Free The Cats in the Doll Shop by Yona Zeldis McDonough

thought the mustache man was evil before, I don’t even know what to think of him now.
    â€œI’m going to get Plucky and bring him here,” I say firmly.
    â€œAnna, you can’t!” says Sophie. “Papa said not to.”
    â€œWhen he finds out about the poison, he’ll change his mind,” I say. “Besides, we have to rescue Plucky. We have to!”
    Sophie and I go downstairs. When we get to the door of our apartment, she turns to me. “You’re brave,” she says softly.
    â€œI haven’t done anything yet,” I say.
    â€œOh, yes you have,” she says, and then slips back inside.
    Late that night, after my sisters and Tania are asleep, I am still awake, staring up at the ceiling. The new bed is cozy and comfortable, but it’s no use—I can’t get to sleep. Finally, I get up and reach for Bernadette Louise who is seated on a shelf Papa hung over my bed. I know she can’t hear me or talk, but it still helps me to pretend that she can. “What do you think I should do, Bernadette Louise?” I whisper.
    She is wearing a flannel nightdress I made for her just this past week. I used a bit of the same blue flannel that we used to line the box for Ginger Cat, and added a snippet of lace to the hem. I want her to be warm. Just today I saw how the streets were lined with full, fragrant pines all ready to go home and take their place as Christmas trees in parlors and in sitting rooms all over the neighborhood. Mama has already brought out the brass menorah we use at Chanukah. It will be my job to polish it until it shines like gold.
    I carry Bernadette Louise over to the window and look out. Our bedroom window faces the back, and though it is dark, my eyes soon adjust. I can see the traces of powder in the yard. And then, I detect a slight movement. It is Plucky, hopping along. He moves closer to a trail of powder, and then closer still.
    Don’t! I want to call to him. Plucky, stay away! I see him sniff delicately, and my heart is ready to burst out of my chest. Please, please, please , I pray. I cup my hand around the smooth, glazed surface of Bernadette Louise’s head. I almost believe she is trying to tell me something. Suddenly, I know what it is. I put her on my pillow and draw the covers up around her. Then, trying not to make a sound, I climb down, take my shoes from their spot under the bed and tiptoe to the hall. My coat is hanging on a hook. I slip into it and hope that the opening and closing of the door won’t wake anyone up.
    C-R-E-A-K! The noise is so loud I am sure it will cause Papa and Mama to come running. I wait, hand frozen on the knob, to be discovered. But seconds pass and nothing happens. I close the door as quietly as I can and rush down the stairs and through the shop, where all the completed Nurse Noras lie side by side in their pale green boxes. The clock on the wall says it is 1:45. I am not sure if I have ever been up this late before.
    Outside, the night is cold and clear. I hurry to the wall and begin my climb up and over. I have never scaled a wall this high before, and it is harder than I imagined. At first, I can’t get a proper grip but I keep trying, because I know Plucky is on the other side. Finally, I hoist myself up, scraping my hands and my knees. Once I am at the top, there is no turning back. I brace myself, look down at the ground on the other side, and jump. Oooph! I land with a little thud. My ankle hurts now, too. “Pssst,” I call softly. “Plucky! Here boy!” I don’t expect him to come, but I was smart enough to grab a bit of pot roast that was in Ginger Cat’s dish. I hope Plucky will smell it and come close enough for me to catch him. For a few minutes, I stumble around on my sore ankle. I don’t see him right away but then, after a bit, I can make out a small, furred shape hunched in a corner, behind some bags of trash.
    â€œPlucky!” I whisper. “Are