Harper ran out of the room and Sammy watched her go, his ears flattened miserably. He could hear her stomping up the stairs– his whiskers shook with every thump. Where was she going? Why was everyone so angry?
Mum bundled the rug up carefully and walked to the door, stopping to open the window on the way.“I don’t think it went through to the carpet. If we air the room out, it should be OK in a little while. I’ll go and put this in the wash and sort out that litter tray.”
“I’ll make us some tea,” Gran said, following her out, and Sammy was left alone in the living room, shivering and sad.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_20]
Sammy stayed behind the sofa, listening to the voices and the footsteps heading off towards the kitchen. He felt utterly miserable. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be back at the flat, his real home, where everything was just as it was supposed to be. If he went home, there would be his food bowl and his water bowl and his litter tray, all in the right places, he was sure. He was so confused and worried that he thought Harper would be at home too – ready to play with him and let him snuggle up next to her on the bed. She wouldn’t be grumpy and loud, like she was here.
He had to get back home. Somehow.
The smell of the spoiled rug was still in the room, but there was another smell too. A fresh, bright waft of air, mixed with cars and damp pavements– an outside smell. If he couldsmell outside, Sammy thought, his whiskers twitching excitedly, then maybe he couldget outside. He prowled across the room, following the smell, and then jumped up on to the back of the sofa to get a better view. Yes, there! The window was open– wide open!
Sammy hardly thought at all, he simply jumped, leaping to the windowsill and taking a deep sniff of outside. He was down in the flower bed below the window in seconds, loving the feel of the crumbly earth under his paws. He glanced back up at the window, wondering if anyone had noticed he was gone, but all was quiet. Sammy padded across the little front garden and slipped through the bars of the metal gate. Out on the pavement, he paused, sniffing thoughtfully. All he knew was that he wanted to go home– he hadn’t thought about how he was going to get there. But some instinct deep inside him was sure of the way to go. He knew where home was.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_21]
Sammy glanced back at the house one last time, uncertain for a moment, but then he scurried away down the pavement. He could hear cars rumbling by in the distance– and then one coming closer, along the street. He pressed himself back against the garden wall, feeling the buzz of the passing car under his paws. He had been out the front of his old home a few times, but he’d always preferred the network of gardens and alleys at the back of the flat. It felt quieter. Safer. He wasn’t used to cars and now his whiskers were tingling with worry. Perhaps he should go back – it would be easy to jump up to the windowsill and slip inside. Another car rumbled past…
Sammy shook himself impatiently. It didn’t matter. He would stay safely away from the cars. He knew his home was waiting for him and he was on his way to find it.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_6]
Harper lay on her bed with her face buried deep in her pillow. That way she could growl furiously about how unfair Mum was, and how unfair everything was, and how she wanted to go home, andprobably no one could hear her. She kicked her feet against the duvet, drumming them up and down– and then rolled over with a sigh.
Mum had put that duvet on her bed the day they moved. She’d chosen Harper’s favourite cover, with the unicorn kittens. Her fleecy blanket was there too, folded up by her pillow, because Mum knew Harper liked to hold it while she was going to sleep. Mum had made sure the blanket was at the top of a box, ready for Harper on that first night at Gran’shouse.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_22]
Gran… Harper sighed again. Gran really did need them. She’d seemed so happy this week, even though her arm was still painful. She didn’t seem as tired, either. She’d loved having Harper and Ava to chat to at breakfast, telling her all about school.
Maybe Harper had been a bit unfair too?
Mum was so worried about Gran and she’d had to pack their whole flat up, and in between doing all that she was on the phone sorting out changing their address with everyone, and organizing the movers, and letting the school know what was happening. It was a lot. Sammy weeing on the rug wasn’t actually the end of the world, but perhaps it had felt like it was?
Harper sat up, hugging her knees and wondering if she should go downstairs and say sorry to Mum. Someone needed to feed Sammy too– he was probably upset about weeing in the house. Harper went to the door, opening it quietly. She could hear Mum and Gran chatting in the kitchen, and they didn’t sound cross. She would go and give Mum a hug, and apologize.
Mum and Gran both glanced up as Harper came into the kitchen– Gran was smiling, but Mum looked worried and Harper’s stomach twisted inside her.
“I’m sorry, Harper. I shouldn’t have shouted at you,” Mum said.
“I came down to say that!” Harper went to put her arms round Mum’s shoulders and lean against her. “Are you really upset with Sammy? He didn’t mean to…”
“Of course not, it wasn’t his fault. I’m just a bit tired.” Mum sighed. “We should give him his tea, shouldn’t we?”
“I’ll do it.” Harper got the bag of cat food out and looked around, smiling, expecting to hear a thunder of tiny paws as Sammy came running. But there was nothing. He must still be really upset.
Mum was looking out into the hallway too, frowning a little.“Do you think he’s hiding behind the boxes? He probably didn’t like us arguing.”
“I’ll check.” Harper put the food in Sammy’s bowl and then went out into the hallway, wondering if he was down the side of that basket again. But there was no sad kitten face peering back at her. Perhaps he was still in the living room?
There was no smell, Harper noticed when she went in, so that was good. Then suddenly, something cold seemed to squeeze Harper’s insides. The smell had gone because Mum had left the window open. It was still open now, letting in a nice fresh breeze. Harper ran over to it, hoping that somehow it was only just a crack, too narrow for Sammy to wriggle through – but she knew it wasn’t.
“Mum!” she yelled in panic. “Mum, the window’s open!”
“Yes, I know, I had to let some fresh air in,” her mum called back, and then there was a moment of horrified silence and Mum raced down the hall. “Oh no…” she muttered. “I didn’t even think. Sammy! Sammy!” She looked around frantically.
“He isn’t in here.” Harper gulped. “I think he’s gone out of the window, Mum!”
“It’ll be OK.” Mum patted Harper’s arm, but she didn’t sound very sure.
“What’s happened?” Gran came in and Ava hurried down the stairs to see what was going on.
“Sammy’s gone!” Harper turned round from the window. “We left the window open and we were supposed to be keeping him in. We have to go and find him!”
[Êàðòèíêà: img_23]
“He’s probably just exploring the front garden,” Gran said soothingly.
Harper dashed to open the front door and then ran out into the garden.“Sammy! Sammy!” she called. She was trying to keep her voice calm and friendly, but she could hear it squeaking with panic. They’d been going to let him out slowly, with someone there watching him and snacks to tempt him back. Now it had all gone wrong. “Sammy, where are you? Mum, can you see him?”
“Not yet,” Mum murmured. “Shhh a minute. Let’s listen for him…”
They stood frozen on the grass, hoping to hear the jingle of the tiny bell on Sammy’s collar or maybe a confused little mew. But there was no sound at all in the garden – only a car growling by on the road outside the fence.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_24]
Sammy had gone a good distance now, he thought. The kitten could tell he was getting much nearer to the flat and no one had tried to stop him making his way there. He would be back home soon and everything would be right again, he was sure. He would stretch out on the sofa by the window and watch the people and the cars passing, safely far away.