true friends.

Yumi. Seek and you will find. That is what my mom says.

Toy. And what did you say there when we met Pirate?

Yumi. Christmas Eve is the time when dreams come true.

Toy. You should wish for something with your whole heart, believe in your success and keep moving towards your desirable goal.

Yumi. That’s right, Toy. Come on! Everything is going to be alright.

Toy bust opens the lock and opens the inside door of the basement which opens into the dog prison. He leaves. Yumi is left alone.

Yumi. Alright. I have to look around. I am not afraid of the dark. I am brave. I am not afraid of the dark.

Yumi hears some noise in the dark corner, he jumps up to the side and hides himself in a heap of rubbish. Silence. Yumi leaves his hideout.