boys.”
* * *
William leaned forward with a bowl of cat food in his hand. “Here kitty-kitty,” he said while shaking the bowl. A calico cat meowed a couple of times and inched forward. It had a red collar and a little silver tag in the shape of a paw hanging from it. “That’s right, come and get it.”
William set the bowl down and backed away, grinning. The cat meowed and took a few steps forward. It raised its head at the teen before sniffing the food.
“Come on, you stupid cat,” he said and scanned the neighborhood. As far as he could tell, nobody was watching. “Come on, eat up.”
The cat finally lowered its head over the bowl and took a few bites. Then it increased its pace. William’s grin grew wider. It turned into a guffaw as something snapped inside the bowl. Dry nuggets of food flew up and out of it. The cat shrieked, jumped about foot, and ran away.
William peered down at the bowl and frowned. “Damn it!” The mouse trap that he’d buried underneath the food was still there.
* * *
“Trixie!” Jonathan called out from his front porch, the door wide open. He had a personalized ceramic bowl in his hand with his cat’s name on it. “Trixie!” he called out again.
A few seconds later, a calico cat came running across the yard from down the street. She ran past Jonathan and straight into the house. Jonathan watched as she darted down the hallway towards his bedroom.
“Hey, where are you going?” he said as he pushed the door shut behind him. “It’s time to eat.” He found his cat hiding underneath his bed. It took him a few minutes to coax her out. He held her in his arms and brushed his hand over her back. That’s when he noticed the mark on the cat’s face. She was bleeding and missing some whiskers. “What in the world happened to you? Did you get into a fight again?”
Jonathan carried Trixie to the kitchen and set her down next to her food bowl. She sniffed it, then walked away.
* * *
“Dude, are you serious?” Daniel said into the cordless phone from the couch in his living room. “What if someone saw you?”
“No one saw me,” William said.
“Are you sure? Because—”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Besides, nothing happened.”
Daniel propped his feet on the wooden coffee table in front of the couch. “But what if something did happen? That cat would’ve been . . .” He spotted his little sister trotting into the living room from the bedroom hallway. “. . . you know.”
“Yeah, well, it didn’t,” William said. “Unfortunately.”
Daniel’s sister stepped up to him and tugged on his shirt. She was holding a sheet of paper in her hand. “Wanna see my Christmas letter to Santa?”
He glared at his sister. “I’m busy. Go away.”
“Come on. Don’t be a Scrooge.”
“That your sister?” William said from the other line.
“Yeah, she’s bugging me about her letter to Santa.”
William laughed. “Please. Little kids can be so stupid. I never believed in that nonsense.”
“Yeah, I stopped believing when I was six.”
“Stopped believing what?” Josie said.
“Nothing,” he said to his sister and shooed her off. “So what are you doing during Christmas break?” he asked William.
Josie tugged on her brother’s shirt again. He ignored her. “Danny,” she pouted. “Mom and Dad said you need to be nicer to me because of—“
“Oh, shut up, you little brat. They say a lot of things. And for the record, what happened last week wasn’t my fault.”
William laughed. “I remember you telling me about that.”
Daniel smiled.
“You flushed my bird down the toilet!”
William’s laugher was loud enough that Josie heard it. She wrinkled her forehead and glared at the phone. “I wanted to give Birdie a funeral.”
“Did she just say she wanted to give her dead bird a funeral?” William asked.
“Yeah, she did,” Daniel said. “Now beat it,” he said to his sister and pushed her away. “Santa isn’t
* * *
William leaned forward with a bowl of cat food in his hand. “Here kitty-kitty,” he said while shaking the bowl. A calico cat meowed a couple of times and inched forward. It had a red collar and a little silver tag in the shape of a paw hanging from it. “That’s right, come and get it.”
William set the bowl down and backed away, grinning. The cat meowed and took a few steps forward. It raised its head at the teen before sniffing the food.
“Come on, you stupid cat,” he said and scanned the neighborhood. As far as he could tell, nobody was watching. “Come on, eat up.”
The cat finally lowered its head over the bowl and took a few bites. Then it increased its pace. William’s grin grew wider. It turned into a guffaw as something snapped inside the bowl. Dry nuggets of food flew up and out of it. The cat shrieked, jumped about foot, and ran away.
William peered down at the bowl and frowned. “Damn it!” The mouse trap that he’d buried underneath the food was still there.
* * *
“Trixie!” Jonathan called out from his front porch, the door wide open. He had a personalized ceramic bowl in his hand with his cat’s name on it. “Trixie!” he called out again.
A few seconds later, a calico cat came running across the yard from down the street. She ran past Jonathan and straight into the house. Jonathan watched as she darted down the hallway towards his bedroom.
“Hey, where are you going?” he said as he pushed the door shut behind him. “It’s time to eat.” He found his cat hiding underneath his bed. It took him a few minutes to coax her out. He held her in his arms and brushed his hand over her back. That’s when he noticed the mark on the cat’s face. She was bleeding and missing some whiskers. “What in the world happened to you? Did you get into a fight again?”
Jonathan carried Trixie to the kitchen and set her down next to her food bowl. She sniffed it, then walked away.
* * *
“Dude, are you serious?” Daniel said into the cordless phone from the couch in his living room. “What if someone saw you?”
“No one saw me,” William said.
“Are you sure? Because—”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Besides, nothing happened.”
Daniel propped his feet on the wooden coffee table in front of the couch. “But what if something did happen? That cat would’ve been . . .” He spotted his little sister trotting into the living room from the bedroom hallway. “. . . you know.”
“Yeah, well, it didn’t,” William said. “Unfortunately.”
Daniel’s sister stepped up to him and tugged on his shirt. She was holding a sheet of paper in her hand. “Wanna see my Christmas letter to Santa?”
He glared at his sister. “I’m busy. Go away.”
“Come on. Don’t be a Scrooge.”
“That your sister?” William said from the other line.
“Yeah, she’s bugging me about her letter to Santa.”
William laughed. “Please. Little kids can be so stupid. I never believed in that nonsense.”
“Yeah, I stopped believing when I was six.”
“Stopped believing what?” Josie said.
“Nothing,” he said to his sister and shooed her off. “So what are you doing during Christmas break?” he asked William.
Josie tugged on her brother’s shirt again. He ignored her. “Danny,” she pouted. “Mom and Dad said you need to be nicer to me because of—“
“Oh, shut up, you little brat. They say a lot of things. And for the record, what happened last week wasn’t my fault.”
William laughed. “I remember you telling me about that.”
Daniel smiled.
“You flushed my bird down the toilet!”
William’s laugher was loud enough that Josie heard it. She wrinkled her forehead and glared at the phone. “I wanted to give Birdie a funeral.”
“Did she just say she wanted to give her dead bird a funeral?” William asked.
“Yeah, she did,” Daniel said. “Now beat it,” he said to his sister and pushed her away. “Santa isn’t
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