Холли Вебб - Smudge Тhe Stolen Kitten

“Smudge! Smudge! Mum, he’s not in there, and I’ve checked upstairs, and I can’t find him anywhere!” Olivia ran back into the kitchen.

Ben was sitting at the table eating a huge pile of fish fingers – his and Rob’s. “He’ll be under your bed or something. I’ll come and help you look.” But Smudge wasn’t in either of their rooms, and he hadn’t climbed into the bath and got stuck. He wasn’t in the airing cupboard on the towels either.

“Could he have got out somehow?” Ben asked when they came back downstairs.

Mum frowned. “I’m sure all the windows were shut. After he nearly got out yesterday I was a bit worried he might try that again.”

Olivia nodded. “I checked all the windows this morning, before we went to school.”

Mum sighed. “Smudge must be hiding somewhere, like he always does. He’ll pop out at us in a minute, I’m sure.”

Olivia turned to Ben, her hands on her hips. “Did you and Rob let him outside?”

Ben stared at her, wide-eyed. “He was just watching TV with us, Olivia. We didn’t even go out, so how’s it our fault suddenly?”

“I bet that’s why Rob wanted to go home.” Olivia sat down on a chair as her knees suddenly felt shaky. “He was scared he was going to get into trouble. You let him out. I can’t believe you’d do that!” she yelled.

“Olivia!” Mum warned. “You’re just jumping to conclusions.”

“We didn’t let him out!” Ben stood up angrily. “How many times do I have to say it?” He stomped out of the kitchen, muttering. “I’m going to look for him upstairs. He must be here somewhere.”

Olivia slumped on her chair, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. However much Ben denied it, she was sure the boys had let Smudge get out – either by accident, or as part of some stupid game. Smudge was so little! He’d only been outside once, and he’d had her and Ben there to make sure he didn’t escape from the garden, or get himself stuck somewhere. Just thinking of all the places where he might hurt himself made her feel sick.

Chapter Five

Smudge woke up, and was surprised to find that everything was dark, and the bag was bumping around. The little kitten swayed from side to side, mewing with fright. Where was Olivia? Why was he stuck in here? He needed Olivia to let him out!

“Hey, ssshhh. I’m going to get you out of there.”

The bag opened, and Smudge could see Rob peering inside. He gave a soft little mew. This wasn’t right. He had thought that Olivia would come and find him. He cowered back against the bottom of the bag, and hissed as Rob tried to open it up a bit more. The boy had been kind before, stroking and cuddling him, and feeding him sandwiches, but now Smudge was confused, and he wanted Olivia.

“Hey, Smudge. Don’t you want to get out? Come and see my bedroom,” Rob said, gently reaching in to pick up the kitten.

Smudge spat crossly as a warning, and when Rob didn’t take his hand away, he clawed at it, hard.

“Ow!” Rob sat back, sucking at the bleeding scratch. Then he sighed. “OK. I suppose I’d scratch if I got shut up in a bag and bounced around all over the place. Maybe I’d better get you something else to eat.” He smiled at Smudge. “You liked that ham sandwich, didn’t you?”

Smudge saw him stand up.

“I’ll go and see what’s in the fridge, but I might be a while. Mum still thinks I’m sick, so I’ll have to wait till she’s not looking. Back soon. Here, you can play with this ball, it’s got spikes, look! That’d be fun, wouldn’t it? See you in a minute, Smudge.”

The bedroom door clicked, and Smudge waited, his heart thumping. Had the boy gone? Was it safe to come out?

Slowly, cautiously, he wriggled out of the bag.

“I can’t find him anywhere.” Ben was standing in the doorway, and his voice had changed. He wasn’t angry any more, he sounded frightened.

“I told you so!” Olivia swiped a hand across her eyes. “You must have opened a window, or let him out of the kitchen door, or something!”

“We didn’t! You and Mum were in the kitchen the whole time, how could we let him out of here?”

“Ben’s right, Olivia, you’re not being fair.”

“Even if Ben didn’t let him out, his stupid friend did!” Olivia sobbed. “And now Smudge is lost!”

“I didn’t let him out, I promise I didn’t, and Rob didn’t either. He would have said if something had happened.” Ben’s voice was shaking now.

“Both of you calm down. Olivia, try and stop crying, sweetheart, it’s only making you feel worse. Come on. We’ll all do another proper search round the house. Look at yesterday, when Smudge got himself stuck behind the oven! He’s around somewhere, I’m sure of it.”

Olivia shook her head. “Then why can’t we hear him? If he was here and stuck, he’d be meowing, Mum. Wouldn’t he?”

Mum got up. “Maybe you’re right. If Smudge was shut in somewhere, we’d hear him. We’d better go and check outside. Maybe there’s a window open that we’ve missed.”

“I told you!” Olivia wailed. “Rob let him out, he must have done.”

Even Ben was looking less certain now. “Rob wouldn’t just let him out – I told him Smudge wasn’t allowed outside on his own yet…”

They hurried out into the garden, calling and calling, but apart from next-door’s cat, Lily, who looked very curiously at them, the garden was empty. It was starting to get dark, and cold. Olivia shivered, thinking of Smudge outside in the chilly wind.

“What about the garden shed?” Mum suggested, trying to think of places a kitten might find interesting. “Could he have squeezed himself in there somehow?”

The shed door was tightly shut, but they checked anyway. And under the patio furniture, and behind the pile of flower pots, and even up the cherry tree.

Smudge was nowhere to be found.

“You two stay here, I’ll just go and ask Sally next door if she’s seen him,” Mum said. “Why don’t you go and have another look inside?”

“I’m sorry I said you let him out,” Olivia muttered, as they peered behind the sofa. “I know you wouldn’t really.”

“Do you think he’ll be all right?” Ben asked miserably. “I just don’t see where he can be!”

Olivia stood up again, and went to check behind the curtains, but then she stopped. “Rob forgot his lunchbox,” she said slowly, pointing at a Star Wars lunchbox down by the side of the sofa. “And a load of his books, look. His reading record and everything…”

Ben frowned. “Why would he take all that stuff out of his bag?”

“His bag… He was carrying it in a funny way.” Olivia stared at Ben, her eyes wide. “Ben, he didn’t let Smudge out, he stole him! Rob put Smudge in his school bag and took him home!”