Willow the lonely kitten

by Tina Nolan

  Rocky hung his head and patiently allowed Karl to unclip his lead.

  “Someone will want you soon,” Eva promised, patting his broad head. “They just have to set eyes on you to see what a gorgeous boy you are!”

  “Right, that’s me finished for the day,” Jen announced, emerging from the cattery and collecting the keys to her bike lock from a drawer in Reception. “Your mum’s out in the stables, administering wormers to Oliver and Peggy. Tell her I’ll see her tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Jen!” Eva and Karl called.

  Karl took Rocky to the kennels while Eva decided to take down all the out-of-date notices from the noticeboard. As she was busy doing this, there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” she called.

  It was Jake Shannon who poked his head round the door. “Are you still open?” he asked.

  “We’re open twenty-four hours a day if it’s an emergency,” Heidi told him, appearing in the porch. “What can we do for you?”

  “Well, it’s not an emergency,” Jake admitted. “It’s more of an ongoing problem.”

  Uh-oh, Eva thought. I bet Willow’s still weeing everywhere.

  “To be honest, Julie’s really stressing about this one,” Jake confessed, “and she’s developed a really bad cold, which is making her feel terrible.” He spoke quietly, in a shy voice, and his beige shirt and grey trousers seemed designed to make him fade into the background. “The fact is – Willow has started scratching the furniture while we’re out. She’s already made a mess of the table in the dining room and now she’s started on the kitchen door.”

  Heidi listened then nodded. “That’s common with young cats, I’m afraid. Have you tried buying her a specially designed scratching post?”

  Jake sighed. “No, but I’ll look for one on Monday morning. Will Willow grow out of scratching the furniture?”

  “Some cats do,” Heidi replied. “But it’s something cats do in the wild as a way of exercising their claws and keeping them sharp.”

  “So no guarantees?” Jake frowned.

  “No, but try the scratching post. And make sure Willow has some toys to play with if she gets bored. That might take her mind off scratching the furniture.”

  “OK, I’ll do that,” Jake promised, taking this as his cue to leave.

  “And I hope Julie gets better soon,” Heidi added.

  Jake nodded. “Thanks so much for your help – bye!”

  “Zero degrees.” It was Sunday, and Jen read the thermometer out in the porch as she came into Reception, her face rosy from the bike ride into work. “It’s a lovely clear day, but freezing!”

  “No need to tell us,” Karl groaned. “Eva and I took Rocky and Holly for a walk. We could see our breath, the air was so cold.”

  Mark grinned at them. “Stop complaining. I like this cold, crisp weather. With a bit of luck, we might even get snow.”

  “Hmm.” Eva frowned. “I’d better remind Annie to make sure Gwinnie and Merlin are wearing their rugs tonight.” She was close to the phone when it rang. “Hello, this is Animal Magic Rescue Centre.”

  “Hello, is that Eva? This is Miss Eliot from Swallow Court.”

  “Hi, Miss Eliot.” Eva supposed that the old lady wanted to check up on the mare she’d once owned. “I was just talking about Guinevere. Mum’s around, would you like to speak to her?”

  “No thank you, dear. It’s not Guinevere that I’m ringing about.” There was a pause before Miss Eliot decided to continue. “I don’t want anyone to think that I’m a busybody, but I’ve just seen something that I find rather worrying.”

  “To do with an animal?” Eva asked. Otherwise, why would Miss Eliot call Animal Magic?

  “Yes. It’s the black and white kitten at number 22.”

  “Willow!” Eva gasped.

  Everyone in the room turned to Eva and waited to hear what the problem was.

  “That’s the one,” Miss Eliot answered. “I can see the house from my front window, and I’m always up early – before it gets light, as a matter of fact. Well, I was drawing back my curtains first thing this morning, and I saw the kitten sitting on the front doorstep, miaowing to be let in.”

  “Oh!” Eva cried. “Does that mean Willow had been out all night?”

  “I think so, dear. That’s why I’m worried. The door was shut tight and there were no lights on. There was a deep frost everywhere.”

  “Out all night,” Eva repeated. Willow was far too young to be out in such cold weather.

  “She looked so lost and lonely,” Miss Eliot concluded. “Honestly, my dear, it was pitiful to see.”

  “All right, let’s take this slowly.” As usual, Heidi wanted to think the problem through. “We mustn’t jump to the wrong conclusion.”

  “What’s to think about?” Karl wanted to know, while Eva frowned and bit her lip. “The Shannons locked Willow out of the house when it was freezing. Then they went to bed. How bad is that!”

  “On the face of it, very bad,” Heidi agreed. “But perhaps they didn’t mean to do it. Mistakes happen, you know.”

  Jen agreed. “Or maybe Miss Eliot got it wrong. It’s possible that either Julie or Jake were up early and had let Willow out for five minutes.”

  But Eva shook her head. “I don’t think so. But it just doesn’t make any sense. They both seemed so keen on having her … maybe they got tired of her weeing and scratching. She’s so little – she could have frozen to death!” Eva looked at the evidence and rapidly changed her mind about the Shannons. Now she was certain that Animal Magic had sent Willow to the wrong home.

  “It’s true that Julie and Jake have been asking for advice,” Jen acknowledged. “And Willow has been more work than they’d expected.”

  “Which proves that they’re not used to owning a pet, but that they’re willing to learn,” Heidi pointed out. “I don’t think we can condemn them for making one mistake.”

  “A big mistake!” Karl insisted.

  Heidi nodded. “But still, I would rather keep an eye on things and not do anything too hasty. If it turns out that the Shannons are deliberately leaving Willow out overnight, then I’m definitely prepared to have a word with them about how dangerous it could be.”

  Eva and Karl knew that their mum had spoken her last word on the subject. As Heidi returned to the morning’s business, they went to the kennels and admitted how they felt.

  “I know Mum wants to wait and see,” Karl muttered, “but one more night like last night could mean the end for Willow!”

  “Don’t say that!” Eva cried. A picture of the beautiful little kitten shivering in the frosty night entered her head and refused to go away. “Karl, we were wrong about the Shannons. We made a terrible mistake!” Eva felt guilty and angry at the same time.

  Leading Piper out of the kennels, Karl agreed. “So what are we going to do?”

  Eva thought hard. On the one hand, do nothing, as her Mum had suggested. On the other, act in secret and save Willow before it was too late. “I’m going to Swallow Court,” she decided.

  “Just be careful,” Karl warned as he set out with Piper. “Don’t rush over there and do something stupid.”

  “OK, OK,” she muttered. “But I don’t care how I do it, I’m going to find out the truth!”

  Chapter Seven

  As Eva set off for Willow’s new home, a light snow began to fall. She looked up at the dark-grey sky, tied her scarf tightly under her chin, then strode on along Main Street.

  “Hi, Eva.” It was Karl’s friend George Stevens who slowed her down. “Tell Karl to come to my house this afternoon. There’s going to be loads more snow. We’re making a massive snowman at the top of Earlswood Avenue.”

  More snow? Eva groaned as she turned into Swallow Court. Normally she’d have been enjoying the snow with George and his mates, but today she was more worried about the sub-zero temperature and the effect it would have on Willow. She walked quickly past Miss Eliot’s house, crossed the street and headed for number 22.

  No car park
ed outside the house, she thought as she approached the driveway. So at least one of the Shannons must be out. No lights on, so they’re probably both out.

  “Yoo-hoo, Eva!” Miss Eliot had come to her front door and was calling across the road. “Have you come about the kitten?”

  Eva backtracked. “Hi, Miss Eliot. Yes, I was worried about Willow. I told Mum, but she thinks we should wait a while before we do anything.”

  “Really?” The old lady sounded surprised. She bent down to pick up her elderly cat, Tigger, to stop him venturing out of the house. “Why did Heidi think that?”

  Eva frowned and felt embarrassed. “Oh, it’s not because she didn’t believe you, Miss Eliot. But she wants to give the Shannons a second chance.”

  “She does?” Miss Eliot raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes. Mum says it’s possible they left Willow out by mistake.”

  “By mistake! Oh, I don’t think so, dear.” Gentle Miss Eliot suddenly sounded very firm. “If it had been a mistake, they wouldn’t have done it again.”

  “Again?” It was Eva’s turn to sound surprised as she looked anxiously across at number 22.

  “And so soon. Listen, my dear, I’ve been keeping a close eye on that house ever since I called you. And guess what – that young couple didn’t open the door to let the kitten in until after breakfast. I was relieved, of course. But then, no sooner did they let her into the warmth than they turned her out again.”

  “What do you mean?” Eva asked.

  Miss Eliot looked straight at her. “They went out in the car at about ten o’clock. But before they drove off, they made sure to shoo the kitten out into the front garden and lock the door on her.”

  “Here, Willow!” Eva searched amongst the frozen flower beds in the Shannons’ front garden. Now she didn’t care what anyone said – after what Miss Eliot had just told her, she knew she had to rescue the kitten.

  She called again, then spotted tiny, faint paw prints in the snow. They led from the front doorstep around the side of the house.

  Quickly, Eva followed them. “Willow!” she called again, scared that the fast-falling snow would cover up the only clue the kitten had left. She reached the back garden and took in the stack of cardboard packaging leaning against the fence. “Willow, where are you?” she called softly.

  By now the paw prints had almost disappeared under fresh snow. Eva could just make out that they were heading for the stack of cardboard, so she made her way there, gently lifting the flattened boxes to peer behind them.

  Miaow! With a terrified cry, Willow shot out from behind the sheets of cardboard.

  “Willow, it’s me – Eva!”

  Miaow! Miaow! The frightened kitten cowered on the back doorstep.

  Eva was down on her knees, trying to coax Willow to come to her when the Shannons’ car returned. She heard the engine stop and doors open and then slam. How am I going to explain this? she thought, picturing the Shannons’ faces when they discovered her in their snowy back garden.

  She froze, listening to the key turning in the front door, feeling the soft snowflakes land on her cold forehead and cheeks. After a short while, the back door opened.

  “Willow, here’s your breakfast!” Jake Shannon called. He rattled a dish of dry cat food to tempt the kitten back into the house. Then he saw Eva. “Blimey!” he muttered. “Hey Julie, there’s an intruder in our back garden!”

  In spite of the cold, Eva felt her face flush bright red as she stood in Jake and Julie Shannon’s kitchen watching Willow eat.

  The moment the kitten had heard Jake rattle the dish, she’d shot between his legs into the house. Julie had joined her husband at the kitchen door and asked Eva to come in and explain.

  “I was worried about Willow,” Eva stammered. “She’s too little to be out in the snow, so I was trying to catch her before she froze.”

  Julie frowned. “How did you know she was outside?”

  Don’t mention Miss Eliot! Eva knew she mustn’t involve the old lady. “I was just passing and I thought I heard miaowing.”

  “We’d only driven to the chemist’s.” Julie was cross. “We weren’t out long. Willow would have been quite all right,” she sniffled, blowing her nose.

  Eva nodded unhappily. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s OK. Don’t be too hard on Eva,” Jake told Julie. “She wasn’t to know how soon we’d be back. And she was obviously worried about Willow.”

  “Well, she doesn’t need to be. We’re her owners now.”

  “Sorry.” Eva knew that if Julie was cross enough to call Heidi, she’d be in big trouble back home.

  “Time for you to take that medicine and put your feet up,” Jake suggested to his wife after an awkward silence. “And time for you to go, Eva.” He led her down the hall towards the front door.

  “I realize we’re not doing very well with Willow,” he confided quietly as she stepped out on to the drive. “It’s much more difficult than we expected. Moving house is a stressful time, plus Julie is a perfectionist. She hates mess. And to cap it all, she hasn’t been very well.”

  Eva nodded slowly. So why get a pet? she wondered. Pets equal stray hairs and muddy feet. Pets are messy, full stop.

  “We’ll try harder from now on, I promise,” Jake said.

  She wanted to believe him. “And you won’t leave her out again?”

  “No,” he said, before firmly closing the door.

  So Eva went home and worried all day. She worried about Willow all that evening, and after she went to bed she lay awake, worrying.

  “Where are you now, Willow?” she whispered, staring out of her bedroom window at the starlit sky.

  She thought back over the day. By lunchtime the snow clouds had cleared and Karl had spent the afternoon with George, building the giant snowman at the top of Earlswood Avenue. Eva had stayed at home and missed all the fun.

  “Are you all right?” her dad had asked. “Or is something bothering you?”

  “I’m fine,” Eva had lied.

  But now she couldn’t sleep. She sat up in bed, pulled back the curtains and gazed out of the window. She saw the pale full moon shining on a white world of snow-covered hills and a sleeping village. And she hoped with all her heart that Willow wasn’t out in the white wilderness, but safely snuggled up in a soft bed in the warm kitchen of 22 Swallow Court.

  Chapter Eight

  At school the next day, Eva tried hard to concentrate. But every time her teacher told her to do something, her mind drifted off to the problem of Willow.

  At least it’s not snowing, she told herself, looking out at a clear blue sky.

  “Eva, did you hear me?” Miss Jennings asked from the front of the class. “I asked you to take this message to the school secretary’s office.”

  It’s sunny but it’s still freezing, she thought, standing out in the playground with Annie during lunch break.

  “Hello? Do you want me to help with the ponies when we get home?” Annie asked. “Honestly, Eva, I’ve said it three times. What’s wrong with you today?”

  The day dragged until at last Eva sat on the bus, still in a world of her own.

  “So tell me!” Annie insisted, sitting next to her with her arms crossed, refusing to let Eva off the hook.

  “It’s Willow,” Eva confessed. The story tumbled out. “New home … the Shannons … out all night … a terrible mistake!”

  Annie listened carefully. “I get it,” she muttered. “You think that if you wait too long before your mum decides to step in, it might be too late.”

  Eva gulped then nodded. “But I messed up yesterday. Jake and Julie caught me trespassing in their back garden. I’m scared they’ll tell Mum.”

  “And she’d be really cross.” Annie understood the problem. She thought for a while. “Maybe we should go undercover?”

  “You mean like spies, rescuing Willow in secret?” Eva’s glum face began to light up. “You think we should kidnap her?”

  “Catnap!” Annie said. The
bus drew into Okeham and the village kids filed off. “We could go to Swallow Court and start right now.”

  Without stopping to think, Eva agreed and she and Annie clambered off the bus. “If the house is empty and Willow has been left outside all day, it means that Jake didn’t keep his promise,” she said. “Which means we have to do something!”

  “Catnap her,” Annie said again. “Act casual, Eva, as if we’re just coming down here for a stroll.”

  They paused outside Miss Eliot’s house, pretending to gossip but really taking a sneaky look at number 22. There was no sign of life, until all of a sudden a car turned off Main Street into the cul-de-sac.

  “It’s the Shannons’ car! Quick, follow me,” Eva hissed, bolting through Miss Eliot’s gate and hurriedly knocking at her door.

  The old lady soon appeared. “Eva, Annie, how nice to see you!” she exclaimed. “Come in out of the cold.”

  “Good thinking,” Annie muttered to Eva, as, five minutes later, they sat in Miss Eliot’s sitting room with orange juice and biscuits. From here they’d had a good view of Julie Shannon getting out of her car and going into the house.

  Eva nodded. “Let’s stay as long as we can,” she mumbled.

  Miss Eliot’s cat, Tigger, rubbed against her legs, then jumped on to her lap.

  “Is there any more news about the kitten?” Miss Eliot asked, noticing that Eva was studying the goings-on at number 22.

  “Not today,” Eva replied, seeing Julie come out to unload some shopping from the car. There was no sign of Willow. Another five minutes went by before the front door flew open again. This time Julie appeared carrying the little kitten at arm’s length. Willow hung like a scrap of fur from her hands, legs dangling as Julie dumped her on the doorstep and closed the door.