Which was exactly what we did.
To begin, we gathered up all the toys we wanted to take and put them into one of our Mom's trash bags. The bag had long, tie handles that were perfect for our plan. Then Bogey jumped to the top of the window with the handles of the bag in his mouth. He pushed the plastic window cover out as he went, and landed on the ground outside. All the while, I stayed on the inside and pushed the bag up from below, while he pulled on the other side. Seconds later, we had that bag through the open window. Then I jumped up, went through the window opening, and landed outside, too.
A few minutes after that, we had the bag of toys loaded onto the wagon. Then I slipped into my harness while Bogey climbed aboard. I rolled the wagon down the driveway and past the front of our house. I said "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesus as I towed my wagon behind me.
Then I pulled it all the way to the cat shelter. Even though it was snowing just a little, I didn't mind. I was so excited about playing "Santa Claws" that the time seemed to fly by. I had to say, I really enjoyed all the gift-giving. Every time I gave something to someone else, I felt that Christmas spirit all over again.
Plus, I could hardly wait to see the happiness on the faces of the cats at the shelter. The idea of it gave me so much energy I could hardly contain myself.
"Hang on!" I yelled back to Bogey. "I'm going to make this wagon really move!"
"You got it, kid!" Bogey hollered back. "Let's see what this wagon can do!"
And then I took off at a run.
We arrived at the shelter just a few minutes later.
Holy Catnip!
Bogey and I knocked on the window.
"Let us in!" I yelled.
It's a little known fact that cats in the shelter let each other out of their cages at night. That's when they run around and play, and even work on the computer. Most shelter cats are really good with a computer by the time they get adopted into their forever homes.
So the whole bunch was up and running around, and they figured out a way to get us inside. A few minutes later, I was pulling my wagon into the shelter and we were handing out Christmas presents.
Well, let me tell you, it turned into quite a party. Treats were passed around and someone even found a little carton of milk that we shared. Everyone got a present, and the cats who didn't know about Christmas learned all about it.
You've never seen such a happy bunch of cats in your life.
Even so, one little black cat named Bella sat silently in the middle of the bunch. Her mouth drooped, and she didn't look like she was having fun at all.
I made my way over to her. "What's wrong? Aren't you enjoying the Christmas party?"
She shook her shiny head. "I'm sorry, Buckley. You've gone to a lot of work for us. And I sure appreciate all you've done."
Bogey came over and joined us.
I hunched down on the floor. "But something is bothering you."
She nodded. "All I want for Christmas is a forever home. Just like you have."
That's when Bogey and I looked at each other. Then we grinned.
"Remember what Mrs. Nelson said, kid?" Bogey asked me.
"That she wished she had a cat just like you? And me?" I answered him.
Bogey nodded at our wagon. "You got it, kid. I think we should give them a nice Christmas present, too."
I turned back to Bella. "I think we can help you get your Christmas wish."
Her gold eyes went wide. "You can?"
"You bet," Bogey answered.
A few minutes later, I was pulling our wagon back home. But this time Bogey and Bella were both in the back. We paused in front of our house just long enough to borrow some of the straw from baby Jesus' manger.
Then I rolled the wagon on over to the Nelsons' house. I pulled and Bogey pushed, and together, we managed to get it up on the front porch. We put the straw on the floor mat in front of the door and told Bella to lie on top. We'd already grabbed a bow from the shelter, so we put that on her head. It looked kind of like a hat.
"Are you ready?" I asked her.
She nodded her head and smiled. "Ready. Do you think they'll like me?"
"Are you kidding?" I asked. "They're gonna love you!"
Bogey rolled the wagon over so it was right below the doorbell. "Okay, kid. Climb in and reach up! Let's hope you're tall enough to pull this off!"
I hoped I was tall enough, too. But it turned out I had nothing to worry about at all. I got into the wagon and reached up until I could press the doorbell. I hit it twice, and then three more times in a row.
"That should be enough to wake up the Nelsons," I said as I climbed down.
"Okay, kid," Bogey told me. "Let's scram!"
"Good luck and Merry Christmas!" I told Bella as Bogey and I got our wagon off the porch.
"You, too, guys!" Bella said with a nervous smile. "Thanks so much for all your help."
"See you around the neighborhood," Bogey meowed as we pulled our wagon behind the shrubs.
And not a moment too soon.
The Nelsons swung the door open wide.
"What is it?" said Mr. Nelson in a sleepy voice. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Then we heard Mrs. Nelson gasp. "Oh my goodness! Look. It's a miracle. A gift from Santa!"
I peeked out from behind the bushes to see Mrs. Nelson pick up Bella and hold her tight. Bella immediately began to purr.
"It looks like we have a new addition to our family," Mrs. Nelson said.
Mr. Nelson laughed. "I guess we do. But how did she get here?"
"It's probably one of those things we'll never understand," Mrs. Nelson said.
I caught a glimpse of Bella's face as Mrs. Nelson took her in and Mr. Nelson shut the door. It was a look of pure joy. For Bella had found a home.
After that, Bogey and I laughed and pranced all the way back to our home. We parked the wagon in the bushes and got back in the house the same way we'd gotten out.
Then we made a beeline for our Christmas tree. I could hardly believe my eyes. There were new cat toys and presents all over the place.
Holy Catnip! That sure was a lot of toys!
Lil sat relaxing in a chair, beside an empty glass of milk.
"What happened?" I breathed.
"It was Santa," said Lil. "You just missed him."
The Princess popped out from behind a bunch of presents. "He said you'd been so good this year, Buckley, that he brought you extra presents."
"He did?" I barely managed to ask.
Then all of a sudden the room felt like it was spinning. It was funny how things worked out. Here I'd given away most of my toys to cats who didn't have anything. And then I'd ended up with more toys than I ever had before.
I flopped over on my side. "I'm sorry we missed Santa," I said to Bogey.
But Bogey just grinned at me. "Don't sweat it, kid. There's always next year."
I was just starting to get my bearings again when I saw a sight I never thought I'd see.
The Wise One. Coming down the stairs.
She took each step slowly, carefully. Her legs were tottery, and she had to stop and get her balance again with each step.
The Princess rushed up to walk down with her.
But Bogey and Lil and I just sat there with our mouths hanging open. I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
Clearly this was a night for miracles.
Five minutes later, Miss Mokie and the Princess joined us all around the Christmas tree. Bogey and Lil and I bowed and then looked up at her again.
The Wise One sat as tall as she could and waved a paw above us. "I spoke with Santa before he departed," she announced. "He sends his regards, young Detectives. And Buckley, he hopes to meet you next year."
I just smiled in return. I hoped to meet him, too.
Then we all turned to gaze at the Christmas tree. It was such a beautiful sight. The lights twinkled and bounced off the shiny ornaments. The star at the top stood proudly, sparkling over it all.
"Merr
y Christmas," I said.
"Merry Christmas," the Princess chimed in.
Soon we were all saying it to each other.
When we were finished, I couldn't stop grinning. Sitting there with those cats on Christmas was one of the happiest moments I'd ever had.
When Bogey had told me Christmas was the best, well, he wasn't kidding.
Holy Catnip.
And Merry Christmas.
About the Author
Cindy Vincent was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and has lived all around the US and Canada. She is the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls. She is also the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper books, and the Daisy Diamond Detective book series. She lives with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines.
The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks Page 15