Free Misty the Scared Kitten by Ella Moonheart

Chapter 1
    ‘Grandma! Grandma!’ shouted Kitty Kimura excitedly. ‘A postcard’s arrived from Mum and Dad!’
    Kitty ran to the kitchen. Emails were nice, but she loved getting post! The card had a picture of a waving ceramic cat on it. In Japan, they were a sign of good luck. Her parents were in Japan again now.
    Grandma was pouring tea into herflowery cup. She smiled as Kitty read the short message aloud and then stuck the postcard on the fridge.
    Kitty’s grandma had been born in Japan, but moved to England when Kitty’s dad was little. Kitty’s parents now owned a shop that sold special Japanese things, and Kitty loved all the silky kimonos, colourful fans and sparkly mobile phone charms. Three times a year, her parents went to Tokyo to look for new things for the shop.
    Grandma lived with Kitty and her parents, so they spent lots of time together, especially when Mum and Dad were away. Kitty missed them, but she loved being with Grandma. They even looked alike, with the samealmond-shaped eyes. But Kitty’s hair was long and black, while Grandma’s bob had a streak of pure white on one side of her fringe.

    ‘What shall we do for the rest of the week, Kitty-cat?’ Grandma said.
    Kitty’s real name was Koemi, butshe loved cats so much that she was given the nickname Kitty, and now everyone called her that!
    Just as Kitty was about to answer, the phone rang.
    ‘I’ll get it,’ Kitty offered, running into the living room.
    She picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’
    ‘Kitty!’ said an eager voice. ‘It’s me, Jenny!’
    Kitty was surprised. Jenny was her best friend, but they hardly ever phoned each other, because Jenny only lived three houses away. ‘Hi!’ she replied.
    ‘Can you come to my house for a sleepover tonight?’ Jenny burst out. ‘I have something really exciting to show you!’
    Kitty giggled. Jenny was alwayscheerful, but today she sounded even happier than usual. ‘What is it?’ she asked.
    Jenny paused for a second. ‘Well … I was going to keep it a surprise until you got here, but I can’t wait. I’ve got a kitten!’
    Kitty gasped. ‘Jenny, you’re so lucky!’ she said, a smile spreading over her face. ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’
    ‘I didn’t know until today!’ Jenny explained. Kitty could hear her friend bouncing up and down excitedly. ‘Mum kept it a surprise until I got home from school. My Auntie Megan is moving to America and she couldn’t take her kitten with her – so she’s given Misty to me! Wait till you see her, Kitty. She’s gorgeous. She’s pale grey with darkergrey stripes. Mum says she’s a silver tabby. And I think she likes me already. As soon as Auntie Megan brought her over, she ran straight up to me and rubbed herself all around my ankles!’
    ‘I can’t believe it,’ Kitty said wistfully. ‘I love cats.’
    ‘I know! That’s why I rang you straight away,’ Jenny replied. ‘It’ll be as if she’s your cat too! So can you come? We can play with Misty all evening!’
    ‘Let me ask Grandma,’ Kitty told her friend. ‘I’ll call you right back!’
    She put down the phone and raced back into the kitchen. ‘Grandma!’ she called breathlessly. ‘Can I sleep over at Jenny’s house tonight? She’s just got a kitten !’
    Grandma put down her teacup. ‘A kitten?’ she replied slowly. ‘Well, that’s lovely for Jenny … but, Kitty, you know you start to sneeze as soon as you’re anywhere near a cat.’
    Kitty bit her lip. It was true. Ever since she was a baby she had been allergic to cats. It made her feel sad and a bit cross, because cats were her favourite animals in the whole world. She loved their bright eyes, their silky fur, and the soft rumble of their purring.
    Most of all, she liked imagining what the cats in her village got up to at night, when people were fast asleep! What made it even harder was that cats seemed to really like her , too. They always followed her down the street,rubbing their soft heads against