Petronio stretched voluptuously,  yawning.  That was a good life!:  eating, sleeping and 
polishing his fur,  without losing the occasion to play with his friend George. He loved 
to simulate  some fake ambushes,  to induce George to run behind him:  five kilograms of 
perfect muscles,  launched  at crazy speed.  He began  to bite  more  and  more strongly 
George's hand,  that  after a little he opened his eyes and watched him,  crying: "Ouch, 
Petronioooo!  Be  carefull!  That  is  my hand!".  Petronio  stopped,  observed  him for 
a moment  and  then  he threw  himself  as a rocket down  from the hammock, disappearing 
fastly  from the sight  of George,  that watched the door smiling,  undecided if to rise 
to his feet or not.  In the meantime  Petronio  arrived at a run until the income of the 
hold and he arrested them,  keeping still.  He did not know if it was better to wait for 
or to return  behind  for another fake attack.  He stretched himself to listen carefully 
in order  to feel the steps of George and he heard a light rustling.  But the noise came 
from  a mistaken point,  that  is  from  the deep one  of the hold.  Moreover it was not 
a familiar noise.  The atavic  instinct  of the hunter  prevailed  over  him,  therefore 
Petronio  headed  cautiously  for the origin  of that strange sound.  Drill  was  calmly 
eating a piece of wood of a case of goods.  Suddenly he immobilized himself.  One of his 
alien  senses  perceived  him  that  someone had entered in the hold and headed for him, 
with warlike intentions.  He went fastly  on the defensive,  with his sting ready to hit 
and  whit  his  unsheathed  claws.  Petronio  was  approached slowly there where it came 
the suspicious noise  and  he  perceived  now  also  a strange smell, never felt before. 
The fur  along  his dorsal  thorn  was bristled  and  his muzzle seemed  to grew longer: 
he  perceived  a  strange  feeling!  He  turned  behind  a case  and  he was forehead at 
the Drill.  Really  Petronio  saw only a light small fog,  but his hearing and his sense 
of smell  warning  him  that  there  was  something to be exterminated.  He was prepared 
to jump  on  the  intruder,  while  the Drill bent his terrible sting,  ready to kill... 
A fastest hand seized Petronio  under his belly and pulled him up,  while an heavy boot, 
equipped  with  the space uniforms,  crushed  unintentionally,  with  its metallic sole, 
the Drill  on  the  ground  of the hold.  George's scoffing  voice exclaimed triumphant: 
"Petronio, this time I have taken you! I think that you, by dint of sleeping on hammock, 
grew a few senile!",  and  what a hearthy laugh,  while he cuddled him between his arms. 
Petronio  watched  him  bewildered  and  still he did not understand  how he was arrived 
there.  The worse danger  that  had  never  threatened Earth resolved therefore, without 
that  nobody  had  notice  of  it,  thanks  to  a  playful  cat  and  to  a playful man.