Рейчел Уэллс - Alfie In The Snow

‘Oh there you are, Alfie. I was wondering where you’d been. I can’t believe you went out in this weather,’ Claire said.

‘Meow.’ It wasn’t my choice.

‘Never mind, it’s so Christmassy, isn’t it? The first white Christmas in goodness knows how many years. The kids were so excited at the concert and getting them into bed was a mission. Thankfully they know that Santa only visits sleeping children, so they seem to have gone off now. And George is tucked up with Toby, in case you were wondering.’

I was, but I’d assumed that was where he’d be. When I was dry and warm I was going to go and say goodnight to him.

‘And Jonathan and I have quite a lot to do before we’re ready for tomorrow. But I’m so excited. The snow, the big lunch with all our friends. It’s going to be wonderful,’ she gushed, she was so full of Christmas cheer. I hoped it was contagious.

As I thought about Aleksy and Connie, I wondered what would happen when they were discovered. Either all the parents would be so angry the teenagers would be grounded forever, or they would see how much the two of them meant to each other and Sylvie would relent and maybe we’d all spend a wonderful Christmas together. I knew which one I wanted it to be. I also knew which one I thought it would be.

After kissing my boy goodnight, I went to wait by the cat flap. That way, I knew if I went to sleep I would hear Dustbin when he arrived. I wondered what Tiger would have said to me if she was here, but I thought I knew. She would have said that Aleksy’s crazy plan was too much like one of mine, and that perhaps my humans were more influenced by me than we’d realised. I would be to blame for all of this, but then she would have approved of the way I was putting it right, I’m sure. I did feel responsible but then I cared too much about everyone’s happiness. I was learning that there was only so much this cat could do, however, and although I would never give up trying, sometimes I couldn’t find ways to solve everything. I still hadn’t figured out how to bring Sylvie and Connie back into the fold, and I hadn’t found a way of getting Hana out of the house – although of course I had discovered a way to get George in. Harold and his son had been reunited thanks to George and I, but that had been mainly George. Although I had achieved a fair bit, thinking about it. Just not everything, and I wasn’t a cat who liked loose ends.

Claire and Jonathan approached.

‘Honey, can’t we go to bed yet?’ Jonathan yawned.

‘Not until all our gifts are under the tree, and let’s have a last glass of champagne, so we can toast our Christmas Eve together. And it was perfect, wasn’t it? I can’t believe that Harold even sang at the carol concert, he really enjoyed himself.’

‘Yeah, and Marcus is a top bloke. I like him.’

‘If only Sylvie would meet him, he’d take her mind off all the awfulness in her life,’ Claire said.

‘Meow,’ I agreed.

‘Oh Alfie, I thought you were asleep. Why are you lying by the cat flap?’ Jonathan asked. ‘Santa comes down the chimney, not through the cat flap,’ he laughed. I swished my tail. Very funny.

‘Very funny, Jon, now come and have a drink, honestly, it will help you finish the wrapping.’

‘We’ll be up all night at this rate,’ he complained.

‘I want it to be perfect for Summer and Toby when they wake up at the crack of dawn,’ Claire said. I thought Jonathan might voice another of his objections but instead he put his arm around Claire and kissed the top of her head.

‘And so do I, darling, so let’s get going and be tucked up in bed in time for the real Santa to come.’

I let Jonathan scratch my ears and I hoped that Dustbin would arrive first.

Chapter Thirty-Two

I must have fallen asleep, but I heard the cat flap bang and jumped up in an instant. I put my head through and saw Dustbin’s eyes staring back at me. In a second I was out in the freezing cold next to him.

‘They’re here?’

‘Yup, they went through with the crazy plan. Aleksy shivered all the way here, it’s so cold, and the shed is probably freezing. It’s lucky we’re not leaving them until morning, they’d probably get hypothermia,’ Dustbin replied. ‘Anyway, I checked they were inside before I came to get you, didn’t want them seeing me this time.’

Although the snow had stopped, there was a thin carpet of it in the garden. I could see their footprints, and also Dustbin’s paw prints.

‘Right, I guess it’s showtime,’ I said. Dustbin nodded.

‘Good luck, Alfie, I’ll wait just round here out of sight in case you need me.’

I went back inside. Claire and Jonathan were in their pyjamas, just about to switch the lights off in the living room and go to bed. Oh boy, I thought, as the tiredness weighed heavily on me, I had to get this right.

‘MEWMEWMEWMEWMEW,’ I screeched at the top of my lungs. Then I ran in circles.

‘Oh, not this again,’ Jonathan said. ‘What now? For goodness sake, Alfie, it’s midnight, on Christmas Eve, which means it’s technically Christmas morning and I for one want my bed.’

‘Alfie, shush, you’ll wake the children, now go to bed,’ Claire said. Oh dear, they were obviously so tired they weren’t getting it.

‘YOWLYOWLYOWL.’ I tried to stand on Claire’s foot but she pulled it away and I fell on my tail. I got up and ran some more circles. Normally Claire was the quicker of the two but it was very late.

‘I really think he’s trying to tell us something.’ Jonathan scratched his head. Thank goodness. I headed to the back door, mewing all the way.

‘He wants us to go outside?’ Claire said, uncertainly.

‘What, in this weather? Alfie, you’ve got to be joking.’

‘MEOW.’ I really wasn’t. I headed through the cat flap, crossing my paws that they would follow. After a few seconds I saw the door open and two sets of eyes peered out at me.

‘You go, Jon,’ Claire said.

‘But I’ve got my slippers on.’

‘So have I,’ Claire replied. I wished at least one of them would just hurry up and come.

‘OK, let me just put my shoes on.’ Jonathan went off and came back, his feet stuffed into some trainers. ‘Come on then,’ he said, glancing back at Claire as he stepped outside. ‘This had better be good.’

Oh it would be, I thought, as I started to lead him to the shed. He ran his hands through his hair and turned back to Claire.

‘I think he wants me to go to the shed,’ he said.

‘What if there’s someone in there? They might be dangerous,’ Claire replied. She went to the kitchen and came back with a saucepan. Forgetting she had her slippers on, she ran to Jonathan and handed it to him.

‘What’s that for?’

‘In case you need to hit them,’ Claire said.

‘You honestly think Alfie is telling us that there’s someone dangerous in our shed?’ He sounded a little bit panicked.

‘No idea but to be on the safe side,’ Claire said sensibly.

‘It’s probably a cat. You know, a stray cat that we’ll end up having to give a home to, or maybe it’s Santa.’ Jonathan laughed and I swished him with my tail again, this was no time for jokes.

‘YOWL.’ Would you just open the door already? Claire gave Jonathan a little push and, saucepan in hand, he tentatively opened the door. A scream from inside filled the air, as Jonathan flung the door wide open.

‘Oh my goodness,’ Claire said as the three of us stared at Aleksy and Connie, huddled together in the shed, wrapped in dusty old painting blankets.

‘What the hell?’ Jonathan shouted. He was still holding the saucepan up.