Cat Mummy (3 page)

‘Where
is
she, Gran?’

‘What about the living room?’

One of Mabel’s favourite snoozing places is the rug in front of the fire. The fire isn’t on during the summer but Mabel doesn’t seem to notice. She lies there as if she’s toasting herself, first lying on one side, then after a little yawn and stretch, settling down to give the other side a turn. I sometimes sit on the chair by the fire and gently rest my bare feet on Mabel’s back. She feels like my big furry slipper.

But she wasn’t on the rug, though there were cat hairs in a Mabel shape to show she’d had a little lie-down since Gran vacuumed this morning. Mabel wasn’t in the chairs or on the sofa or under the table. She wasn’t anywhere at all.

‘Gran, I can’t find her!’

‘Mabel?’ Gran called. ‘Puss puss puss! Come on, old lady. Ma-bel!’

Mabel didn’t come.

‘I wonder if she’s in the garden?’ said Gran. ‘Here’s your lemonade anyway, Verity. And a chockie bickie.’

Gran is the loveliest gran ever, but like all grans she often treats me like a baby. Chockie
bickie!
That’s the way you talk to really
little
kids.

I ate the chocolate biscuit in two bites, drained the lemonade in the glass, and then dashed off to search the garden for Mabel.

She can get out from her cat flap in the back door, but recently she’s stayed indoors. She had a worrying encounter with another cat who pounced on her. It was the big ginger tom from up the road. He didn’t really do her any harm and I managed to chase him away, but Mabel went all quivery for ages afterwards.

She hasn’t set one paw in the garden since.

I still searched it high and low. Grandad searched it too when he came home. Then he said he’d have a look round all the streets for her.

‘I want to go with you, Grandad,’ I said.

Gran and Grandad didn’t think this a good idea. They wouldn’t say why at first. I pestered them.

‘Something sad might have happened to Mabel, darling,’ Gran said eventually. ‘We wouldn’t want you to see and be upset.’

‘What sort of something?’ I asked – though I knew.

‘Mabel might have been run over, dear. She’s getting very old and slow, and I don’t think she can see too well,’ said Gran.

‘But I need to help Grandad look for her! What if she
has
been hurt? I can’t stand thinking of Mabel in pain, all lost and frightened.’

‘Grandad will do his best to find her, Verity,’ said Gran.

But Grandad came back home shaking his head. There was still no sign of Mabel anywhere.

‘I want her so much!’ I said, and I started to cry.

This time I was glad Gran treats me like a baby. She sat me on her lap and rocked me and Grandad read me a story. I stopped crying – but it didn’t stop me aching for Mabel.

I was still wide awake when Dad came home from work. He put his head round my bedroom door, and then sat on my bed while I had another cry.

‘What’s happened to Mabel, Dad? She can’t have disappeared. She never goes wandering off. Not far, anyway. She isn’t anywhere. I’ve searched and searched.’

‘I know, pet. Look, we’ll write out a notice about Mabel being missing. I’ll do lots of copies on my computer and we’ll pin them up all over the neighbourhood.’

‘And will we get her back then?’

‘I hope so, darling.’

‘Do you promise?’

Dad hesitated. ‘You know I can’t promise, Verity.’

‘I want Mabel so much, Dad. I haven’t been very nice to her recently. I’ve moaned at her for being so sleepy and yet I know she can’t help it. I’d give anything to have her sleeping here on my bed right now.’

‘I know, love.’

‘I keep thinking about her. She’s maybe crying too . . .’

Dad stayed with me for ages, trying to calm me down. I think I went to sleep for a bit. But then I woke up alone in the dark and I felt for Mabel – and she wasn’t there.

I hugged Minnie Mouse instead but she wasn’t the same. Nothing could ever replace Mabel. I wished I could hold her in my arms and tell her just how much she meant to me.

CHAPTER THREE

The Ancient Egyptian Cats

I DIDN’T SLEEP
properly that night. Mabel padded in and out of my dreams and whenever I woke up the bed was so cold and empty without her.

I had another search of the house when I got up.

‘I’ve had a good look myself,’ said Gran. ‘There’s no sign of her.’

‘Let’s open her tin of Whiskas and bang the tin opener about a bit. That
always
makes her come,’ I said desperately.

Gran opened the tin. She banged the tin opener lots of times. So did I. We both called for Mabel. But Mabel didn’t come.

Grandad had another good look when he went to get the newspapers. No luck.

‘Perhaps she’s been kidnapped!’ I said.

‘Darling, nobody would want an old cat like Mabel,’ said Gran.

‘
I
want her,’ I said, and I cried again.

I cried so much that Gran and Grandad got really worried.

‘Do try and stop, Verity. You’ll make yourself ill,’ said Gran. ‘Come on, now, you’re going to be late for school.’

‘Maybe she’s not in a fit state for school?’ said Grandad.

‘No, I’m not in a fit state at all,’ I sobbed, hoping that I’d be able to stay off and search for Mabel.

But Gran was firm. I had to go to school no matter what. She stuck the cleaned sandals on my feet and fetched me a clean school dress from the airer.

‘Come on, stop that crying now, Verity,’ she said, buttoning me into my dress.

She couldn’t button my lips though.

‘You don’t understand, Gran. Don’t you
care
that Mabel’s missing?’

Gran stopped buttoning.

‘I care a great deal,’ she said, and her voice suddenly sounded wavery, like a radio not tuned in properly. ‘I’ve known Mabel much longer than you, Verity. I remember when we first got her as a kitten and your mother––’ Gran’s voice suddenly stopped. There were tears in her eyes.

My tummy clenched so tight I couldn’t talk either, but I squeezed Gran’s hand to show her I was sorry.

‘I’ll take you to school today, Verity,’ said
Grandad
. ‘Come on, dear. Leave your gran be for now.’

Gran wasn’t making any sound but the tears were running down her cheeks. Silent crying seems more frightening than noisy sobs. I hurried off to school with Grandad, looking in every single garden on the way. I kept stopping to peer underneath cars too just in case Mabel was curled up anywhere.

Grandad gave me a hug at the school gate.

‘How about a big smile for Grandad?’ he asked. I couldn’t even manage a very little smile. Grandad was finding it hard to smile too.

‘I
wish
I didn’t have to go to school, Grandad,’ I said, wondering if he’d weaken and let me go back home with him.

But Grandad said maybe playing with my friends would take my mind off Mabel. I didn’t see how he could say that. My mind was going Mabel-Mabel-Mabel like a burglar alarm
and
when I went into the classroom and started talking to Sophie and Laura and Aaron the Mabel noise didn’t stop. It got louder.