Charlie the Kitten Who Saved a Life

After Nicky left, I took myself off to my bed in the kitchen to settle down for the night, but I couldn’t sleep for thinking about all the things I’d overheard. Suddenly there was a rattle of the cat flap and there was Oliver looking through it. I jumped up at once and dived outside to join him.

‘What have you been doing?’ he complained. ‘I’ve been meowing outside for you for ages, but you’ve obviously been too busy to hear me.’

‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘It’s been a very worrying day. Caroline went back to the doctor to find out whether she’s ill again.’

‘Oh yes! What happened?’

‘She’s OK.’ I felt almost too tired to explain. ‘But she has to eat strange things like nuts and eggs and oranges.’

‘Yuck. Poor Caroline.’

‘I know, but we’re all really happy because she’s going to be fine.’

‘Of course. I’m happy about it too.’ He rubbed his face against mine. ‘It’s really good news. Thank goodness she’s not ill. So – now we know that, if I come back tomorrow perhaps you’ll finally tell me your story?’

‘Yes. And I didn’t tell you the other day about the television people coming—’

‘What?’

‘They want to put me into everyone’s televisions again. They’re calling me a hero.’

He gave me a funny look. ‘Really? Don’t start getting big ideas about yourself, Charlie. You’re still just a little kitten to me, you know.’

And although it usually annoys me now, there was something quite comforting then about Ollie calling me a little kitten ‘Don’t worry. I won’t get big-headed. But it turns out they’re saying I saved Caroline’s life.’

‘Wow. Really?’

‘Yes, and in Mudditon where we went on holiday, the humans think I was a hero because I saved an old female from being attacked by seagulls.’

‘I can’t wait to hear about all this. And of course, Charlie, we’re both heroes for saving Nicky and Daniel’s marriage as well.’

‘Yes. I’m getting a bit tired actually, doing all this heroism and saving. I was just about to go to sleep before you turned up.’

‘Oh, well, if you’re too tired to talk to me …’

‘Of course I’m not. Anyway, I couldn’t get off to sleep. I was too excited about Caroline not being ill. And too busy puzzling about things my family have just been saying, as well.’

‘Tell me about it!’ he meowed. ‘Humans puzzle me all the time. They’re just not like us, you know.’

‘I realise that. But whatever possesses them to want to go away on holidays? It’s crazy. Once you start wandering away from home, trust me, Ollie, I’ve discovered life is fraught with dangers and difficulties. Personally, nothing will ever tempt me to do it again. Oh, unless, of course, I should ever be needed for another rescue of Caroline.’

‘I can understand that. Adult humans should be able to look after themselves, but human kittens are pretty vulnerable. Especially when they’re very small, like your Jessica, for instance.’

‘Oh my claws and whiskers, that’s a point! You’re right, Jessica’s a really tiny human kitten. So far, she can hardly move at all on her own. Everyone got all amazed and excited the other day just because she rolled over on the carpet, can you believe? She certainly won’t be going anywhere far like that! But if she starts wandering when she’s big enough, I’ll have to start looking out for her, too, for sure. My work as a life-saving hero is obviously going to be an ongoing occupation. I feel exhausted just thinking about it.’

‘Well, you’d better get your rest while you can, you poor exhausted life-saving hero!’ he said. He sounded just a little bit sarcastic, I have to say, although not in a nasty way. Ollie would never be nasty to me. He just keeps me in my place, and I suppose that’s fair enough.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay and hear some of my story now?’

‘No. Tomorrow will be better. Quite frankly you look worn out. And anyway, I’ve been thinking. Some of the other cats in the village keep asking me if I know what happened to you while you were missing. Why don’t you tell us all, together? I’ll spread the word tonight, and we can meet by the dustbins round the back of the shop early in the morning.’

‘You really think they’ll be interested?’

‘Oh yes, definitely.’ He gave me a friendly rub with his face. ‘I’m absolutely certain they’ll all be agog to hear about the exploits of our local life-saving hero!’

And perhaps he was being a bit sarcastic again. But judging by the way you’ve all hung around to hear this story right to the very end, you know what? I think he might have been right. What’s that, Tabitha? You don’t want the story to end? Well, I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure it must be nearly dinnertime again. And even heroes like me need to eat, you know. We all need to keep our strength up, just in case.