Free Misty the Scared Kitten by Ella Moonheart Page A

her ankles and miaowing eagerly. Kitty couldn’t resist bending down to stroke them, but she always ended up with sore eyes and a runny nose.
    ‘Oh, please, Grandma,’ she begged. ‘I’ll take lots of tissues, and if I start to get itchy eyes or a tickly nose, I’ll stop playing with Misty straight away, I promise.’
    Grandma gazed thoughtfully at Kitty. ‘Well, maybe you are old enough now,’ she murmured softly, with the hint of a smile on her lips.
    ‘What do you mean, Grandma?’ asked Kitty, frowning. Old enough that my allergy will be gone? she thought, confused.

    ‘Never mind,’ Grandma told her, shaking her head. ‘Wait here, sweetheart. I have something for you.’
    Kitty bit her lip, curious. Grandma sometimes acted a bit strangely. She often took long naps at funny times, and she would stay up late, saying she was watching her favourite TV programmes. But now she was behaving even more oddly than normal.
    When Grandma came back, she placed something carefully into Kitty’s hands. It was a slim silver chain with a small charm hanging from it. At first Kitty thought there were Japanese symbols on it. But as she looked more closely, she saw it was a tiny picture of a cat.

    ‘Wow,’ breathed Kitty, slipping the necklace over her head. ‘It’s beautiful.’
    Grandma smiled and reached under her blue silk scarf to show Kitty a matching necklace. ‘I have one too,’ she explained. ‘They have been in our family for a long time. Yours belonged to your great-grandmother. I’ve beenkeeping it safe until the right moment. It’s very precious, and I know you will take good care of it. Make sure you wear it at Jenny’s house. I think it will help with your allergies.’
    ‘You mean … I’m allowed to go?’ cried Kitty. ‘Thank you, Grandma!’
    Kitty flung her arms around Grandma, though she was puzzled about what she’d said about the necklace. How could a piece of jewellery stop her from sneezing? But she was too excited to ask questions. She was going for a sleepover at her best friend’s house, and she was going to play with a sweet little kitten!

Chapter 2
    Half an hour later, Kitty and Grandma set off for Jenny’s house, swinging Kitty’s overnight bag between them. As soon as Kitty pressed the doorbell, the door burst open. Jenny’s freckled face was flushed pink with excitement. ‘I couldn’t wait for you to get here!’ she said with a grin. ‘Quick – come and meet Misty!’
    Jenny led them into the kitchen, where Jenny’s mum and little brother Barney were painting. Jenny’s mum washed her hands and made a cup of tea for Grandma. Kitty looked around eagerly for Misty. ‘Where is she?’
    ‘Over there, on the window sill!’ said Jenny.
    Kitty gasped as she spotted the little cat. ‘Oh, she’s so cute !’ she cried.
    Misty was curled cosily in a beam of warm sunshine. She was a soft grey colour, with darker grey stripes all over her body, and long silver whiskers. Her eyes were a pretty blue. When she spotted the girls, she sat straight up with pricked ears and gave a happy mew.
    ‘She loves this sunny spot,’ Jenny said, reaching out to pat Misty’s head. ‘Come and stroke her. She likes being tickled right here, between her ears.’
    Grandma was watching out of the corner of her eye. Kitty touched Misty’s soft, warm head gingerly, feeling excited butterflies fill her tummy. Misty closed her eyes and purred happily as Kitty stroked her all the way down to her long tail.
    ‘She feels like silk,’ whispered Kitty.
    ‘I know. I love her so much. I still can’t believe she’s mine!’ said Jenny, scooping Misty gently into her arms for a cuddle.
    Kitty sighed. ‘You’re the luckiest girl in the world, Jenny. I wish I wasn’tallergic to cats, then maybe Mum and Dad would let me have one too!’
    Jenny raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh gosh – I’d forgotten about that,’ she said. ‘Are you feeling all right at the moment?’
    But before Kitty could answer,