Free The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders Page B

screaming.
    “Oh, what a silly fuss!” said Demerara. She had started to enjoy herself. “This is rather fun—I can see so much!” She stretched her head to peek into an upstairs window—a shout of terror came from inside.
    “Look, what are we going to do?” Caydon asked again. “She can’t stay here!”
    Lily grabbed a handful of Demerara’s fur. “Come and hide inside—I’m sure you can squeeze into the workshop—”
    “She’s too fat,” Caydon interrupted. “She’ll just get stuck!”
    “I don’t want to hide,” said Demerara. “Why should I hide?”
    A small crowd had gathered round them now. The woman with the baby had stopped screaming and was talking to the police on her phone.
    “No, I am NOT seeing things! There’s a giant cat on the loose!”
    The young man was taking pictures with his phone.
    After all her years in obscurity, the attention went to Demerara’s head like wine. Her enormous furry face lifted into a smirk as she sauntered along the middle of Skittle Street. Every moment cars were stopping, and more people were appearing to stare at the elephant-sized cat.
    “Come back!” Lily called.
    “I’m just taking a little stroll, dear.”
    “It’s a hologram!” someone yelled.
    “It’s a special effect from a movie!” yelled someone else.
    The baby in the buggy laughed and cried out, “PITTY!”
    “What a charming child,” Demerara said graciously.
    Lily broke into a trot to keep beside her. “Demerara, you can’t show yourself in public—there’ll be cameras and television and the police—”
    “Television—really?”
    “What’ll J think?”
    The monstrous cat stopped, crossly flicking her huge tail (it accidentally swept a traffic warden into the gutter). Her square green eyes narrowed. “He’s such a spoilsport! But I daresay you’re right—I’ll try to squeeze myself back into the workshop.”
    “Good girl,” said Caydon.
    Demerara crouched down on the pavement. “Would you two like a little ride on my back? There’s plenty of room for both of you.”
    “Oh, I’d love to—I’ll feel just like Susan and Lucy in Narnia, when they rode on Aslan!” Delighted, Lily scrambled up the mountain of golden-brown fur onto the cat’s broad back. It felt beautifully soft.
    Caydon couldn’t resist either. He climbed up behind Lily, and they both giggled when Demerara stood up.
    “She’s like a furry sofa,” Caydon said.
    “Are you comfortable, children?” Demerara purred.
    “Yes,” said Lily. “If you don’t go too fast.”
    The cat’s loud purring made her throb underneath them like an engine. She suddenly let out a cackle—and dashed out of Skittle Street.
    Lily screamed, clutching handfuls of golden-brown fur to keep from falling off; Demerara’s running was not as smooth as Aslan’s.
    “Stop!” Caydon shouted.
    “This is very interesting,” Demerara called over hershoulder. “I can move so fast!” She smartened her pace until Lily and Caydon had to cling on for dear life.
    The vast cat ran happily through the streets of Holloway. Cars screeched to a halt—a pale policeman tried to stutter into his radio—a group of skateboarding boys pelted after them with whoops of delight.
    “Hey—it’s CAYDON!” one of them shouted.
    “Oh, do you know them, dear?” Demerara asked.
    “Yes, they’re from my old school.”
    She stopped suddenly and turned round. “Hello, boys—how nice to meet Caydon’s friends.”
    The boys all roared with terror and dashed away as fast as they could.
    “Now you’ve done it,” said Caydon. “I’ll never be able to explain this.”
    Demerara set off again, this time at a smooth trot. More people were gathering around them—at a safe distance. Loving the attention, the cat purred and smiled, and often slowed down for someone taking a picture.
    It was like being part of a traveling circus, Lily thought; the traffic on busy Holloway Road stopped as the enormous cat made her stately progress, attended by a