Пола Харрисон: Kitty And The Tiger Treasure

Pumpkin and Kitty ran along the roof and around a chimney. Kitty’s cape flew out behind her as she leaped from one house to the next. The wind swirled around, making the trees sway, and the shadows of the branches danced in the moonlight.

Suddenly, a sleek black cat with a white face and paws stepped out from behind a chimney. Kitty recognized her friend Figaro right away. “Hello, Figaro! What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you, of course!” Figaro twirled his whiskers. “I spied you climbing out your window and I thought to myself, what sort of adventure will Kitty embark on tonight?”

“We’re going to the museum to see the Golden Tiger statue,” explained Kitty.

“We want to see it before the crowds come tomorrow.” Pumpkin waved his tail excitedly.

“The statue of the Golden Tiger is a rare and mysterious object!” Figaro’s eyes gleamed. “I have heard the strange legends about its powers.”

“Would you like to come with us?” asked Kitty.

“I would be delighted, dear Kitty.” Figaro bowed his head. “Lead the way!”

Kitty led them across the rooftops to Crown Street. The museum roof was flat, with a glassy dome in the middle. The building was enormous, with doors and windows on every side.

“I wonder where the Golden Tiger statue will be.” Kitty clambered down to the nearest ledge and peered through a window. There was a row of ancient swords inside a glass cabinet. She climbed to the next window and saw china vases and silver plates inside the display cases.

Pumpkin stayed close to Kitty while Figaro stepped gracefully from ledge to ledge. Kitty peered into each dark room. The museum was so vast. Where would the Golden Tiger be? At last she spotted a shiny banner: COME SEE THE ANCIENT TREASURES OF THE INCA WORLD! Following the arrow, she leaped to the next window ledge and looked eagerly inside.

The Golden Tiger stood on a small platform surrounded by a red velvet rope. A spotlight shined directly onto the statue, and the tiger’s emerald eyes glowed so brightly that for a moment Kitty wondered if it was alive. The Golden Tiger was sitting upright with one paw raised in the air. It was gold with elegant black stripes across its back and a coat encrusted with diamonds.

“Wow!” cried Pumpkin. “It looks amazing.”

“I must say it’s very impressive.” Figaro swished his tail. “Very impressive indeed!”

Kitty pressed her nose to the window. The shelves around the statue were full of treasures, but the Golden Tiger was the shiniest and most amazing one of all. “I’d love to get a bit closer,” said Kitty. “Then I could find out whether the statue really does grant a wish when you touch its paw!”

“What would you wish for, Kitty?” asked Pumpkin.

“I don’t know!” Kitty bit her lip. “Those jewels look so beautiful. I’d love some diamonds, emeralds, and rubies of my own!”

Pumpkin rubbed his head against Kitty’s knee fondly.

“I believe a closer inspection of the statue is an excellent idea,” said Figaro. “I can think of many things I would wish for: some pampering at the beauty salon, or a four-course meal at Sinclair’s Finest Fish restaurant! Let us go inside at once.”

Kitty hesitated. “Do you really think we should? No one’s supposed to go in there at night.”

“Please, Kitty!” Pumpkin turned his big eyes on her.

Kitty nodded. “All right—but we must be really careful. Look, there’s a way in over there!” She took hold of a drainpipe, ready to climb to the ledge below.

There was a whooshing noise overhead.

“MEEOOOW!” A creature landed heavily on Kitty’s shoulder.

Kitty wobbled, grabbing the drainpipe to keep her balance.

Pumpkin panicked and leaped onto Kitty’s foot, pinning it to the ledge with his paws. “Eek! Don’t worry, I’ve got you!”

The creature, a gray Persian cat with bright eyes, sprang onto the ledge and stared up at Kitty fiercely. “You won’t get away with this!” she hissed. “I know a cat burglar when I see one. You’ve come to steal from the museum, haven’t you? Well, I won’t let you!”

Kitty stared back in surprise. Who was this new cat and why did she think they were thieves?

Chapter

3

The gray cat flicked her tail crossly. “I’m the museum cat, and I won’t let anyone get away with stealing.” She glanced at Figaro and Pumpkin. “And you two should be ashamed of yourselves for helping her. No honest cat would do such a thing!”

Figaro’s sleek black-and-white fur bristled. “How dare you accuse us of being common thieves?”

“Hush, Figaro! It’s all right.” Kitty turned to the gray cat. “You don’t need to worry. We’re not here to steal anything. We only came to look at the Golden Tiger statue because we were so excited to see it. My name’s Kitty, and I have superpowers. These are my friends Pumpkin and Figaro.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve heard about you.” The gray cat studied Kitty’s cape and cat ears. Then she bowed her head. “My name’s Cleo. I’m sorry I jumped on you.”

“You should be very sorry!” Figaro scowled deeply. “Imagine landing on someone like that! It’s hardly civilized.”

“I got the wrong idea when I saw you sneaking along the window ledge,” said Cleo. “I hope I didn’t frighten you all.”

“Don’t worry—we’re fine!” Kitty told the cat. “I suppose we must have looked a bit suspicious.”

Figaro made a humph sound and turned away to clean his paws.

Pumpkin crept along the ledge to look at Cleo with curious eyes. “Do you really live here in the museum?”

“I sleep in an office at the back of the building,” explained Cleo. “It belongs to Stan, the night guard, but he’s fallen asleep in his chair again. So it’s up to me to keep the museum safe. There are a lot more precious things here now that the new exhibit has arrived.”

“It sounds like you should be the museum’s official guard,” Kitty told her.

Cleo rubbed her ear with her paw. “I’d love to be a real guard, but the humans don’t seem to notice how hard I work. I adore living here—it’s amazing! Would you like me to show you around?”

“Yes, please!” Kitty’s eyes shined. “And we’d love to look at the Golden Tiger.”

“It’s a very special statue,” said Cleo proudly. “It looks even better up close. I’ll take you inside—just make sure you don’t touch anything.”

“What’s that funny shadow over the Golden Tiger?” Pumpkin asked suddenly. “I can hardly see the statue anymore.”

Kitty peered through the window. Pumpkin was right. There was a shadow there . . . and it was moving!

“It looks so spooky!” squeaked Pumpkin. “It’s not the curse, is it?”

Kitty pressed her face close to the window. The shadow slipped around the side of the display cabinets and disappeared. Then something, or someone, cut the power to the lights. Suddenly the whole room plunged into darkness.

A tingle ran down Kitty’s back. “What’s going on? Cleo, something’s happening!”

Cleo darted over at once. Figaro stopped cleaning his paws and joined them.

The moon broke from behind a cloud, sending a shaft of light through the dome window. The shadow became clearer. It had a furry brown-and-white coat and long, floppy ears.

“That looks like a springer spaniel. What’s a dog doing in the museum?” gasped Kitty.

“An intruder!” Cleo’s fur stood on end. “And I was so busy talking that I didn’t even notice.”

The dog moved stealthily around the gallery until it stood right beside the Golden Tiger.

“Paws and whiskers!” exclaimed Figaro. “It’s heading straight for the statue.”

They watched in alarm as the dog leaned closer and reached out his paw. . . .