Don’t miss any of the Life and Times of Birdie Mae Hayes!
The Gift
Henry the Cat
Text copyright © 2018 by Jeri Anne Agee
Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Skyhorse Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
First Edition
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are from the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Sammy Yuen
Cover illustration by Bryan Langdo
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-5107-2455-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-2461-7
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Invisible Cat
Chapter 2: My Gift
Chapter 3: Visit with Grandma Mae
Chapter 4: Henry the Cat
Chapter 5: Lost Dog
Chapter 6: Sally’s Brother Darrel
Chapter 7: Grandma Ray
Chapter 8: The Walk
Chapter 9: Friends and an Invisible Cat
Chapter 10: The Journey
Chapter 11: Surprise for Four
Chapter 12: Little Henry
Chapter 13: Another Visit with Grandma Mae
Chapter 14: One Special Kitten
Chapter 1
THE INVISIBLE CAT
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I wasn’t expecting to find a big white fluffy cat sitting outside my bedroom window. But there he was. He stared at me, then he yawned, laid down on the window ledge, and started cleaning himself. Well, just make yourself at home why don’t you! I thought.
I got out of bed and went over to the window. I watched him through the glass for a few minutes, wondering if he might be one of the cats left over from when old lady Miller lived in the neighborhood. She had at least fifty cats before she moved away.
Mama stepped into my bedroom and said, “Good morning, Birdie Mae! What are you looking at out the window?”
I pointed to the cat and said, “Mama, it’s the strangest thing . . . I woke up and this big white fluffy cat is just sitting right outside my window staring at me.”
Mama looked toward the window and then walked over to get a better look. I noticed her back stiffen a little and when she turned around she had a funny look on her face. She came back and sat on my bed.
She looked right at me and said, “Birdie Mae, are you telling me there is a big white fluffy cat sitting outside your window, right now?”
“Yes ma’am! Isn’t he the cutest thing?” I asked.
Mama still had that same funny look on her face. She said, “Now, I don’t want to upset you, but Birdie Mae, I don’t see a big white fluffy cat outside your window. Or any cat outside your window. But I do believe you see one. I think, though, you may be the only one who can see it.” She paused. My mouth dropped open. “It sounds like I need to call Grandma Mae right away. I’ll be right back.”
And just like that Mama got up and left my bedroom in a hurry. I stared at the bedroom door and then back at the cat over and over again. I started getting a nervous feeling, and I knew this all had something to do with my gift—or what Mama now calls my “special abilities.” That had to be the only reason Mama was calling Grandma Mae.
I could hear Mama talking on the phone but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. Then, before I knew it, she was coming back down the hall. She rounded the corner to my room and said in a cheerful voice, “How about we take a ride out to Grandma Mae’s house today?”
I immediately thought to myself, Oh great . . . here we go again.
Chapter 2
MY GIFT
I should probably back up a little bit and tell you how I got to this point in the first place, and exactly what my “gift” a.k.a “special ability” is. Don’t get too excited. It’s not a gift like a cool new bike or anything like that. It’s something I was born with . . . my Grandma Mae has it too, and she calls it a fancy word—clairvoyance. I had to look that up in the dictionary. It kind of means someone who can see things before they happen—things in the future. Most people call it psychic. Basically, I can see visions of what’s going to happen. Not all the time—just some of the time—and that’s the real frustrating part.
So anyway, my name is Birdie Mae Hayes and I’m eight years old and live in Rainbow, Alabama, with my Mama, Daddy, and my little brother Bubba. My best friend is Sally Rose Hope and we are in third grade. We’ve been best friends since we were born, which was in the same hospital, just one day apart, by the way. We’ve lived down the street from each other ever since. We hang out together every day except for when one of us is sick or something. But even then, we sometimes bring each other homework or soup. We definitely like the days when we bring soup better than the days when we bring homework.
You can probably imagine that I don’t go around telling just anyone that I can see things before they happen. For one thing, no one would believe me, and for another thing, if they did believe me, they would probably try to make me prove it or something and that’s just not how it works. Besides my family, Sally is the only other person who knows about my gift.
I found out about it a few weeks ago, after I had a vision of Doyle Baker falling out of a tree right before he did, and a vision of a fire in our backyard before it happened. That was the first time Mama and Daddy took me to visit with Grandma Mae about my special abilities. That was the first time she told me I was born with a gift.
It was a lot for a kid to take in all at once. Since then, I’ve really started noticing things, small things, and really paying attention to when I’m feeling strange. That’s what happens before I see a vision—I start feeling strange and I get butterflies in my stomach. Last week it happened, and I knew which way Sally and I should go to avoid a big wasps nest with wasps swarming everywhere. And then the other day it happened, and I knew that if I didn’t go upstairs with my little brother Bubba to start his bath water, he would overflow the bathtub.
Speaking of Bubba, that reminds me of the time he climbed out of his bed and decided to go dig in the garden in the middle of the night. I had a feeling so strong that night that it woke me up, and I had to wake up Mama and Daddy so they could go get Bubba out of the garden and give him a bath and put him back to bed. The next day we were all really tired. But Mama and Daddy were thankful that I had one of my feelings when I did, because who knows where he would have gone once he was done digging that big hole in the garden? Sometimes I’m surprised Mama ever lets that boy out of her sight.
But back to this whole cat thing—that’s a new one for me, for sure. I don’t know how I feel about being able to see a cat that no one else can see. It seems like Mama isn’t so sure about it either.
Chapter 3
VISIT WITH GRANDMA MAE
Later that day, when we pulled up to Grandma Mae’s house, Grandpa was leaving, and he waved to us from his truck window. Uh oh . .
. It must be serious if Grandpa is leaving us alone, I thought. Mama dropped me off and told me she would pick me up in a couple of hours after Grandma Mae and I had time to catch up on some things. By “catch up” I knew she meant “tell Birdie Mae why she’s seeing an invisible cat.”
Grandma Mae was waiting at the door when I walked up, and we waved goodbye to Mama. Then Grandma Mae gave me a big hug and invited me in. We immediately went to the kitchen, where I could smell chocolate chip cookies. We sat outside on the back porch and quietly drank milk and ate cookies. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and I was happy to be sitting there with Grandma Mae, but I was ready to talk about why I was really there.
I was starting to get antsy, and really wanted to get some answers, when finally Grandma Mae said, “So tell me about this cat of yours that showed up out of nowhere.”
I decided to just tell it like it happened. “Well, Grandma, this morning when I woke up there was a big white fluffy cat sitting outside my window. Mama came in and I tried to show her that he was sitting right there on the window ledge, but she couldn’t see him at all . . . nothing . . . zilch. And now I don’t know what to do or why he’s there. I’m surprised anyone even believes me.”
She said, “Of course we believe you. I think you are forgetting who you are talking to, my dear. Part of your gift is that sometimes you may be able to see things no one else can see. Sometimes it’s a sign for you to pay attention and to be aware of your gift and your surroundings.”
She looked down at me and smiled. Then she continued, “You see, Birdie Mae, when someone has a gift like we do, there is no end to the surprises that are in store for us in our lives. Like being able to see a cat that no one else can see. I think you are the lucky one here.”
That’s when I held up my hands and said, “Hold on just a minute, Grandma. Are you telling me I may be stuck with this cat that no one else can see?”
She took a big swig of milk and stuffed a cookie in her mouth. I could tell she was thinking it over. Hmm. Had I stumped Grandma Mae?
Finally, she smiled and said, “I rather like the thought of an invisible cat, don’t you?”
“I guess so, Grandma. But why is he here? What does he want?” I asked.
She answered, “Sometimes animals or even people who have passed will show themselves to a person with a gift if there is still something in this world that they need to do. But they only seem to show themselves to someone with a very strong gift.”
I just stared at her for a long time. So long that she ate another entire cookie while I was staring. So this cat had something it needed to do? What did that mean?
She could tell I was still a little bothered by having an invisible cat as a pet. She said, “You know, the reason you can see him may be that he needs your help. But I think it’s up to you to figure out what he needs your help with.”
“Okay Grandma, so let me get this straight. I’ve got this gift that lets me see things before they happen, but it depends on how closely I’m paying attention . . . and now you’re telling me that an invisible cat may need my help, too?”
Grandma Mae was chewing her food and nodding her head like I’d just said the most normal things in the world.
“Would you like some more milk?” she asked.
I sighed and said, “Yes ma’am, I’m going to need some more milk, and please pass me the whole plate of cookies.”
Grandma Mae laughed and said, “That’s my girl, always up for an adventure!”
Chapter 4
HENRY THE CAT
After my visit with Grandma Mae, I didn’t see the cat again until the next day. Sally and I were on the swings at the park in our neighborhood, and he strolled right up and started weaving in and out of my legs and purring up a storm. I froze for a second because I still wasn’t convinced that no one else could see this cat but me. He was so real! I could feel his fur against my legs and hear his purring. But Sally was looking right at the ground, still babbling on about something that she watched on TV last night.
That’s when I decided to find out for sure. Sally knows about my gift, so I figured this may not surprise her at all.
I turned to Sally and said, “Sally, what I’m about to tell you might be hard for you to believe, but you know how I can see things sometimes before they happen?”
Sally looked around to make sure we were alone and whispered, “Yes, you mean the feeling you get when you have butterflies in your stomach, and when you close your eyes you can see into the future?”
I glanced around too and whispered back, “Yes, that’s right. Well, now I have a new thing to tell you about.”
I took a deep breath and said, “I have a cat. Well, I sort of have a cat. I’m the only one who can see him. He showed up at my bedroom window yesterday morning. He was there plain as day, but Mama couldn’t see him.” The more I talked the crazier I sounded even to myself.
“So here goes nothing,” I whispered. “Do you see a big white fluffy cat sitting right here by my feet?”
Sally stared at me with wide eyes. She looked at my feet, then back at my face, and said, “Nope, no cat there.”
Then she started swinging in her swing again. Sally had a smile on her face. She shook her head from side to side and said, “Being your friend gets more interesting every day.” And we both started laughing.
She said, “If you say there is a cat there, then I believe you. I just wish I could see him, too. You know how I love cats. I bet he’s cute.”
I filled Sally in on my day yesterday from the moment I woke up and first saw the cat to the visit with Grandma Mae. I even told her about the stomachache I had later after eating so many chocolate chip cookies. She listened to the story with her mouth hanging open most of the time—I thought a bug might fly in there if she didn’t close it soon.
After I finished talking and she closed her mouth, she asked, “What do you think he wants? I mean, why do you think he’s here? Does he have a name? Have you named him yet?”
Just as I was about to tell Sally to cool it with all of the questions, I saw that the cat was wandering away, down the path leading out of the park toward the neighborhood houses.
I stopped swinging and said, “He’s leaving! And as far as a name goes, I’ve been thinking about it and I kind of think he looks like a Henry.”
“Well, since I can’t see him, Henry sounds as good a name as any. Where do you suppose he’s going?” she asked.
I looked at Sally and said, “There’s only one way to find out! Let’s follow him! He may even want us to come with him.”
We both hopped off our swings and ran after Henry the cat down the hill.
Chapter 5
LOST DOG
We followed Henry—well, I followed him and Sally followed me—for a few blocks. Then, out of nowhere, I started getting butterflies in my stomach. It was one of my feelings! I stopped and closed my eyes, and immediately I saw a vision of Peter Doolittle standing in front of his house, and he looked upset. We had to help him!
I told Sally that we needed to turn on the next street, to get to Peter’s house. I wasn’t sure what he was upset about, but that became clear pretty quickly. As we approached his house, there he was, standing out in front, frantically calling for Marshall, the Doolittles’ little wiener dog. We also saw his little sister, Izzy, and his mother, and they were both calling for Marshall, too. Mrs. Doolittle seemed so nervous and worried.
She said, “Marshall never runs off like this. He’s been gone overnight, and he has never done that before.”
Sally and I agreed to help them search for Marshall. I still had a funny feeling and lots of butterflies in my stomach. When we were farther from Peter and his family I closed my eyes again and then I had a clear vision. I saw Marshall walking through a dark space with a low ceiling, and then crouching down, trembling and whining. It seemed like he might be under some sort of porch or in a basement of a house. The problem was, I wasn’t sure which house!
Henry h
adn’t come into the Doolittles’ yard with us. He stayed perched just outside of their yard, on the grassy lawn of the neighbor’s house. He watched us for a few minutes and then let out a long meow. I froze and looked at everyone, but no one else appeared to have heard anything.
I started walking slowly toward Henry, with Sally following close behind. As I got closer to Henry, he jumped up and dashed toward the back of the neighbor’s house. I hurried after him and Sally followed me while the Doolittles kept looking around their own yard. When we were out of earshot of the others, Sally whispered, “Are we following Henry right now?”
I said, “Yes, but I’m not sure where he’s taking us.”
She said, “Do you think he knows where Marshall is?”
“I don’t know if he does, but I’m pretty sure I know. I think Marshall is under a house, but I don’t know which one,” I said.
Henry finally stopped when he reached the neighbor’s backyard. He walked right up to the small closed door that leads to the crawl space under the house. He sat down and looked up at me and let out a long meeoow, then stood up and started weaving in and out of my legs. Was this the house Marshall was under? I wasn’t sure how Henry knew this was the place, but I had a feeling he was right. I needed to make sure.
Sally and I must have had the same idea because we both put our ear to the door. We could hear a faint whining coming from inside. As soon as we heard it, we looked at each other with wide eyes. That had to be Marshall! We called out his name and then heard a weak bark. Sally ran around to the front of the house, waving madly and calling everyone over. As soon as Mrs. Doolittle realized what was going on, she ran over and knocked on the neighbor’s front door. After a few minutes, Mrs. Doolittle and the neighbor came around the corner, and he opened the door. Marshall came running out, and boy did he stink! He smelled all musty, like an old pair of socks, and he was shaking. Peter picked up the little dog and he started wagging his tail and licking all over Peter’s face.
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