Saving Justus

Thursday was a holiday in Baden-Württemberg. We had planned to go hiking, not too far away since there would be sunny, but also rainy spells and lots of wind in the Stuttgart area, and even thunderstorms in Allgäu where we had meant to go before finding out about the weather. Before leaving, Anna called her cats Felix, Emily, and Justus so they'd be safely inside the house whilst we were off.
Felix and Emily came running soon enough, but Justus was not to be found. Anna looked for him in all the sheds and corners around our house, but couldn't hear a reply - well, it was difficult to hear anything anyway, since the wind was so heavy. After almost an hour of shouting, Anna heard a whining and meeow coming from high up in the shed. Justus had found shelter in the garage, and from there had moved on into the shed. It was locked, of course, and he was looking for a way out, too scared to remember his way in.
Anna asked for help, and we all came to hold the ladder whilst she climbed up and tried to save her sweet but scared tomcat. He was desperate, and she couldn't reach him. The poor darling climbed all along the shed to find a way out, but whereever we told him to try was too afraid to jump.
In the end, Felix went into the garage to guide him back. It took the more experienced and adventurous cat one hour, and then she was sitting where Justus had been, trying to squeeze through to get back down. No chance! And she's a lot smaller than Justus is.
We were afraid for both of them now. But only five minutes later Felix was back through the garage - without his friend.
What to do? In the end, our neighbour and owner of the shed came and allowed us to open the shed and look for Justus inside. There he was in the darkest corner, almost paralyzed by fright, looking at Anna for help. It was Alex who saved him by struggling onto the board where the tomcat hid, grabbing him by the neck, and holding him tight all the way down to safety, even when falling on his back and having to struggle to get up again. Justus was wriggling like mad, and hopped down as soon as he was outside the shed and back to freedom, whizzing into the garden and into the house in a second.
What an adventure for all of us!
No chance for a long hiking tour now, the action had taken most of the day. Still Volker, Anna and I felt like some walking (Alex preferred to stay at home and work on my laptop). So we went for a long walk through the woods to Bärenschlössle where Anna invited us to a coffee and a cake, and from there on to Schloss Solitude. Volker was happy at last, since there he had all the wind and space he wanted for his kite which he had carried along through the woods. Three hours of fresh air and brisk walking got us hungry again, so another break at Bärenschlössle to enjoy some tipical suebian meal and a beer. A nice day, after all.