“There’s a kitten on a ledge close to the top of the tower,” Kitty told the others. “I don’t know how he got so high.”
“Goodness me!” said Figaro. “How can one little kitten make such a terrible racket?”
“It doesn’t even sound like a kitten,” said Pixie, swishing her tail.
“There’s a way onto the roof over there.” Katsumi pointed to a house with a low porch. “Go on, Kitty, there’s no time to lose.”
Kitty nodded, grateful for Katsumi’s sensible ideas. She climbed onto the porch and from there to the rooftop. The others followed her. The kitten looked down, shivering wildly.
The huge clockface below the kitten showed the time: four minutes to twelve o’clock.
Kitty took a sharp breath. Soon it would be midnight, and the clock would make twelve deafening chimes. The noise was bound to startle the kitten. What if it surprised him so much that he fell right off the ledge? “Don’t be frightened!” she called to the little cat. “I’m Kitty, and this is Figaro, Pixie, and Katsumi. We’ve come to help you.”
The kitten stared down at them. “YOOOWL!” he cried, and tears dripped down his furry cheeks.
“Poor thing!” said Katsumi. “I wonder how he got stuck.”
“He’s very young to climb all the way to that ledge.” Figaro shook his head. “Kittens these days can be so reckless!”
Pixie turned her eyes to Kitty. “You will help him, won’t you?”
Kitty’s stomach felt wobbly. “I want to try!” she stammered. “But I’m not really a superhero. I’ve never been on an adventure before.”
“But you were wearing your superhero outfit!” exclaimed Figaro.
“It’s just for playing!” said Kitty desperately. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
“You’ve already come this far,” said Katsumi. “And superpowers clearly run in your family.”
Figaro frowned. “Yes! Just remember how courageously you dashed into the pitch-black park when you heard Pixie’s cry for help. I thought to myself at the time how brave you were!”
Pixie nodded eagerly. “I could have been up that tree all night if it wasn’t for you.”
Kitty blushed at their kind words. She thought again of what her mom had said: “You’re braver than you think.” She turned to face the huge tower, and her head spun at the thought of climbing up so high. Then she looked at the tiny ginger kitten, scrabbling at the side of the ledge.
Kitty closed her eyes and felt her powers tingling inside her. “That kitten’s in terrible danger. I know I have to do something!”
A steep drop stretched below her with a narrow stone ledge on the other side. Deep shadows filled the chasm, and the cold wind ruffled Kitty’s hair. She took a big breath. Then she sprang across, landing neatly on the other side. Gripping the stone wall with her fingertips, she began to climb.
Chapter
4
Kitty climbed the clock tower swiftly, digging her fingers into the gaps between the smooth stones.
“You can do it!” Pixie cried.
The steep drop below was filled with darkness, but moonlight poured over the tower, turning the stones silver. Kitty felt her superpowers rushing through her, and her heart skipped. Maybe she could be a superhero like her mom after all!
Pulling herself onto the next ledge, she stopped for a second to catch her breath. The ginger kitten peered down at her with wide eyes. There was a sudden click as the big hand on the clock moved closer to the twelve, and the kitten jumped with fright. Kitty’s chest tightened. It was such a long way down.
She climbed faster, her arms and legs tingling. She could hear the ticking of the clock. With a loud click, the big hand shifted to point straight at the number twelve. It was midnight!
“Don’t be scared!” called Kitty. “The clock is about to chime.”
The kitten shook as he gripped the ledge. “What’s a chime?”
Bong! The clock made a deep sound. It was so loud that the whole tower trembled. Kitty held on tightly.
The tiny ginger cat jumped in fright, then toppled backward, tumbling down the clockface with a terrified mew.
“No!” Kitty shouted.
The kitten clutched at the clock’s long hand and clung to it desperately.
The hand slid back to point at the number eleven. The kitten hung there. He wailed while his legs swung wildly in midair.
“Don’t let go! I’ll come to get you.” Kitty’s powers tingled, and she climbed faster. She had to reach the kitten in time!
Kitty scrambled down . . . ten, eleven, twelve. Just as the last chime rang out, a strong gust of wind swirled around the tower. The ginger kitten swayed wildly, and he lost his grip with one paw.
Kitty’s heart pounded. She couldn’t let him fall!
“We believe in you, Kitty!” Figaro shouted from below.
“Go on, Kitty!” Katsumi called out. “You can do it.”
Pixie jumped up and down, one paw over her mouth.
Kitty stepped onto the ledge below the clockface. The ginger kitten was still dangling from the clock hand, and there was no easy way to reach him. Kitty took a deep breath and climbed onto the closest number, her black cape billowing out in the wind.
Using her superpowers to balance, she clambered from one number to the next and steadied herself. She was just below the kitten. His back paws dangled above her head.
“I’m here to rescue you!” she told him. “Reach down and take my hand.”
The kitten’s legs swung. “I can’t—I’m stuck!”
“You’ve been so brave,” said Kitty. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”
The kitten gazed at Kitty with terrified blue eyes. “I can’t move!”
“Be brave!” urged Kitty. “I know you can do it.”
The kitten’s whiskers quivered and he reached down, letting Kitty grab hold of his paw. He let go of the clock hand, and Kitty caught him and pulled him close. She could feel his body shaking. The wind swirled around them, and Kitty held tight to the clockface. There was still a long way to go before they reached safety.
“Hold on to my shoulders,” Kitty told the little cat. “Then I’ll have my hands free to climb.”
The kitten scrambled onto her shoulders. Kitty made her way down the tower, careful to keep her balance. The kitten clung to her neck as he peered anxiously at the ground.
“It’s too far!” he squeaked. “We’ll never make it.”
“We will,” Kitty told him. “Can you see my friends on that rooftop over there? Soon you’ll be able to meet them.”
The kitten looked at the rooftop, his whiskers twitching. Kitty kept climbing, but the kitten clutched at her face, covering her eyes with his paws.
Kitty didn’t want to worry him, so instead she used her superpowered senses. She felt along the tower wall for every foothold and handhold, balancing perfectly. She could hear Figaro and Katsumi talking, so she knew exactly where she was going. At last they reached the wide ledge where she had begun her climb.
“Are you ready?” Kitty asked the ginger cat. “I’m going to jump across.”
“You mean—all the way over there?” he squeaked, staring at the gap between the clock tower and the rooftop. “It’s too far, we’ll both fall!”
“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.” Kitty smiled. “And I have superpowers that help me.”
The kitten’s eyes grew big and round. “Then you’re a real superhero?”
“I’m still learning,” said Kitty. “And this is my very first adventure!”
The little cat gazed at her solemnly. “I trust you! I will hold tight while you jump.”
Kitty got ready, bending her knees and throwing back her arms. Then she made an enormous leap. Her black cape swirled out behind her, and for a moment, Kitty felt as though she was flying through the sky. She landed softly on the other side and set the kitten down on the rooftop. Figaro, Katsumi, and Pixie rushed over to meet them, mewing with excitement.
�
�That was such a daring rescue!” gasped Pixie. “Were you scared, Kitty?”
“A little bit,” Kitty admitted. “But I knew all of you believed in me, and that helped a lot.”
“You certainly have great climbing skills,” said Katsumi. “Don’t you agree, Figaro?”
“Yes, indeed!” Figaro twirled his whiskers. “But I do think it was very silly of this kitten to be up so high in the first place.” He turned to the kitten. “What in paw’s name were you doing up there?”
The little cat’s nose twitched, and a tear rolled down his furry cheek. “I was searching for somewhere warm to sleep. I thought if I climbed up high it would be easier to look. Then I realized I was too high and I couldn’t get down.”
Kitty crouched beside him. “Please don’t cry! What’s your name? Do you have any family or friends nearby who can look after you?”
The kitten shook his head. “I don’t have any family or friends. I don’t have a name, either.”
Kitty was surprised. How could this lovely kitten not even have a name? “We’d love to be your friends if you’d like that.” She looked at the other cats, and they nodded in agreement.
The kitten wiped a tear away with his paw, and a smile spread across his face. “I’d like that more than anything in the world!”
Chapter
5
Kitty sat down on the rooftop next to the kitten. The streets below were dark and silent. Stars glittered overhead like diamonds scattered across the sky.
“Where do you usually like to sleep?” she asked him.
“I like to find somewhere warm and bright. The thing is . . .” The kitten twitched his ears shyly. “I’m a little bit scared of the dark.”
“Sometimes I feel like that too, especially when the clouds cover up the moon and there are lots of shadows.” Kitty looked from her friends to the beautiful night sky. She smiled, remembering what her mom had told her. “But the nighttime isn’t as frightening as I thought. When the moon comes out, you can feel magic in the air.”
The kitten nodded. His eyes were wide. “Where will you go now?” Figaro asked the kitten. “I’m afraid my humans won’t let me bring visitors into our home. I tried it once, and it caused such a kerfuffle!” The kitten’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t know. Sometimes I sleep outside the seafood store and the shopkeeper gives me some fish when the shop opens in the morning, but the doorstep is cold and hard.”
“You must come with me!” said Kitty firmly. “Everyone in my family loves cats. You can sleep in my room, and I’ll make you a delicious breakfast in the morning.”
The kitten perked up. “Really? I can come with you?”
Kitty smiled. “Of course you can! And tomorrow you can meet my family.”
The kitten bounced up and down with happiness. “I’ve always wanted to see inside a real home. Thank you, Kitty!”
Kitty led the cats down from the roof and back through the square. When they reached the park, the kitten began to tremble. He yowled at a spiky bush and jumped into Kitty’s arms.
“What’s wrong?” asked Kitty.
“It looks like a monster!” squeaked the kitten.
“Don’t worry—it’s nothing to be scared of.” Kitty set him down, but a moment later he hopped back into her arms when a tree branch rustled in the wind.
Kitty carried him through the park and he yowled at the gate, the pond, and the swings. At last his head began to droop. He gave one final squeaky mew at a park bench before closing his eyes. His head rested on Kitty’s shoulder.
“Poor thing!” whispered Pixie. “It must be awful finding everything so scary.”
Figaro rolled his eyes. “Things are certainly quieter now that he’s asleep. For goodness sake, don’t wake him up again!”
Kitty and her friends hurried out of the park and climbed back to the rooftops. They darted along, skipping neatly around the chimneys. At last Kitty spotted her bedroom window at the end of a row of houses. She had left her lamp on, and it glowed behind the curtains.
“Thank you for helping me with my very first adventure,” she said to Figaro, Katsumi, and Pixie.
“It was our pleasure,” said Katsumi with a bow.
“You did a fantastic job! I expect now you’ll want to go on more,” said Figaro with a wink.
“I expect I will!” said Kitty, laughing.
The ginger kitten woke up and waved his paw sleepily. “Goodbye, everyone, and thank you!”
“Goodbye! See you again soon,” said Kitty.
Kitty watched Figaro, with his handsome black coat and white paws, scamper away across the rooftops. Katsumi followed him, her honey-colored fur pale in the moonlight. Pixie left last, her bright white fur gleaming in the darkness.
Kitty sighed happily. It really had been an amazing night!
She set the kitten down on the windowsill and climbed into her bedroom. “I hope you like my room. I have lots of comfy pillows and blankets. Would you like to come and see?”
The kitten’s whiskers shook. “I . . . I don’t really know! I thought I wanted to see a real home, but . . . what if I get trapped inside?”
“You won’t! And I promise I’ll look after you,” said Kitty, surprised.
The kitten backed away to the corner of the windowsill. “I can’t go in! Please don’t be mad!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not mad!” Kitty reached out and stroked the kitten between his ears. “I just don’t want you to be cold.”
“I’m quite warm here.” The kitten lay down on the windowsill and curled his tail around his body.
Kitty fetched her pillows and a blanket and brought them over to the window seat. She left the window open and settled down on the wide, cushioned seat so that she could be close to the ginger kitten. She could see his striped tummy rising and falling peacefully as he slept.
Kitty hoped he was having happy dreams. At last she closed her eyes too, and the stars twinkled above them in the velvet-black sky.
Chapter
6
When Kitty woke up the next morning, her mom was pushing the hair out of her face. She sat bolt upright, puzzled to find herself on the window seat and not in bed. Then she remembered everything that had happened the night before. She peeked through the open window, but the kitten wasn’t asleep on the sill anymore.
“Morning, Kitty!” said Mom. “You look like you had an adventure last night.”
Kitty glanced down at her superhero outfit. “It was amazing! A cat named Figaro came here looking for you. It was an emergency, so I went to help instead.”
“Shall I make us some breakfast? And then you can tell me all about it,” said Mom.
“Ooh, yes please! But . . .” Kitty peered outside, frowning. “Can you see a little ginger kitten? When I went to sleep, he was right here on the windowsill.”
Throwing off her blanket, she leaned out the window and listened carefully. All she could hear were birds chirping and cars driving along the street below. Kitty’s heart sank. She’d wanted to look after the kitten because he had no home of his own. She wished he’d been brave enough to come inside.
“Maybe he’s still nearby,” said Mom. “Why don’t you try going outside and calling him?”
Kitty slipped out the window and climbed to the rooftop. The sun shined down warmly, and wisps of clouds hung in the pale blue sky. Kitty stopped on the ridge of the roof, calling, “Hello, are you still here?”
At first there was no answer. Then a small striped face with whiskers peeped out from behind the chimney. His blue eyes lit up when he saw Kitty. Then he drew back nervously.
Mom, who had followed Kitty, whispered, “Is he a shy cat?”
“I think he’s nervous because he’s been living all alone until now,” explained Kitty. “He didn’t want to come inside last night. He’s not used to having a home.”
“I see.” Mom frowned thoughtfully. “Well, if he won’t come to us, maybe we should go to him. Come and help me with the breakfast things, Kitty.”
Kitty and her mom made a stack of golden pancakes that smelled so delicious they made Kitty’s mouth water. They carried the pancakes out to the rooftop, along with some fresh orange juice. They also brought out some fresh fish in case the kitten was hungry. They spread Kitty’s blanket on a small, flat area of the roof near the chimney.
Kitty poured some syrup on her pancake and took a bite. “Mmm! Everything tastes better when you eat outside.”
“It really does!” said her mom, laughing.
“I wonder if this fish tastes good too,” said Kitty, glancing at the chimney.
The kitten’s face peered out again, and his nose twitched as he smelled the breakfast. He crept up to the bowl of fish.
“Good morning!” Kitty beamed. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Good morning.” The kitten flicked his tail shyly and then nibbled some food from the bowl. “This fish is so yummy!”
“Did someone say fish?” Figaro leaped along the rooftops, stopping to preen his sleek black-and-white fur. “I hope there’s enough for me!”
Katsumi, who was behind him, waved her elegant tail. “Honestly, Figaro! You shouldn’t invite yourself to someone else’s meal.”
Pixie, arriving last, sniffed the air. The sun gleamed on her silky white coat. “It does smell delicious. I can imagine I’ve walked into a splendid banquet!”
Katsumi bowed to Kitty and her mom. “Sorry for interrupting your breakfast! We just came to say good morning and to thank Kitty for her help last night.”
“Good morning!” Mom smiled. “You’re welcome to join us. I have plenty more fish in the fridge.”
“That is most kind!” exclaimed Figaro while Katsumi and Pixie murmured their thanks.
Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue Page 2