Mystery of the Missing Luck

by Jacqueline Pearce

  Again, Sara was surprised by how much the cat reminded her of Maneki Neko. She felt a fresh stab of loss in her chest. Maneki Neko had been like a real cat to her. Tears came to Sara’s eyes, and she blinked them away. When her eyes cleared, the cat was gone.

  Sara wondered who the cat belonged to. Had someone shut it outside by accident? Was it lost? Was someone looking for it? She thought about what people did when they lost a real cat. They phoned animal shelters, put up Missing Cat posters. If Maneki Neko was a real cat, that’s what she would do.

  Sara froze. That was it. She would make Missing Cat posters for Maneki Neko.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Inspiration

  When Sara got up the next morning, Obaachan had been baking for several hours. The smell of fresh buns wafted up the stairs and filled the apartment. Once she was ready for school, Sara went down to the kitchen to join Obaachan.

  Obaachan smiled when she saw Sara and slid a final tray of buns into the oven. She closed the oven door and wiped her hands on her red and blue pin-striped apron.

  On the little table at the back of the kitchen, there was a bowl of fresh fruit and a pot of tea. Sara set out plates and cutlery. Obaachan brought over a plate of steaming buns and a jar of strawberry jam.

  “Did you have a good sleep?” Obaachan asked as she sat down at the table.

  “Yes,” Sara said. She wanted to ask Obaachan about the cat she had seen in the backyard. Maybe Obaachan knew who owned it. But Sara thought talking about the cat would remind Obaachan of Maneki Neko.

  Obaachan poured tea into two handleless cups and sliced up an apple. She set the apple slices on Sara’s plate. Sara grinned. Obaachan’s quick fingers had cut each slice into a rabbit. She loved how Obaachan always made things a little bit special.

  “When are you going to make animal buns again?” Sara asked.

  “I don’t know,” Obaachan said. “I used to make them on Saturdays when things were busier.”

  Sara pictured the animal buns with their tiny bun ears and noses. Obaachan’s customers used to love them.

  Sara thought about making the Missing Cat posters. Sometimes people offered a reward for the return of a missing pet, but she didn’t think Obaachan had any extra money for that. Then Sara had an idea.

  “Obaachan,” she asked. “Could you make some animal buns this Saturday?”

  “They are a lot of work,” Obaachan said.

  “Please,” Sara said. “I was thinking of asking Jake to come by.”

  Her grandmother smiled. “That boy does seem to like my baking,” she said. Her back straightened. “All right. I’ll make some.”

  Sara had one more favor to ask. She hesitated, then plunged ahead.

  “Can you make them cat buns?” she asked.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The Plan

  Sara thought her plan through as she walked to school. If someone took Maneki Neko, she hoped the statue was still in the neighborhood somewhere. Maybe one of their neighbors had seen it.

  Sara had a hard time concentrating on schoolwork that morning. At recess she asked her teacher for some paper and stayed inside to work. By the time recess ended, Sara had finished three small posters. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  “What are you doing?” Jake asked as he sat down beside her. “You missed recess.”

  Sara passed him a poster. In large letters at the top of the page was the word Missing. Underneath that was a drawing of a cat. Sara had included a nice long tail even though the statue didn’t seem to have one.

  “Is this your lucky cat?” he asked, nodding at the drawing. “It looks real.”

  “Yeah,” Sara said. Sometimes Maneki Neko did seem real.

  “How many posters are you going to make?” Jake asked.

  “As many as I can,” Sara said.

  “That will take forever!” Jake laughed.

  Sara frowned. Was he making fun of her? She tried to snatch the poster back, but Jake shifted out of her reach.

  “You need to photocopy them,” he said.

  Sara gaped at Jake. Why hadn’t she thought of that? “Do you think I can use the school photocopier?” she asked.

  Jake shrugged. “You could ask at lunch. I’ll come with you.”

  “Thanks,” Sara said. She picked up the rest of the posters. If Jake was willing to help copy the posters, would he help with the next step? Their teacher walked to the front of the room. Sara would have to ask Jake quickly or wait until lunch. She took a deep breath.

  “Do you want to help me put the posters up after school?” she asked.

  Jake didn’t answer right away. Then he shrugged. Just as the teacher called for silence, he said, “Okay.”

  “We can visit the bakery again too,” Sara said. “I’m sure my grandma will let us pick whatever we like.”

  Sara snuck one sideways glance at Jake. She wasn’t sure, but it looked like there was a drop of drool at the corner of his mouth.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Poster Power

  After school, Sara stuffed the posters in her backpack. Mrs. Chew, the school secretary, had let her photocopy a whole stack when Sara said she needed them to help find her cat.

  Jake opened his backpack to reveal the tape dispenser and stapler he had borrowed from the school. “All set for Operation Cat Find,” he said.

  Sara looked at her watch. “Our mission starts at three fifteen,” she said, deepening her voice to sound like a secret agent.

  “We could synchronize our watches,” Jake said. “Except I don’t have a watch.”

  They both laughed. But Sara felt a twinge of uncertainty. She felt bad about letting Mrs. Chew believe Maneki Neko was a real cat. Did it matter that Maneki Neko was a statue? If someone had seen the statue, she hoped they would also see the posters.

  Jake stopped beside a bus stop.

  “We should put up a poster here,” he said. “People will read it while they wait for the bus.”

  “Good idea,” Sara said. She was glad Jake had agreed to help.

  Sara unzipped her backpack and slipped out a poster. She stepped inside the bus shelter and held the poster in place above the bench while Jake stuck on the tape.

  “Let’s put one on this telephone pole too,” Jake said.

  They stapled the poster to the pole.

  “What does that mean?” Jake asked, pointing to words near the bottom of the poster.

  If you have any information,

  come to Sakura Bakery on Saturday

  for a REWARD!

  Sara grinned. “You will have to come by to find out,” she said.

  They continued down the street, putting up posters along the way. At the corner store, a block from Obaachan’s bakery, Sara asked the clerk if she could put a poster in the store window.

  “Go ahead,” said the clerk. “I hope you find your cat.”

  They stopped at the Laundromat next.

  “I haven’t been to the bakery in quite a while,” Mr. Leonardo, the Laundromat owner, said. “Does your grandma still make those delicious curry buns?”

  “She does,” Sara said. “Drop by on Saturday. She’s making something special.”

  Mr. Leonardo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I might do that,” he said.

  After Sara and Jake taped a poster on the window, Sara thanked Mr. Leonardo and headed for the door.

  “I’ll be sure to tell my customers to watch out for that cat,” he called after her.

  Sara felt hopeful. Maybe her plan would work.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Waiting Game

  When there was only one poster left, Sara stopped. She wanted to save it for the bakery door.

  As they approached the bakery, Sara saw something move in the back alley. She thought she glimpsed a black tail disappear behind a building. She wondered where the nighttime cat was. Had it found its way home? And where was Maneki Neko? Would she and Obaachan ever see their lucky cat statue again?

  Sara taped the last poster on the b
akery door, and then she and Jake went inside. Obaachan had two chocolate-chip melon-pan waiting for them. The buns were round with a cracked surface like a cantaloupe melon. The outside was a layer of crispy cookie, but the inside was soft sweet bun.

  “This is good!” Jake said, his mouth full of bun.

  Obaachan beamed at Jake, and Sara smiled too.

  After Jake had gone home, Obaachan locked up the bakery. Sara’s dad came to pick her up.

  “Can’t I stay at Obaachan’s tonight?” Sara asked.

  “Your mom and I haven’t seen you all week,” her dad said. “Don’t you miss us?” He made a sad puppy face.

  “Maybe,” Sara teased. She wanted to see her parents, but she didn’t want to leave Obaachan on her own.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Obaachan said. “I’ll be fine.”

  Sara thought about the nighttime cat. Would it appear again tonight? Would the cat notice she wasn’t there? What about her plan? Tomorrow was Friday. She needed to be at the bakery Saturday morning.

  “Can I stay with Obaachan tomorrow night?” she asked.

  Her dad frowned. “Don’t you want to be home for the weekend?” he asked. “Obaachan can come and visit us there.”

  “But Obaachan’s making cat buns on Saturday, and my friend’s coming over,” she added.

  “Okay,” Dad said, holding up his hands in surrender. “You can stay with Obaachan tomorrow. But come home tonight. Your mom’s starting to forget what you look like.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ready or Not

  At school on Friday Sara tried to focus on her schoolwork. During lunch she played soccer with Jake, his friend Kevin and several other kids. It felt good to run around and have fun.

  “Don’t forget to come to the bakery tomorrow,” Sara reminded Jake at the end of the day.

  “I’ll be there,” Jake promised. He was going to Kevin’s house after school. She hoped he wouldn’t forget about Saturday.

  Sara joined a group of kids walking home but lagged behind them. What if Jake had so much fun with Kevin, he forgot to come to the bakery? What if Kevin asked Jake to come to his house on Saturday too?

  Sara paused at the bus stop where she and Jake had put up the first posters. The poster inside the shelter had been torn off. Sara’s heart fell. What if all the posters were gone?

  She looked at the telephone pole and sighed with relief. The poster was still there.

  Sara hurried the rest of the way to the bakery, scanning for posters. Most of them were still in place. But there was no way of knowing if anyone had read them. What if the posters didn’t work and no one showed up at the bakery on Saturday?

  Sara helped Obaachan until it was time to close. Then she and Obaachan ate supper together. Sara was quiet.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Obaachan asked Sara at bedtime.

  “I’m fine,” Sara said. “Just sleepy.” She didn’t want to tell Obaachan she was worried about tomorrow. Obaachan knew about the posters, but Sara hadn’t told her about the reward and how she hoped it would introduce new customers to Obaachan’s delicious baking.

  “Don’t forget to make the cat buns,” Sara said.

  “I won’t,” Obaachan said, giving Sara a hug.

  The only thing left to do was wait for the morning.

  Sara got ready for bed and turned out the light. Once her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she went to the window.

  Thin clouds drifted across the night sky like long fingers hiding the face of the moon. Down below, the yard was shadowed and still. There was no sign of the black cat. Disappointment tugged at Sara. If the stray cat was gone, maybe Maneki Neko was gone too. Her plan felt silly.

  Sara started to turn away from the window, then stopped. Had something moved under the cherry tree? She looked again, but the yard was empty. Had she imagined it? She stared into the yard, but there was no movement and no cat.

  Sara climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. “Maneki Neko, where are you?” she whispered into the dark.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Reward

  In the morning, Sara helped Obaachan carry the fresh buns and pastries from the kitchen to the bakery.

  “How do they look?” Obaachan asked as she held up a tray filled with smiling cats, each with one raised paw.

  “Perfect!” said Sara. But she did not feel as happy as she sounded. Her posters told people to come to the bakery on Saturday if they had any information about the missing cat statue. Would anyone show up?

  At nine o’clock, Obaachan unlocked the door. No one was waiting to come in.

  Then, to Sara’s surprise, Mr. Leonardo from the Laundromat bustled through the door, waving Sara’s poster.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I saw the cat, but I couldn’t catch it.”

  Sara’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. There must be a mistake.

  “But our missing cat is a statue,” Sara explained. “Not real.”

  Obaachan stepped forward to look at the poster in Mr. Leonardo’s hand.

  “But, I thought—” Mr. Leonardo sputtered, pointing at the poster. “Isn’t this a real cat?”

  Sara’s face burned, and a lump formed in her throat. Her Maneki Neko drawing looked too real, and her wording hadn’t been clear.

  “Reward?” Obaachan asked, still looking at the poster in confusion.

  “The cat buns,” Sara whispered.

  Understanding spread across Obaachan’s face, and she smiled at Mr. Leonardo. “Thank you for coming,” she told him. “Please take one of our special buns as a gift.”

  With a bow, she presented him with one of the cat buns wrapped in a paper napkin.

  “That looks wonderful,” Mr. Leonardo said. He admired the bun before taking a big bite.

  “Delicious!” he said. “Can I buy some to take home?”

  “Of course,” Obaachan said.

  She slipped behind the counter as the bell on the bakery door jangled. Two young women walked into the store.

  “I think I saw that cat in the poster,” one of them said.

  The other woman’s eyes roved over the rows of fresh baked items. “Those look good,” she said.

  “Have a lucky cat bun,” Obaachan said, smiling and holding out buns to the women. “It’s a thank-you special.”

  While Mr. Leonardo placed his order, Sara explained to the women that the missing cat was not real.

  “But I saw it walk right up to the bakery door,” the first woman said. “It looked exactly like the cat in the picture.”

  “That’s right,” said the second woman. “It was black with brown spots.”

  Sara frowned. It sounded like the cat she had seen in the backyard.

  The bakery door jangled. Sara looked up to see Jake and his mother.

  “Mmm, it smells good in here,” Jake’s mom said.

  “Hey!” Jake called.

  He stepped inside the door, and Sara saw he was holding something in his arms. She could hardly believe her eyes.

  It was Maneki Neko.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Lucky Cat

  “You found him!” Sara cheered.

  Obaachan looked up from behind the counter, craning her head to see past the customers. She saw Jake and the lucky cat, and her cheeks rounded with the biggest smile Sara had ever seen.

  Sara hurried to take Maneki Neko from Jake. Carefully, she placed the statue in the window. Then she rubbed the top of his head for good luck.

  “Where did you find him?” Sara asked Jake.

  “When my mom and I got here, I saw a cat sitting beside the bakery,” Jake said. “It looked just like the cat in your drawing, but it was real.”

  “We saw it too,” said one of the young women who had come in ahead of Jake.

  “It ran around the back, and I followed it,” Jake said. “When I got to the backyard I couldn’t see the cat anymore. But the statue was sitting on the ground under a tree.”

  Sara’s mouth dropped open. Had Jake seen the nighttime
cat? And how had Maneki Neko ended up in the backyard?

  “Oh my!” Obaachan said.

  Sara turned to see Obaachan put her hands to her head. Obaachan’s face looked a little red.

  “I just remembered,” said Obaachan. “When I was cleaning the bakery the other night, I took Maneki Neko outside to give him a good wash.”

  So that’s what had happened. Sara was sure she had looked in the backyard, but she mustn’t have looked very well. Suddenly, Sara felt foolish. But the feeling soon vanished when the bell above the front door jangled again and another person entered the bakery. Before the door had time to close, the bell jangled again.

  “I’ll be right back,” Sara said to Jake.

  Sara hurried to the kitchen to bring out another tray of lucky cat buns. It looked like lots of people had seen Maneki Neko’s look-alike. They were going to need lots of buns.

  In the window of the bakery, Maneki Neko sat in his old spot, as if he’d never left. On his head and sides, the familiar black paint was worn away and patches of brown clay showed through. One paw was raised, beckoning people into the bakery.

  Sara handed out cat buns to all the customers. She smiled at Obaachan and then at Jake.

  Maneki Neko was back. And so was the bakery’s good luck.

  JACQUELINE PEARCE grew up on Vancouver Island, exploring nature, playing road hockey and other sports, reading books, writing stories and drawing. She has always been fascinated with local history, and her first three novels, The Reunion, Discovering Emily and Emily’s Dream, all tell stories about Vancouver Island’s past. Her interest in other countries and cultures, nature and animals also makes its way into her novels and short stories. Jacqueline has degrees in English literature and environmental studies. She currently lives on the edge of a ravine near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, daughter, dog and two cats.