For Isabel

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 The Mist Kitten

  2 In the Garden

  3 A Hungry Kitten

  4 Treats

  5 Misty

  6 Missing!

  7 In the Night

  8 Misty at Last

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  The Mist Kitten

  Lucy first saw the kitten on the way home with Dad after swimming.

  It was a dark day, and foggy, and it was nearly tea‑time.

  Everything looked grey and misty, and the kitten was grey too. She stepped out of the mist like a little ghost and made Lucy jump.

  The kitten looked at her with bright green eyes. Lucy’s heart seemed to thump, and she didn’t know whether to smile or sigh.

  She knew how the kitten’s fur would feel to stroke. The way the kitten would purr and rub softly around her legs. It would stand up on its back paws and scrabble at Lucy’s knees and mew, asking to be picked up. Just like Patch.

  *

  Lucy missed Patch so much. It was a month since they’d had to take him to the vet and say goodbye.

  She knew that it had been the right thing to do. Dad had told her how Patch was so ill that he always felt tired.

  Too tired to play, too tired even to purr. He didn’t want to eat, and it hurt him to move around. All he wanted to do was curl up in his soft cat igloo and sleep, because that didn’t hurt.

  It was time to let him go. But it had still made Lucy so sad.

  She didn’t know who missed Patch more – her or Dad?

  It was so odd without Patch around. Yesterday, Lucy had got out the packet of cat treats and shaken it, but Patch didn’t come skidding up to her feet the way he always did.

  Then she’d remembered that Patch wasn’t there any more. She put the packet away and went to sit at the top of the stairs and cry.

  *

  Back on the street, the grey kitten went on looking at Lucy as if it didn’t know what to do next. It took a step closer. It had round green eyes, just like Patch.

  Perhaps it is Patch! Lucy thought, just for a second. Perhaps he knows how sad we are, and he’s come back!

  “Dad, look!” she whispered.

  “What is it?”

  But when Lucy turned back to point out the kitten, nothing was there but mist.

  Chapter 2

  In the Garden

  By the next morning, Lucy decided she had imagined the kitten.

  She wished she hadn’t. She had just been starting to forget how sad she was, and now she missed Patch all over again.

  On the way to school, she carefully didn’t look at the little bit of grass under the trees where all the mist had been. She didn’t want to remember.

  *

  That afternoon, the kitten was feeling so hungry. She could hear people talking in a nearby garden – people who might give her something to eat.

  She crept along under the bushes to see. There was a girl in the garden, kicking a ball against the wall.

  The kitten watched her for a moment. She didn’t much like the noise the ball made as it banged against the bricks, and she nearly ran away down to the fence again.

  Then she spotted it. A plate on the bench by the back door of the house. There was something on that plate that smelled good, and the kitten was so hungry. She wanted it.

  She looked back at the girl again. It was the same girl she’d seen the day before, but this time the girl hadn’t spotted her. She was too busy kicking the ball.

  The kitten darted around the girl without being spotted and jumped up onto the bench.

  The smell from the plate was even better now, strong and delicious.

  Quickly, the kitten leaned over the plate and snagged a piece of cheese. She bolted it down fast, so hungry she almost didn’t stop to taste it.

  She nosed at the bread that was next to the cheese and licked the butter. It was rich and very good.

  Then the kitten nibbled off a corner of the bread and gulped that down. She could feel her tummy filling up.

  She ate a bit more, and then the noise of the ball hitting the wall suddenly stopped. The kitten looked round slowly.

  The girl was there, standing so close to the kitten and looking down at her.

  “You’re real,” the girl whispered.

  Chapter 3

  A Hungry Kitten

  Lucy thought that the kitten was going to run away.

  Her eyes were huge and round, and her ears were laid flat back. That definitely meant that she was scared.

  But there was still half a sandwich on the plate, and Lucy saw that the kitten didn’t want to leave it behind.

  “It’s OK,” Lucy said softly. “You eat the rest. I don’t mind. Dad made it for me for a snack, but I’m not that hungry.” She backed away to give the kitten some room, and then sat down on the damp grass so that she didn’t look tall and scary.

  The kitten watched her nervously for a minute, and then she turned back to the sandwich and went on scoffing it down.

  The kitten was so thin that Lucy could see the bump the sandwich was making in her tummy.

  Just as the kitten was licking the last crumbs off the plate, the back door banged, and Dad called from the kitchen.

  “Lucy! Don’t forget your homework!”

  When Dad shouted, the kitten was scared. She vanished under the bushes as quickly as she could, and Lucy sighed.

  “Coming!” she called back to Dad.

  Should Lucy tell Dad about the kitten? She was very sweet, and she had been so hungry. But Lucy didn’t. Dad still missed Patch, and she didn’t want to make him feel sad.

  *

  The kitten sat behind the shed at the end of the garden, licking tiny bits of cheese from the fur around her mouth and thinking. The sandwich had been delicious, and the girl had let her eat most of it. She didn’t remember having that much to eat ever.

  She was definitely going back for more.

  Chapter 4

  Treats

  The next day was Saturday, and Lucy went out into the garden as soon as she woke up. She wanted to see the kitten again.

  It was a warm sunny day, and bees were buzzing around the flowers. Lucy sat on the garden bench and watched them.

  She felt happy, and she was sure it was because of the kitten. Those huge ears. That bright pink tongue as she’d gobbled up the buttery bread.

  Lucy put her hand into the pocket of her jeans. She’d slipped a packet of cat treats in there, and they made a crinkly noise. Would the kitten know what that noise was?

  Patch always knew, but maybe the kitten had never had cat treats before?

  Lucy felt so sorry for the hungry kitten – and then she heard a shiver of movement under Dad’s herb plants. The leaves swished, and Lucy held her breath.

  Yes! There were whiskers and a small pink nose. A flash of green eyes.

  Very slowly, Lucy reached into her pocket for the cat treats. She saw the kitten’s ears twitch as the packet crackled, but she didn’t run away. Lucy tipped just a few of the treats into her hand and held them out to the tiny cat.

  The two of them stared at each other, both hopeful. Then the kitten padded closer, sniffing at the treats.

  She nuzzled Lucy’s hand, gently mouthing the first treat and crunching it up.

  After that, the others were gone in seconds, and the kitten looked up at Lucy as if she was asking if there were any more. She pushed against Lucy’s fingers and mewed.

  Her mew sounded just like Patch – only smaller. Lucy laughed, but she felt a bit sad at the same time as she remembered Patch.

  “We used to have a beautiful cat,” she told the kitten. “I don’t know if he’d have been happy about you being in his garden. But … maybe he wouldn’t mind. He didn’t like it when I was sad, I know that. He used to lick my face if I was crying.”

  Very gently, she patted the kitten’s back, running her fingers over the grey fur. “You can have some more of those treats in a bit,” she said. “They’re not good for you all the time. Dad told me. They’re like me eating sweets.”

  Lucy scratched behind the kitten’s ears. The fur there was so fine and soft, like velvet. “You should have a name. What would you like to be called?”

  Lucy thought for a moment, and then she smiled. “I know. Misty. Because that’s where I first saw you, in the mist. And your fur’s that beautiful misty grey. It’s the perfect name.”

  The kitten rubbed the side of her head against the girl’s arm, then shut her eyes and purred softly. It felt nice to have someone rub her fur and speak to her so gently. And maybe soon there would be more of those delicious snacks …

  Chapter 5

  Misty

  Lucy spent most of that weekend out in the garden. Dad was busy putting up new tiles in the bathroom.

  He popped out to check on Lucy every so often, but he was pleased that she was looking after herself.

  Lucy wasn’t on her own. She was playing with Misty. She felt bad that Dad thought she was being good on purpose to help him out. It was just so nice to spend time with a cat again, even if she hadn’t told Dad about Misty yet.

  “What shall we do now?” Lucy asked when the kitten had finished eating most of the hot dog Dad had made Lucy for lunch.

  “Oh, I know. I bet you’d like to climb the apple tree. It’s quite easy – and it’ll be even easier for you.”

  Lucy led the way down to the end of the garden, and the kit

ten trotted after her. She had loved Lucy’s lunch, but she liked the fussing and the way Lucy talked to her almost as much.

  She watched Lucy pull herself up into the apple tree till she was half hidden among the leaves.

  The kitten had climbed trees before, but it had been when she wanted to hide – from a big dog or a group of noisy people. Did Lucy want her to climb up too?

  The kitten jumped, sinking her claws into the bumpy bark, and made it up onto the first branch. Then a couple of branches more.

  Lucy was sitting cross‑legged in a comfy spot where two branches made a fork.

  The kitten put one paw against Lucy’s jeans. She heard Lucy gasp and felt her go still.

  The kitten clambered slowly into Lucy’s lap. She was ready to jump away if Lucy didn’t like it. But it felt good to curl up in the gap between Lucy’s knees. Lucy didn’t say anything, and she kept very still.

  “You’re so lovely,” Lucy whispered at last. She could feel the way that the kitten’s muscles were tense, ready to leap to safety. The tiny creature was nervous.

  Lucy hated that the kitten was frightened. What had happened to her? Why was she a scared little stray?

  “You know what?” Lucy said as she stroked the top of the kitten’s grey head. “I think Patch would like you to be here. I think he might even have sent you here somehow. You need us, and we need you.”

  She was silent for a moment, thinking, and the kitten gave a little growly purr, as though she thought so too. Lucy giggled. “The thing is, we need to tell Dad about you. I’m not sure how that’s going to work. But – we’ll find a way. Somehow.”

  Chapter 6

  Missing!

  Lucy crept out into the garden before breakfast on Monday morning. She had the packet of cat treats, and she’d found one of the little tins of Patch’s wet cat food – tuna flavour. The kitten would love it.

  The garden was wet. It had rained hard the night before. Lucy really hoped that the kitten had found somewhere dry to spend the night. She wished she’d sneaked her into the house to sleep in the warm.

  “Misty!” she called softly. “Hey, puss! Where are you? I’ve got you some breakfast!”

  Yesterday, the kitten had come darting up to Lucy as soon as she came into the garden, but today no little grey ghost of a kitten raced across the grass. The garden was completely quiet and still – except for the drip of water falling off the leaves.

  Lucy called again. She couldn’t be too loud – she didn’t want Dad to hear, not yet. “Misty! Misty!”

  Still nothing. Lucy looked back at the house. Dad was still having his shower, but in a minute he’d call Lucy in for breakfast.

  She stashed the tin of cat food behind one of the flower pots and headed back inside. She’d look for Misty again after school. She hoped the kitten would turn up by then. She’d be hungry, wouldn’t she?

  But there was no kitten in the garden after school. By bedtime, Lucy was really worried. And by the next morning, she was panicky.

  She went out in the garden and called and called.

  She asked Dad to let her go up and down their street on her scooter after school so she could check out the patch of grass under the trees where she’d first seen Misty. But Misty wasn’t there. Lucy began to think she’d imagined the little mist kitten.

  “But she did eat my cheese sandwich,” she told herself firmly. “She did! And all that sausage. She climbed on me and she sat in my lap. She let me cuddle her. It wasn’t a dream. She’s real!”

  And now she’s missing, she added sadly inside her head.

  Chapter 7

  In the Night

  It took Lucy a long time to get to sleep that Tuesday night. She kept thinking of Misty, outside in the cold somewhere.

  Why hadn’t she come back to the garden? Was there something wrong?

  Maybe Misty had just gone back to her real owners. But if the little kitten had a home, why was she so skinny? Lucy was sure that they couldn’t be looking after her properly.

  Lucy was still awake when Dad came upstairs to bed. She pretended to be asleep when he popped his head around the door to check on her.

  The whole house was quiet now – it was really late. Lucy turned over again and asked herself for the millionth time what could have happened to Misty.

  Then she sat up in bed, staring at the dark strip of night between her curtains. The shed! She’d been all the way down the garden and called for Misty, but she hadn’t looked in the shed.

  She didn’t ever go in it because it was full of spiders and cobwebs. But she knew the shed door wobbled and stuck, and sometimes it blew open.

  What if Misty had sneaked in there to shelter from all that rain – and then she hadn’t been able to get out? The kitten could still be stuck in there right now!

  Lucy couldn’t wait until the morning. She had to go and check, this minute. Even if the garden was dark and cold and scary.

  It would be dark and cold and scary for Misty too – and the kitten must be so hungry.

  Lucy pulled on her dressing gown and grabbed the torch that Dad had got her when they went camping.

  Then she crept out of her room and down the stairs, going on tiptoe so as not to wake up Dad.

  The house was a bit spooky in the dark, and she knew that the garden would be even spookier, but she was going anyway.

  The back door creaked when she pushed it open, and Lucy froze – had Dad heard her? But there was no sound from upstairs. She took a deep breath, clicked on her torch and stepped out into the night.

  Chapter 8

  Misty at Last

  Misty sat huddled on an old picnic blanket.

  She didn’t understand what had happened – the shed door had been open, and it looked cosy and dry. She’d curled up to sleep in there, and then when she woke up, the door was shut.

  She’d scratched at it, but it didn’t open. She’d been trapped for so long now, and she was very hungry.

  She was thirsty too. She’d had a drink from a puddle in the corner where the shed roof leaked, but that was all.

  Misty’s ears twitched suddenly. Were those footsteps outside? She was sure she could hear something … She sprang up and dashed to the door, mewing as loud as she could.

  “Misty!”

  The door rattled and screeched and then burst open – and Lucy was there in the doorway, crouching down to cuddle her. Misty snuggled into her arms and purred and purred.

  Lucy smiled as the kitten nuzzled up against her and tucked her tiny furry head under Lucy’s chin.

  “You can’t stay out here,” Lucy whispered. “I’m going to take you back inside with me. I’ll tell Dad about you in the morning. I know he wouldn’t want you to be outside on your own.”

  She carried Misty back up the garden, hurrying to get into the warm – and then she realised that the kitchen light was on.

  Dad was awake!

  “Lucy! What are you doing out there? I thought I heard someone downstairs. Come back inside … What’s that?”

  Lucy held the kitten up to show him.

  “She’s called Misty. She kept coming into our garden, and she reminded me of Patch, so much. She’s really thin, and I’m sure she doesn’t belong to anybody. She got trapped in the shed, and I didn’t know where she was.”

  “Is that why you’ve been looking so worried?” Dad said slowly. “I wasn’t sure what was wrong.”

  “Dad, please can we keep her?” Lucy begged. “I know you miss Patch, and maybe you don’t want another cat … But she’s all alone.”

 

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