Холли Вебб - A Kitten Called Tiger

Jess came hurrying up and gave Ava a hug. “We can look for him on the way home. I really want to help and my mum will, too. Mia’s going for tea at Amy’s house.”

Ava’s mum smiled at her. “Thanks, Jess. I’m sorry we didn’t walk with you this morning. We were so late, I ended up dropping the girls in the car – we went looking for Tiger again before breakfast, you see.” She sighed. “Not that you ate anything, Ava. Please tell me you ate your lunch? Dad told me you didn’t have dinner last night, either.”

“I ate a bit,” Ava said. She had – a tiny bit. She just didn’t feel hungry. There was too much worry inside her to fit in food as well.

“There’s Bel.” Mum waved as Bel’s class came out into the playground. Ava went over to the gate and stood a little way away with Jess. She didn’t want to hear Mum explaining to Bel that Tiger was still missing. She’d tried so hard to be brave and to tell Lucy and Bel that it was going to be OK – but she was starting to think that it wasn’t going to be OK at all.

Tiger had watched people going along the path all day long. He’d mewed, hoping they’d look up and see him, and help him get down. But it was a wet, windy day and the few people hurrying by hadn’t heard the sad little noises up above. He was starting to feel desperate. Every time the wind gusted the tree shook, and the branch where he was perched swung up and down.

Where was Ava? Why had he ever gone out into the front garden in the first place? He should have just stayed safe at home with Ava and Lucy and Bel!

There were footsteps again now. But no one was going to hear him – they hadn’t all the other times. Miserably he slunk back along the branch, right up against the trunk of the tree, trying to stay out of the wind.

The footsteps came closer – they were almost under the tree now. And then Tiger’s ears pricked up as he heard a familiar voice.

“I’m sorry, Jess. I’m just so worried about him. If I cry in front of Bel and Lucy they’ll be really upset. They think that because I rescued Tiger before, I’m going to be able to find him.”

“We will find him,” Jess said, giving Ava a quick hug. “I’ll help you make some posters when we get back. He’s probably stuck in someone’s shed.”

“Maybe…”

Tiger sprang up, forgetting for a moment to be scared of the swaying branch. He darted out as far as he could and mewed frantically for Ava.

Ava froze in the middle of the path. “I heard him! Jess, I heard Tiger mewing!”

Jess stopped, staring around. “Oh, wow! I heard him that time, too! Where is he, though? I can’t see him.”

Ava turned round slowly, listening for the mewing, trying to work out where it was coming from. She was almost certain it was Tiger – he was all right! At least, she hoped he was. He sounded scared.

“I can’t see him. Oh! Jess, look! He’s up there!” Ava pointed over to the tall tree by the side of the alley.

“Where?” Jess squinted up at the tree. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Ava’s voice shook. She pointed again, impossibly far up into the branches. “Right at the top. Tiger! Tiger! He can see us!”

Tiger yowled loudly and started pacing up and down the branch.

Jess swallowed. “Do you think he’s been there all this time? Is he stuck?”

“He must be. Mum! We found him!” Ava waved madly at her mum, who was just catching up with them, along with Jess’s mum. “Bel, he’s here!”

Bel ran over and Mum broke into a jog with Lucy’s pushchair. “Up in the tree? I might have known he’d be stuck somewhere silly! Oh, Ava, I’m so relieved, well done…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up into the tree and saw how high up Tiger was. He was still walking up and down the branch, mewing down at them. “Oh, my goodness!”

“How are we going to get him down?” Ava asked, clutching her mum’s arm. “I don’t mind climbing trees but I don’t think I can get up that far.”

Mum shook her head firmly. “You’re definitely not climbing. I don’t want you stuck up there as well. We could call Dad but it’ll take him quite a while to get back from work. I wonder if we could ring the fire brigade?”

“A fire engine?” Bel asked, hopping up and down excitedly.

“They couldn’t get a fire engine down here,” Jess’s mum put in. “But Dave might be able to reach her if he used his long ladder.”

Ava looked at her hopefully. Dave was Jess’s dad and he had ladders for trimming trees. “Has he got a really tall ladder? We’ve only got a little one.”

Jess’s mum nodded, smiling at her. “He definitely has. And I’m pretty sure he said he was doing a garden down the road today. It’s going to be all right, Ava.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Hey, love. Look, are you nearly done? You’re in Fircroft Lane, aren’t you? It’s Ava and Bel’s kitten, he’s stuck up a tree in the alley by their house. Have you got your long ladder with you?” She listened for a moment and then said, “You’re a star. See you in a minute.” Then she patted Ava’s shoulder. “It’s OK. He was just finishing. He’ll be here soon.”

Tiger peered down through the branches at Ava. He wanted to get to her so badly but he didn’t see how he could. Ava kept calling up to him. He loved hearing the sound of her voice. Surely she’d find a way to bring him down?

Then he saw someone else – a man, carrying a long ladder. Ava and the others rushed over to talk to him, and Tiger stared at them, wondering what was happening. Then the tree juddered as the ladder was pushed against it and Tiger gave a little mew of fright as he felt the branch shake again.

Tiger sank his claws tightly into the bark. The ladder was growing taller now, pushing up towards him.

Tiger was still jumpy from the incident with the bike and a whole night stuck up the tree on his own, and he hated the look of the metal thing that was getting closer and closer. What was going on? Why wasn’t Ava coming for him?

Mewing, he started to edge back, out along the branch to the narrow end, shaking and bouncing in the wind. He had to get away before that metal thing reached him.

Jess’s dad climbed back down the ladder, shaking his head. “It’s no good. He’s terrified, poor little thing. He’s going further and further along the branch as I get closer to him. I don’t want to risk it.”

Ava’s mum sighed. “Oh no. Thanks so much, Dave. Maybe I should try? Perhaps he’d be OK with someone he knew.”