a squirrel,â I carried on. âBut Ems came with me the second time and thatâs when we saw it was definitely a cat. The third time I took him some chicken and water, because he looks thin and hungry. He gets in and out through the window. I decided to keep him a secret in case you all wanted to see him, because I was worried that would frighten him away for ever. Andâ¦â
I stopped abruptly. What I was about to say was too private. How could I explain why Silver was so precious to me?
âSheâs got attached to the cat,â Emily helped me out.
âIâveâ¦called it Silver,â I managed to say. âOnly now Iâm scared thatâ¦â
âOh no! The poison!â said Nicole, clapping both hands to her mouth and looking horrified.
âWhat are you going to do?â asked Antonia quietly.
I shrugged. âIâm going to the attic. I just want to see Silver alive. I was waiting until Matron was out of the way.â
Nicole covered her eyes with her hands as though she couldnât bear the thought of what I might find. Then she quickly took them away and asked if I wanted anyone with me for moral support.
I shook my head. âItâs okay.â My mouth was dry as I left the dorm. âTell me afterwards if you could hear me moving about up there.â
I didnât pass a soul on the landing. I shut the cleaning room door behind me without a sound and crept towards the stairs in the darkness. At the top, I hardly dared look around me. My heart pounded horribly as I stood completely still for a few seconds, wondering what to do.
âSilver,â I whispered in a breathy voice as I began to tiptoe across the floor.
So far he hadnât been the kind of cat that miaowed, but still the answering silence made me tense up. And then suddenly I spotted something on the floor beside the water tank that hadnât been there the day before. It was a plastic container about twenty centimetres long and maybe ten wide, with tiny holes in the side of it and something sticking up out of it, like a little ledge with someâ¦chocolate on it. I peered at the container, and when it dawned on me what it was, I felt a bubble of laughter rising up inside me. This was a humane rat trap. There wasnât any poison. Good old Mr. Monk. The very worst that could happen to Silver would be that he might get his paw stuck in it, and I somehow thought he was too clever for that.
Even though the loft felt totally deserted and Silver probably wasnât there, I just had to make sure because I really wanted to see for myself that he was all right, so I tiptoed on towards the corner. As Iâd thought, there was no sign of my precious cat. He was probably out hunting or trying to find water from somewhere, which wouldnât be easy on such a hot day. What a shame I hadnât brought any more water for him. Iâll come back after supper , I thought to myself, and bring plenty of titbits too . I couldnât wait to tell the others about the trap, so they could stop worrying. Especially poor Nicole.
I was on the point of leaving the loft, though, when I got the shock of my life, because two things happened at the same time. Silver crept in through the window. And footsteps sounded on the stairs. Heavy footsteps.
I was frozen to the spot for a second, my brain working in a frenzy to make a decision. I was certain that this wasnât one of my friends, because they would have called up to tell me not to panic. No, it had to be an adult. But the footsteps sounded too heavy even for Matron or Mrs. Pridham. So it had to be Mr. Monk.
Mr. Monk! There was no way I could let him catch me up here. I went right round the corner and pressed myself against the wall, praying that Silver would go quickly before he was seen. It was obvious from the way his wiry body had stiffened that the noise on the stairs had frightened him, and after only a second of seeming frozen like a cat
I stopped abruptly. What I was about to say was too private. How could I explain why Silver was so precious to me?
âSheâs got attached to the cat,â Emily helped me out.
âIâveâ¦called it Silver,â I managed to say. âOnly now Iâm scared thatâ¦â
âOh no! The poison!â said Nicole, clapping both hands to her mouth and looking horrified.
âWhat are you going to do?â asked Antonia quietly.
I shrugged. âIâm going to the attic. I just want to see Silver alive. I was waiting until Matron was out of the way.â
Nicole covered her eyes with her hands as though she couldnât bear the thought of what I might find. Then she quickly took them away and asked if I wanted anyone with me for moral support.
I shook my head. âItâs okay.â My mouth was dry as I left the dorm. âTell me afterwards if you could hear me moving about up there.â
I didnât pass a soul on the landing. I shut the cleaning room door behind me without a sound and crept towards the stairs in the darkness. At the top, I hardly dared look around me. My heart pounded horribly as I stood completely still for a few seconds, wondering what to do.
âSilver,â I whispered in a breathy voice as I began to tiptoe across the floor.
So far he hadnât been the kind of cat that miaowed, but still the answering silence made me tense up. And then suddenly I spotted something on the floor beside the water tank that hadnât been there the day before. It was a plastic container about twenty centimetres long and maybe ten wide, with tiny holes in the side of it and something sticking up out of it, like a little ledge with someâ¦chocolate on it. I peered at the container, and when it dawned on me what it was, I felt a bubble of laughter rising up inside me. This was a humane rat trap. There wasnât any poison. Good old Mr. Monk. The very worst that could happen to Silver would be that he might get his paw stuck in it, and I somehow thought he was too clever for that.
Even though the loft felt totally deserted and Silver probably wasnât there, I just had to make sure because I really wanted to see for myself that he was all right, so I tiptoed on towards the corner. As Iâd thought, there was no sign of my precious cat. He was probably out hunting or trying to find water from somewhere, which wouldnât be easy on such a hot day. What a shame I hadnât brought any more water for him. Iâll come back after supper , I thought to myself, and bring plenty of titbits too . I couldnât wait to tell the others about the trap, so they could stop worrying. Especially poor Nicole.
I was on the point of leaving the loft, though, when I got the shock of my life, because two things happened at the same time. Silver crept in through the window. And footsteps sounded on the stairs. Heavy footsteps.
I was frozen to the spot for a second, my brain working in a frenzy to make a decision. I was certain that this wasnât one of my friends, because they would have called up to tell me not to panic. No, it had to be an adult. But the footsteps sounded too heavy even for Matron or Mrs. Pridham. So it had to be Mr. Monk.
Mr. Monk! There was no way I could let him catch me up here. I went right round the corner and pressed myself against the wall, praying that Silver would go quickly before he was seen. It was obvious from the way his wiry body had stiffened that the noise on the stairs had frightened him, and after only a second of seeming frozen like a cat
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