Esmerelda Smudge and the Magic Pepper Pot

by Mandy Martin

I’m not sure I like the idea of you trekking off to Borneo by yourself anyway,” Mum admitted. Esme rolled her eyes at Mum. “Sorry, Flower, I can’t help being a worrywart.” She put her arm around Esme’s shoulder and squeezed. “Maybe when you’re older, or when we can afford to go together.”

  Esme knew that would be never. Mum didn’t earn very much, and trips to Borneo were stupidly expensive. But Mum looked sad, and Esme didn’t want to spoil their evening. She grinned brightly, “When I’m a famous wildlife expert, I’ll take you to my nature reserve for a private tour.”

  “It’s a date,” Mum smiled.

  It was chilly outside the restaurant. The sun had set while they ate dinner, and Esme pulled her school cardigan tight across her summer dress. The walk back to their car went through the park, where the street lights only made the tree branches look creepier. Esme walked a little closer to Mum and quickened her steps.

  “You’ll have to learn to cope with the dark if you go to the jungle,” Mum teased. “There aren’t many street lights.”

  “I think the lamps make it harder,” Esme explained. “The orangey glow makes the leaves look like they’re bleeding.”

  “What an imagination you have!” Mum laughed. They held hands and hurried across the grass towards the welcome glow of the floodlit car park. Suddenly a yowl pierced the air, sending shards of ice down Esme’s neck.

  “What was that?” She looked around wildly.

  “I’m sure it was just a fox or an owl,” Mum said, unconcerned. “You know noises sound odd in the dark.”

  They walked on and the yowl came again. But this time it sounded pitiful. “It’s an animal,” Esme said worriedly. “It’s hurt.”

  Now Mum started looking around too. She pulled out her phone and flicked on the torch, scanning the ground with the bright white light.

  “I think it’s coming from the trees,” Esme called as she hurried forwards.

  “Wait!” Mum click-clacked after her in her heels. “You’ll fall over in the dark.”

  By the time Mum caught up, Esme was at the bottom of a towering tree. The yowling noise echoed above their heads. Mum shone her light up into the foliage, but it didn’t reach very far.

  “Wait, what’s that?” Esme said, pointed to something flapping in the branches. Mum’s light caught bright colours and little flags.

  “It’s just a kite,” Mum said in relief. “It must have got trapped. The noise is probably the wind rattling the plastic.”

  The yowl came again and they both jumped. “That’s not plastic,” Esme said with certainty. “That’s a cat.”

  “Aw, poor thing.” Mum looked at her phone screen doubtfully. “Shall I call the fire brigade?”

  “This isn’t Fireman Sam!” Esme called from halfway up the tree, “They probably wouldn’t even come. Don’t worry,” she panted, “I’ve got it.” Her school dress snagged on twigs as she searched for hand and footholds.

  “Esmerelda Smudge, you come back down here right now!” Mum shouted.

  “In a minute!” Esme called. “Can you shine the light on the kite so I know where I’m going?”

  Mum spluttered and then the light shifted back to the kite. Esme was nearer now, and she could just make out a shape wriggling beneath the multi-coloured plastic.

  “It’s okay kitty-cat,” she said soothingly. “I’ll get you free. Did you chase the pretty kite and get stuck?”

  The cat mewed mournfully and Esme climbed faster. Suddenly her shoe slipped on the bark and she fell. Reaching out, she managed to grab a branch above her head. Dangling by one arm, Esme scanned the tree for somewhere to swing to. She was vaguely aware of Mum screaming at her, but she tuned it out. She could do this.

  Esme shifted her weight until she could get two hands on the branch. Then she swung her legs forwards and back until she had momentum. With a huge surge forward, she slammed into the main trunk. The breath whooshed from her chest on impact and she clung on, waiting for air. The kitten wasn’t much further. But, oh my, it was dark. Mum’s light didn’t reach this far, it just made the shadows darker. Esme’s mouth felt dry as a desert.

  “Use the pepper pot!” Mum shouted. “Wish yourself down. Please! Before you fall.”

  But Esme knew she didn’t need the mischievous pot’s help. Closing her eyes, she imagined the sun shining through the green leaves, warming her skin and filling the air with the scent of summer. She could almost taste her favourite pistachio ice cream on her tongue. The dark isn’t real, she reminded herself, it is just an absence of light.

  With her eyes still half closed, Esme concentrated on finding places to put her hands and feet, all the while murmuring soothing words to the cat. At last she was on the same branch as the kite. She could see the nylon cord wrapped round the branches. Caught up in the flags and string was a tiny black and white cat. Its white fur glowed brightly against the black bark.

  “Silly little kitty,” Esme whispered, as she began untangling the flags swathed around the kitten’s tummy. “You got yourself in a right pickle.”

  The kitten struggled and miaowed, raking its pin-sharp claws down Esme’s arm. She barely noticed. “Hold still, will you, I’m trying to help,” she said, but in a soft gentle voice. It wasn’t the kitten’s fault. Esme chewed her lip and focused on the tangled string. It was like unravelling three pairs of headphones with one eye shut.

  At last, with a final tug, she pulled the string away and the kitten was free. It sat, trembling, in her hands. Now she had to figure out how to get it safely down the tree. Esme looked at the kite, and an idea took shape.

  “Hush now, little one,” Esme crooned, “Auntie Esme has a plan.” She tucked the kitten in her cardigan and reached for the kite.

  “What are you doing?” Mum called frantically a few minutes later. “Esme, I can’t see you, are you all right?” She sounded like she was crying.

  “I’m fine,” Esme called back, “I’ve got the kitten. I’m just making a harness.” She wrapped the last of the nylon cord round her tummy. The kitten nestled inside like a baby in a sling. With her hands free, Esme swung and clambered down the tree and was soon the ground.

  Mum gathered Esme and the kitten in her arms and sobbed. “Don’t ever do that again!” And then she said, “My clever, brave, girl I am so proud of you. One day that will be an orangutan you save.”

  The kitten mewed in agreement and they both laughed.

  “What are we going to do with it now, though?” Mum said, once they’d recovered. “It’s adorable,” she stroked the kitten’s head. “But it belongs to someone, we can’t just take it home.”

  It was then they heard a frightened voice calling in the darkness. “Tatiana! Tatiana, where are you?” It was definitely the cry of someone who’d lost their cat.

  “Over here!” Mum shouted. “We’ve found your kitten.”

  A little girl hurried up, only her eyes visible in the darkness. She reached forwards eagerly and Esme reluctantly handed over the kitten. “She was tangled in a kite, up that tree,” Esme explained, pointing above their heads.

  “Naughty kitten,” the girl scolded as she hugged the fluffy bundle to her face. “She loves chasing bright things,” she explained to Esme and Mum. “Thank you for rescuing her.”

  “Our pleasure,” Mum said, as if it had been her hanging by one arm, too far from the ground. “We’ll walk you home.”

  Mum and Esme followed the girl, and Tatiana the naughty kitten, until they were safely indoors. Esme’s heart glowed warmly. Rescuing the kitten had been amazing. Maybe one day it would be an orangutan who needed her help.

  Filming Fun

  Esme paraded sedately down the stairs, holding the banister so she wouldn’t fall. The strappy sandals felt odd on her feet, with their little heels making her less tiny than normal. The blue and white spotty dress was a compromise between pink and shorts.

  “Wow! Elderflower you look amazing. Stylish yet understated, perfect for on the telly.”

  “Thanks, Mum,�
� Esme beamed. It was the day Dosh in the Loft were filming at Aunt Maud’s house, and Esme couldn’t wait to go. She loved watching the show with Mum after school, especially when Brad James was presenting. She was pretty sure Mum had a crush on him.

  “You look nice, too,” she said to Mum. She barely recognised her, in her summery yellow dress and with her hair bouncing in curls around her face.

  Esme carefully ate a bowl of cereal and drank her juice leaning far over the table so she didn’t spill anything on her dress. She was too nervous to be very hungry anyway. She was going to be on TV!

  “Ready?” Mum asked from by the front door. Esme nodded and they headed off for Great Aunt Maud’s school house.

  The film crew were already set up when Esme and Mum arrived. Huge black cameras pointed at their car pulling into the driveway and at Esme climbing out. She tried to smile and not stumble at the same time, but her face felt frozen. She hadn’t realised the cameras would be so big! It was like being followed by an nosy St Bernard.

  “Esmerelda, Alice, so lovely to see you,” Great Aunt Maud said in a posh voice as she hurried forward to greet them. Esme stifled a giggle. Maud never used a word like ‘lovely’.

  As soon as the camera lost interest, Aunt Maud’s fixed smile slid off her face and she massaged her cheeks. “Blimey I’ve been grinning like a Cheshire Cat all morning, I think I have jaw-ache.”

  “Where’s Brad?” Mum hissed as they went in through the front door. “Is he