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“I could find out!” Scarlett said eagerly. “It’s just – it would be really nice to have time to get to know the kitten before school starts. We’ve only got two weeks, and then me and Jackson won’t be at home for most of the day.”

Dad nodded.“I know, Scarlett, but I don’t think we’ll be able to find you a kitten right now. I know it would be lovely to have one while you’re still at home. But it won’t be a huge problem if you’re at school. Mum’ll be at work, but I’ll be at home working, so the kitten won’t be lonely. And your new school’s really close. You’ll be home in ten minutes.”

Scarlett nodded. That was another thing that was different, being able to walk to school. Mum and Dad had even said she and Jackson could walk on their own, if they wanted, as it was all along footpaths.

“I suppose.” Scarlett nodded. “So we can really have a cat? You actually mean it? We can look for one?”

“Promise,” Dad told her solemnly.

Scarlett beamed at him. She could come home from school and play with her cat. Her own cat! She’d wanted to have one for so long, and now it was going to happen.

[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: img_3]

“Scarlett! I’m off to the village,” Dad yelled up the stairs.

Scarlett shoved an armful of T-shirts into the drawer, and dashed out of her room.“I’m coming!”

She really wanted to walk there. They’d seen the village a couple of times before. The first time was when they came to look at the house. Mum had got her new job at the hospital, and Mum and Dad explained that they would need to move, as it was too far for her to drive every day. Scarlett had really missed her for those few weeks when she’d been leaving early, and not getting back until it was almost time for Scarlett to go to bed. Now they’d moved, the hospital was only half an hour away, in Leaming, the nearest big town to their tiny little village, which was called Leaming Ford. Once they’d made the decision that Mumwould take the job, and agreed to buy the cottage, Scarlett and Jackson had gone for a day’s visit at their new school, and seen the village again. But Scarlett had been so nervous about the school, she couldn’t remember what it was like.

“It’s so pretty,” she murmured, as they walked along the footpath. “Look at all the flowers. I saw a rabbit last night, Dad, did I tell you?”

“Only about six times! I nearly had a heart attack when you screamed like that. I thought you’d fallen out of the window.”

“Sorry! I was excited! I’ve never seen a rabbit in my garden before!” Scarlett giggled. “Can we go down here? Is it the right way?”

Dad nodded.“Yup, this is the quickest path down to the village, the way you and Jackson will go to school, probably.”

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Scarlett swallowed nervously. She was still worrying about the school. It was tiny, which was nice, she supposed. There wouldn’t be that many people to get to know. But they’d probably all been together since playgroup. They might not want a stranger joining their class at all.

Dad nudged her gently with his elbow.“You had a good time on your visit, didn’t you?”

Scarlett looked up at him, surprised.

“It was pretty obvious what you were thinking, sweetheart.”

“I suppose. Yes. Everyone was nice. But that was just one morning. I’ve got to go there every day…”

“It’ll be great. You’ll be fine, I’m sure you will.”

Scarlett nodded. She didn’t really want to think about it. “Look – is that the village? I can see houses.” She ran on ahead. “And there’s the shop, Dad, look.”

“I’d better find the list,” Dad muttered, searching his pockets. “We definitely need bread. Can you be in charge of finding that for me? Now where on earth did I put it?”

But Scarlett wasn’t listening. She had seen something – a noticeboard in the shop window. It was full of advertisements – exercise classes in the church hall, someone offering to make celebration cakes, a nearly new lawnmower for sale…

And a litter of kittens, three black-and-white, one ginger, ready to leave their mother now, free to good homes.

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“Dad! Look!” Scarlett was so excited, she couldn’t keep still – she was dancing from foot to foot, pointing madly at the notice.

“What?” Her dad hurried up, peering into the window. “Oh! I can see why you’re so excited. ‘Ready now’, hmmm?” He read the advert through thoughtfully, and then got his phone out.

“Are you going to call them?” Scarlett squeaked excitedly.

“No. I’m going to put the number into my phone, get some bread and milk, and go home and talk it over with your mother. Can you imagine what she’d say if we went out for shopping and came home with a kitten?”

Scarlett sighed.“I suppose you’re right. It would be funny though.” She giggled. “‘Hi, Mum, here’s the milk…’ And we take a kitten out of the bag!”

“It might have been here a while, this notice,” Dad pointed out. “The kittens might all have gone. Don’t get your hopes up, OK?”