5c1567efd9323ad9db7ca4ad6851d075

“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.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _4.jpg]

“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.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _17.jpg]

“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…”

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _18.jpg]

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, hestole him! Rob put Smudge in his school bag and took him home!”

“Don’t be stupid,” Ben said, but he was chewing his thumbnail worriedly. “He wouldn’t…What’s he going to do, hide Smudge in his room? I know he really wanted a pet, but he wouldn’t steal our cat…”

“I bet you he did,” Olivia told him grimly. She heard the sound of the key in the lock, and rushed out into the hallway. “Mum! We think we know where Smudge is!”

Chapter Six

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _2.jpg]

Smudge gazed around the room. He had no idea where he was, but he knew this wasn’t home and he wanted to get away. His ears were laid back, listening for footsteps. But no one was coming. He had to get out and find Olivia. He shook his head, feeling dazed from bumping around in the bag. His nose was still full of the smell of ham sandwich, and the musty scent of the inside of the bag, but there was something else…

The window was open! Smudge’s eyes widened a little.

Rob’s bed was pushed up against the wall. If he could jump on to that, it was only a little climb to the windowsill. But the bed was very high up. Much higher than the steps on the stairs he’d struggled with. Smudge glanced anxiously round at the door. He was sure the boy would be back soon. He had to be quick. With a huge effort, he ran at the bed, hooking his claws into the duvet cover and scrabbling upwards furiously. From the top of the bed it didn’t look such a small climb to the windowsill after all, but Rob had nice long curtains. Smudge raced up them, his heart hammering, leaving apattern of little hooked loops all the way up. And then he scrambled up on to the windowsill.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _19.jpg]