The Mystery Kitten

Elsa opened the window, struggling a bit with the stiff handle, and leaned out to look. The two houses weren’t built exactly the same, so where her window faced out to the garden, and had a little slope of roof underneath it, the next house stuck out further, and there was a window in the side wall instead. There was a piece of paper pressed up against it, and she could see Lilly behind it, peering at her.

I got your note. You were really horrible yesterday! the piece of paper said.

Elsa flinched. So much for trying to make friends. Then she tore out a piece of paper from the pad on her desk and scribbled I’m really sorry in big letters. She held it out of her window to show Lilly, and then ducked back inside and wrote, Didn’t mean to be on the back.

She looked across at Lilly, still framed in her own window. The other girl didn’t look very impressed. She was chewing her bottom lip and frowning back at Elsa as though she didn’t really know what to say.

Elsa was so busy watching Lilly and worrying that she almost missed the scratching, scraping noises by her elbow. There was a whisper of soft fur against her hand, and a curious black kitten put his front paws on the window frame and leaned out, wobbling as he sniffed the winter cold.

Elsa yelped and Pepper glanced round at her in surprise, his paws suddenly scrabbling against the slippery frame. His ears flattened back and he hissed in panic, clawing wildly at the painted wood.

“Pepper!” Elsa yelped as she grabbed at him. It was like trying to catch a handful of water, or sand. He wriggled and twisted and Elsa scraped her wrists against the roof tiles trying to catch hold. But at last she stepped back from the window, panting. Pepper was snuggled against her cardigan and she could feel his heart hammering against his skinny little ribs. “It’s OK,” she whispered shakily. “It’s all right. Oh, wow. I thought you were going to slide all the way down.” There was a frantic tapping from the window opposite, and Elsa’s eyes widened. So much for her secret.

The sign in the window now read, Are you OK? But Lilly was wrenching at the window catch and as Elsa watched, she pushed it open at last.

“Did you hurt yourself?”

“Um. I’m a bit scratched. Not Pepper – the tiles.”

“Is that his name? Pepper?”

“Yeah – but please don’t tell your mum and dad. He’s not mine. I mean, not really. He’s a secret, a bit like a mystery… Oh, and don’t shout too loudly either – my sister’s room is next to this one.”

Lilly frowned again. She hesitated and then she said, “OK… Look, can I come round?”

Pepper lay slumped in Elsa’s lap, exhausted. He’d been chasing bits of ribbon and a bouncy feather all morning with Elsa and the other girl, and then Elsa had built him an obstacle course out of boxes after lunch. Now he needed a nap. Elsa was tired too, he thought. But happy. He could feel it in the way she was stroking him, slow and soft, all relaxed.

He yawned, a yawn so huge it stretched the muscles around his jaw, and then padded his paws up and down on Elsa’s jeans to get them properly comfy. He sagged down, slumping on to Elsa’s leg. She was so soft and he was so sleepy.

Then his eyes popped open and his ears flattened back, and Elsa squeaked as the door banged open.

Pepper shot off her lap in fright, darting under the bed to hide in the safe shadows. There was a second of silence and then a yell from the doorway. He cowered back even further.

“What was that? Was it a rat?”

“No, Sara! Don’t be stupid!”

“You have, you’ve got a rat in your bedroom. I knew there was something. I thought I heard scratching noises!”

“It isn’t a rat!”

Pepper pressed himself against the wall as he heard footsteps. He didn’t like this noisy, screechy person. The girl who’d played with him earlier had been quiet and gentle, like Elsa. And they’d both given him cheese, which was definitely his favourite food. He watched anxiously as the strip of light at the edge of the bed darkened and two faces leaned down to peer in – Elsa and the loud person.

“Elsa … where did you get a kitten?”

Elsa wriggled back from the bed and sighed. “We’d better leave him for a little while. You scared him, screaming like that!” She looked accusingly at her big sister and Sara rolled her eyes.

“You can’t blame me, Elsa! I only saw it for a second and it really did look like a rat darting under your bed. You know I hate them.”

“Since when are rats black with furry tails?” Elsa demanded. “He doesn’t look a bit like a rat. And don’t call him it. He’s a boy kitten. Or I think he is.”

“But Elsa, where did you get him?” Sara frowned. “Is he the secret Christmas surprise? Because Dad is not going to want a kitten for Christmas, I’m telling you now!”

“I didn’t get him on purpose,” Elsa said slowly, trying to think how she could explain. “You know those weird noises I said I heard? All the scrabbling around in the attic?”

“That was a kitten?”

“Uh-huh.” Elsa nodded. “And then I found him under my bed. He likes it there, I think he feels safe.”

“You’ve been hiding him in your room?” Sara sounded a bit shocked.

“Only since yesterday after breakfast.” Elsa smiled at her sister. “He slept on my bed last night. Oh, shh, I think he’s coming out.”

They watched, holding their breath, as the black kitten crept forward. He paused at the very edge of the bed, eyeing Sara suspiciously.

“Don’t be scared,” Elsa whispered. “Come on… Come on, Pepper…”

“You named him!” Sara shook her head. “Oh, Elsa. Dad is not going to let you keep him…”

“He might,” Elsa said stubbornly as Pepper rubbed his head cautiously against her jeans. “You don’t know.”

“He is very cute,” Sara admitted. “Can I stroke him?”

“I don’t know…” Elsa looked at Pepper doubtfully. “I had to tempt him out with food, but he’s a lot less shy than he was. Maybe if we sit on the floor and keep still he’ll be brave enough to come closer.”

Sara nodded and the two girls sat down, leaning against Elsa’s bed. Pepper watched them for a moment, then he clambered up on to Elsa’s jeans and looked at Sara thoughtfully.

“Maybe we smell sort of the same, to a kitten?” Elsa whispered.

Sara rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, and when Pepper put one cautious paw on to her leg, she beamed. The tiny kitten sighed and then collapsed across their outstretched legs like a saggy furry toy.

“You’re going to have to tell Dad,” Sara said, tickling the sleepy kitten under the chin.

“Can we wait a bit?” Elsa pleaded. “What if he says we can’t keep him? I’ve had a kitten less than two days. I can’t give him up yet.” She leaned across to stroke one finger over Pepper’s velvet head. “Wouldn’t you like to keep him?” she added coaxingly.

“Well … yeah… He’s gorgeous,” Sara admitted. “I’ve been asking Dad about getting a dog again, but I don’t think he’s going to say yes. He doesn’t want to leave a dog alone at home while we’re at school and he’s at work. A kitten wouldn’t mind that so much, would he?”

“No. Exactly!” Elsa said eagerly. “He’d be a perfect pet. So, will you help me persuade Dad, then? Pepper would be the family’s cat, not just mine.”

Sara glanced over at the bedroom door and Elsa could see her thinking it through – there were tiny frowns and then flickers of a smile. At last she gave a slow nod. “OK. But I think we ought to tell him straight away. The sooner the better. I don’t think he’s going to be happy that you kept Pepper a secret.”

Elsa sighed. She’d been hoping to wait a bit longer – until they were really settled in the house, and Dad wasn’t so stressed about the move. But she knew Sara was right.

“Let’s go downstairs,” she said slowly. “Dad said he was going to do stuff online – changing addresses and that sort of thing. He said it was going to be really boring. He might like a break.”

“You take him.” Sara gently scooped Pepper off her lap. “He was yours first. But I’ll definitely tell Dad I think we should keep him.”

The two sisters walked slowly downstairs, with Elsa cradling Pepper against her cardigan. She just hoped Dad was in a good mood.

“You can’t be after a snack already,” Dad muttered as they came into the kitchen. He was glaring at his laptop and Elsa almost backed out of the room, thinking it might be better to come down again later.

“We don’t want a snack,” Sara said, putting a hand on Elsa’s back and pushing her forward a bit. “Elsa found out what was making those weird noises.”

Dad looked up. “Oh no – not a rat?” Then he saw Pepper, blinking at him sleepily from Elsa’s arms. “A kitten?”

“He must have been in the attic,” Elsa explained.

“You didn’t go up there, did you?” Dad asked worriedly. “That floor’s dodgy, Elsa, it’s dangerous.”

“No, honestly. Pepper came downstairs. I found him under my bed.”

“Pepper?” Dad frowned. “I’m guessing you haven’t just found him, then, if he’s got a name.”

Elsa looked at the floor and murmured, “It was yesterday morning. You were busy… I didn’t want to bother you…”

“Oh, Elsa…” Dad sighed. “He must be starving.”

“I fed him bits of sandwich, and cheese. He loves cheese – remember Gran said how Poppet really liked cheese? That’s where I got the idea.”

“She also said that if Poppet had too much she threw up all over the sofa,” Dad pointed out grimly. “At least you’ve been feeding him, I suppose. But where did this kitten come from? That’s what I want to know. He can’t have been in the attic by himself.” His eyes widened. “Are there more of them up there? His mum, maybe?”

“I haven’t heard them,” Elsa said, shaking her head. She hadn’t thought of going to look. “I think he was all on his own.”

Dad stood up. “I’d better go and check. You two stay here, please. I don’t want you anywhere near those holes in the floor.”

Elsa made a face at Sara as Dad disappeared off upstairs. “Dad sounds really grumpy. We shouldn’t have told him now, it was a really bad idea.”

“He hasn’t said no,” Sara pointed out. “It might be OK.” She reached over and tickled Pepper under his chin. “You need to put on your best cute face for when he comes back,” she said. “Come on, kitten. Time to charm Dad.”

Dad came back down saying that there were no more kittens upstairs, but he thought he could see where Pepper had been sleeping.

“It’s a bit smelly up there, too,” he said, frowning. “I suppose he isn’t house-trained.”

Sara made a face but Elsa shook her head. “I put down newspaper in my bedroom, Dad. He weed on it like he understood he was meant to. And he did a poo on the paper, too. I took it all out to the wheelie bin this morning and put some more down.”

“I suppose that’s something.” Dad sighed. “But we need to find out who he belongs to, Elsa. We can’t just adopt him.”

“Can’t we?” Elsa asked pleadingly. “He’s really good, Dad. He’s so friendly and sweet. Sara likes him too.” She elbowed her big sister and Sara nodded.

“I think we should keep him. He’s cute, Dad. You should try stroking him.”

“I thought you were desperate for a dog!”

Sara sighed. “I know. But you’re right, it wouldn’t be fair when we’re out all day. Cats don’t mind being left as much as dogs do. We could look after a cat, no problem.”

Dad shook his head. “We’ve only just moved, Sara. We’ve got enough to worry about without a cat as well.”

Elsa swallowed hard. She’d really hoped Dad would like Pepper – that he’d at least think about keeping the kitten. How could he just say no, straight away?

Dad sighed. “I’ll get in touch with Mrs Bell, the lady who used to live here, and see if she knows anything. Someone must be looking for him. He could have owners who really want him back.”

Elsa tickled Pepper under his chin and didn’t say anything. If they’d let such a tiny kitten wander off and get stuck in an attic all on his own, Pepper’s owners shouldn’t be allowed to have him back.

Lilly leaned further over the edge of Elsa’s bed and bounced the feather toy she’d made for Pepper. She’d turned up with it that morning and shyly asked if she could give the kitten a present. Elsa had said of course. She liked Lilly a lot and she was so glad she’d put that letter through her door.

Lilly had promised that she and her mum and Taylor, her little brother, would come and call for Elsa and Dad on the first day of term, and that she’d make sure everybody knew who Elsa was. She said Elsa could sit with her and a couple of her friends at lunch too. Elsa was feeling a lot less worried about the new school already.

“What was Mrs Bell like?” Elsa asked. “My dad phoned up the place she’s living yesterday, but she was sleeping. They’re going to get her to call him back so he can ask about Pepper.” She sighed. “At least it means we get to keep him for another day.”

“She was nice,” Lilly said slowly, looking at Elsa. “I mean, she wasn’t around that much. Mum said she was fragile and not very well. But if we saw her she always said hello and smiled, and she remembered my name and Taylor’s.”

“So … she didn’t seem like the sort of person who’d leave a kitten in an empty house?”

“No! Definitely not.” Lilly looked horrified. “Is that what you think happened?”

“I don’t know. I just don’t know how Pepper got in, if he came from somewhere else – he’s such a little kitten, I’m amazed he even got down the attic stairs. How could he have got into the house on his own?”

Lilly nodded. “I suppose you’re right. Though Mrs Bell did have a cat, actually. We hardly ever saw her – she was really shy. But she was out at the front of the house once and Mrs Bell told us she was called Jemima and she was a stray cat who’d turned up in her garden. Maybe Pepper was Jemima’s kitten!”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” Elsa looked puzzled. “But I don’t see how somebody so nice could leave a kitten behind. If Dad phones her and she says she wants him back, I’m not sure we should let her have him.”

“What are you going to do?” Lilly asked, wriggling round to stare at Elsa worriedly.

Elsa’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. If Dad says Pepper belongs to her I suppose we have to give him back.”

Dad frowned at Elsa. “Look, I know you don’t want to come—”

“It isn’t that! I don’t think we ought to be going at all,” Elsa growled back. “She abandoned him!”

“We don’t know that, Elsa. Look, Mrs Bell didn’t sound very well on the phone and she was really upset when I told her about Pepper. She said could we come and visit her, and I said we would. So we’re going.”

“But why did she leave him behind?” Elsa asked angrily. “It’s so cruel! He would have starved if he hadn’t come down the attic stairs and found us.”

“I’m sure there’s some sort of reason,” Dad said. “I know it seems odd. But I think we have to let her explain. She sounded so upset, Elsa. I honestly don’t think she abandoned him on purpose. Anyway, if we go to see her, she’ll be able to tell us, won’t she?”

“Come on, Elsa.” Sara gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, “Stop arguing! We need to keep working on Dad to let us keep Pepper – you’re not helping!”

Elsa shrugged on her coat. She was glad Sara was still hopeful, but she didn’t think it was going to work. Dad seemed so determined to find Pepper’s real home. She pulled her scarf out of the basket by the door and Pepper leaped for the dangling fringe. Elsa couldn’t help smiling, even though Pepper being cute just made her feel worse about losing him. “No, you can’t have that, silly, I need it. Oh, Sara, look!”

Pepper was climbing up the scarf now, paw over paw, looking determined.

Dad shook his head. “I think he wants to come with you. Not this time, kitten. You need to stay here.” He picked up the end of the scarf and Pepper, and tried to unpick the kitten’s claws from the woolly fabric while Pepper squeaked crossly at him. “No, don’t grab on again… There! OK, kitten, back in your box.”

Dad carried Pepper to the kitchen and put him in the little cardboard box Sara had found. It was padded with an old towel and it made a good temporary kitten basket. Then he hurried back along the hallway. “Right, you two, quick. Out the door before he catches up with us.” He shooed Sara and Elsa out and shut the door.

Pepper was still caught up in the folds of towel, stumbling his way out of the box and mewing anxiously. Where were they going? Why weren’t they taking him too? Elsa had left him alone in her room sometimes, but this felt different. All three of them had gone and now the house felt cold and silent.

Beyond that big door it smelled strange and a bit frightening. He didn’t want to go out there, but he wanted to be left behind even less. They had all gone and abandoned him, just like his mother and the other kittens had. He stood by the front door and mewed anxiously, calling for Elsa to come and find him. He even scratched at the door with his claws, hoping it would open so he could run after her. He banged and scrabbled until his paws hurt, howling over and over. Why had they gone? Where were they? Where was his mother?

At last he sank down on to the doormat, huddling in a limp little ball, his sore paws tucked under his chest. He was so tired and so cold. There was no one to cuddle up against. Pepper tucked his nose into the soft black fur of his chest, his breath shaky.

He was too small to understand that sometimes people came back.

Elsa followed Dad and Sara and the care assistant through the lounge. She hadn’t realized that Mrs Bell had moved into a care home, but then Lilly had said she was very fragile.

The care assistant crouched down beside an elderly lady in an armchair and gently patted her arm. “Mrs Bell? I’ve brought Mr Parsons and his daughters to see you.”

“Oh!” Mrs Bell blinked as if she’d been half asleep and peered up at Dad and the girls. “Oh, thank you for coming. Do bring some chairs round, sit down.”

Dad pulled some chairs over and they sat down, looking rather uncomfortably at the old lady. No one knew quite what to say. Elsa was a bit shocked that Mrs Bell seemed so shaky and ill. How had she coped, living in their house – it really was starting to feel like properly their house now – with all the stairs? Maybe that was why she had left Pepper behind? She just hadn’t been well enough to look after him? But still…