Alone In The Night

Chapter Two

After Mum had made her take Star outside, Jasmine didn’t risk letting her in the house again, however much she wanted to. For the next few weeks she played with Star in the garden instead, even though it was November and freezing cold. Star’s lovely furry coat kept her a lot warmer than Jasmine’s blue school anorak, but she didn’t want to miss out on playing with the kitten.

“Jasmine! Come on in, it’s tea time!” Jasmine’s mum called from the back door.

Jasmine picked up Star and put her gently on top of the fence – she liked jumping on to it now she was a bit bigger, instead of scrabbling underneath. “Bye, Star! See you tomorrow,” she murmured, stroking the little cat’s nose. Star was in that funny stage now where she was half-kitten, half-cat and all legs.

Her mum was still looking out of the back door. “Aren’t you frozen? Look, your hands are bright red; where are your gloves?”

Jasmine wiggled her fingers, which were feeling quite numb now. “I was stroking Star; you can’t stroke a cat with gloves on, Mum.”

Her mum shook her head, smiling. “You and that cat.”

Star jumped lightly down from the wall and trotted back to her cat flap. She was very cold and she wanted to go inside. But when she nudged her cat flap with her nose, it didn’t open. Star butted it harder, but she only hurt her nose. She mewed crossly. Then she tried scratching at the cat flap, but that didn’t work either. The flap was stuck, and it wouldn’t budge.

Star mewed again, louder this time, hoping her owners would hear. But no one came. Miserably, she crept away and hid under a bush close to the door, waiting for the house lights to go on to show her owners were home.

It seemed as though she waited for ages, while the garden grew darker and darker, and ever more cold. Even her tail ached with it. It was too cold to sleep, and she was so hungry. She got up and went to stare sadly through the cat flap at her food bowl. Usually her owners would be home by now, she was sure. Where were they? Star didn’t like being on her own. She liked people, and being stroked and petted. She looked back across the dark garden to Jasmine’s house. If only she could go inside. It would be so lovely and warm in there.

Suddenly the fur on her back rose up as she sensed that another cat was in her garden, and not one she liked. She’d met quite a few other cats over the last few weeks. Some had been friendly, and some had warned her away. She jumped round, whiskers bristling, and saw an enormous dark shape creeping towards her. A dark shape that hissed.

Star squeaked with fright and backed up against the wall, darting a quick, desperate glance at her cat flap. But it was still shut tight.

The black cat padded closer and hissed again, and then swiped at her with one huge dark paw, sending her skidding away.

Star skittered across the garden and dived for the hole under the fence. Frantically, she squeezed her way through, even though it was really far too tight, and shot out into Jasmine’s garden. At least the hole was too small for that huge black cat to follow her. Star ran over to Jasmine’s back door and let out a panicky howl, hoping Jasmine would come and rescue her.

She’d been right. The hole was too small for the black cat. But she could hear him scrambling up the fence…

Jasmine was asleep, dreaming of a horrible spelling test, when her teacher suddenly turned into a mewing cat. She wriggled and turned over, muttering in her sleep. But the meowing didn’t stop, and eventually she woke up, blinking worriedly into the darkness. That was Star!

Jasmine hopped out of bed and dragged on her dressing gown. She was leaning over the top of the stairs when her dad came out of the living room.

“Oh, did they wake you, Jasmine? Don’t be scared; it’s just some cats fighting in the garden. I’m going to chase them away.”

Jasmine shook her head anxiously, and ran down the stairs towards him. “No, Dad, don’t! That sounds like Star, the kitten from next door. I’m sure she’s not fighting. She’s really scared, I can tell.”

Her dad sighed. “Your mum said you’d fallen in love with that cat. Come on, then, let’s see what’s going on.”

He opened the back door, and there on the step, shivering, was a tiny little tabby thing, her fur all up on end and her tail looking like a feather duster. Lurking a couple of metres away, its eyes shining green in the light from the kitchen, was the biggest black cat Jasmine had ever seen.

“Oh! It’s Sam, from down the road. He’s always fighting. He’s only got half an ear, and Mrs James has to take him to the vet about once a fortnight. We can’t let him fight with Star, he’s so huge he’d just squash her!” Jasmine went out on to the step, not caring about her bare feet. “Shoo, Sam! Go home, bad cat!”

Sam backed off, but only a little way. Star gave a miserable little mew, and Jasmine picked her up gently. “Dad, please can we bring her inside? I know the Murrays wouldn’t mind, not if she was going to get hurt.”

Her dad sighed and looked over at her mum, who’d come into the kitchen to see what was happening.

“Why can’t she go home?” Mum asked, sounding reluctant. “Hasn’t she got a cat flap?”

Jasmine shrugged. “Maybe she’s too scared to get past Sam?”

“I’ll nip next door and see if the Murrays are home. It didn’t look like their lights were on though.” Dad went round to the front of the house.

Jasmine cuddled Star, feeling her heart racing inside her fragile body. She was still such a little cat.

Dad came back, shaking his head. “No, they’re definitely out.”

Jasmine’s mum sighed. “Well, maybe we had better hold on to her. Just till Helen and Andy get home. They must have gone out for the evening.”

Even though it was late, Jasmine’s mum and dad let her stay downstairs with Star – it was a Friday evening, so there was no school the next day. And when Jasmine pointed out that Star probably hadn’t had any tea, Mum even found a tin of tuna for her.

But it got later and later, and Jasmine couldn’t stop yawning. Star was curled up fast asleep on her lap on the sofa, and Jasmine’s mum shook her head, laughing.

“Go up to bed, Jasmine. And yes, you can take her with you, otherwise I should think she’ll howl herself silly in the kitchen. We’ll just have to take her back in the morning.”

Jasmine looked up at her in delight. “Really?” She had been trying so hard not to yawn in case Mum sent her off to bed, but she’d never thought they’d let her take Star upstairs, not after what Mum had said last time.

She stood up, draping sleepy little Star over her shoulder like a soft, furry scarf, and crept upstairs. She set Star down on her bed while she took off her dressing gown, then snuggled carefully under the duvet, trying not to disturb her.

Jasmine was just drifting off to sleep when she heard a quiet purring, just next to her ear, as Star burrowed down beside her. Jasmine smiled in her sleep and felt like purring, too.

The next morning Jasmine slept late after her exciting night, and it was nine o’clock when she and Star wandered downstairs. It had been so lovely waking up and finding a cat curled up next to her!

Star sat on Jasmine’s lap and sniffed hopefully at the toast. Jasmine smiled. “I think Star’s hungry, Mum!”

Jasmine’s mum looked at her worriedly. “I wonder what she usually has for breakfast? I don’t want to make her sick with too much tuna.”

Jasmine’s dad looked over at them. “We ought to let the Murrays know where she is – they’ll be worrying about her.”

Jasmine sighed. She was enjoying pretending Star was hers, but it looked like the game wouldn’t last long.

She was just finishing her toast when the doorbell rang, and her mum went to answer it. Jasmine could hear Mum chatting to someone, and then she came back in with Helen and Andy from next door.

Star gave a delighted little prrp, and jumped off Jasmine’s lap, scampering over to Helen.

“That’s not very grateful!” Helen laughed. “Jasmine, your mum says you saved Star from that great big black cat from down the road. Thank you for rescuing her.” She shook her head. “She’s been wandering off at night quite a bit recently. I know she’s just getting bigger and braver, but I wish she wouldn’t. Oh well. Maybe she’ll be a bit less daring for a while after her scare.”

Star trotted back over and rubbed her head up against Jasmine’s dressing gown. She was delighted to see her owners, but she did love Jasmine, too.

Helen gave Jasmine a thoughtful look, watching the way Star was snuggling against her.

While Jasmine said goodbye to Star, the Murrays went to talk to her mum and dad in the hallway.

“Jasmine, do you think you could do us a huge favour?” said Helen, as she came back into the kitchen and gathered up Star. “We’re going away for three weeks over Christmas, and we haven’t quite decided what to do with this little one. Star’s such a friendly thing, we think she’d hate a cattery, where no one had much time to play with her.” She paused. “Would you like to look after her for us?”

Jasmine’s eyes opened wide with delight and she looked hopefully at her mum and dad. To take care of Star, for three whole weeks! She couldn’t imagine anything she’d like more.