To Be A Cat

Rissa’s Decision

RISSA DIDN’T PARTICULARLY like Miss Whipmire.

Of course she didn’t. No one liked Miss Whipmire. She was, quite simply, impossible to like, in the same way bath-sponge pizza was impossible to enjoy.

But Miss Whipmire was the head teacher, and the job of a head teacher is to know what to do …

That is what Mrs Lavender told Rissa when she went to tell her about Barney. At first, and on Rissa’s insistence, Mrs Lavender had tried to phone Barney’s mum at the library, but it was engaged.

‘Now, if you are still worried you must, absolutely must, go and tell Miss Whipmire.’

Rissa had made a face at this. ‘But she doesn’t like Barney.’

‘Oh, don’t be silly. Of course she does. And even if she doesn’t, I’m sure she wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him … You know our school motto: “Your child is our world”. Miss Whipmire came up with that herself.’

So Rissa reluctantly agreed and walked the empty corridors towards the head teacher’s office, knowing she would be there – one of the odd things about Miss Whipmire was that she never seemed to eat, and she certainly didn’t join the other teachers in the dining hall with their school dinners and packed lunches. But then, Rissa didn’t know about her sardine drawer.

She arrived. Outside the door.

She waited nervously, and whispered under her breath.

‘Marmalade, marmalade, marmalade.’

Then she knocked.

There came an angry squawk from beyond the door. ‘Ye-es?’

‘Hello … it’s Rissa Fairweather. I’m … I’m a pupil here. Year Seven. I just … want to speak to you about something. Mrs Lavender said to … to see you.’

‘Not now!’

Rissa started to walk away from the door. But she stopped. Barney might be in trouble, and she had to do everything she could. So she went back, looked around to make sure no one was listening, then said in as confident a voice as she could manage: ‘It’s about Barney Willow.’

And the door opened so fast Rissa jumped.

‘Come inside,’ hissed Miss Whipmire, with angry fear bulging her eyes. ‘Now!’