Alone in the Night Page 2

  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.

  Chapter Three

  Jasmine was counting down the days until the Murrays went away. She and her mum went round next door after school one night, so that the Murrays could go through everything Jasmine would need to know. They weren’t going on holiday for another few days, but they wanted to get things organized in advance.

  Star met them at the door, mewing with delight at the sight of Jasmine.

  Helen laughed. “This was such a good idea! I was really worried about Star being miserable at a cattery. Come in.”

  They sat down at the kitchen table to look at a list that Helen had made of all the things she thought Jasmine would need to know, like the phone number of their vet, just in case.

  Mum frowned. “I hope you can manage all this, Jasmine,” she said, looking at the part about measuring out Star’s special food so she didn’t have too much.

  “Don’t worry, Mum, of course I can,” Jasmine told her. “And I’ll get up earlier so I can pop in on Star before school to feed her.”

  But when they got home, Jasmine couldn’t help worrying a little, too. Not about feeding Star and looking after her properly, she was sure she could do that. No, she was worried about all the time Star would be on her own in the Murrays’ house. She was a cat who loved attention and fuss – that’s why she came into Jasmine’s garden all the time. How would she feel about being alone every night? Now that it was nearly December, it was getting really cold. Mum wasn’t going to let Jasmine sit out in the garden with Star for ages if it started snowing!

  Maybe Mum would let me bring her inside for some of the time? Jasmine wondered to herself. I’m sure Helen and Andy wouldn’t mind… Oh! Jasmine smiled excitedly. She had just had the most brilliant idea.

  What if she looked after Star at her house, instead? It would be like having a cat of her very own!

  Now all she had to do was persuade Mum and Dad…

  “But we don’t want a cat in the house, Jasmine,” Mum said. “It’s all arranged, you’ll feed Star next door.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I know, but it would be so much better if she was here. She’s so friendly, Mum, she’d hate being on her own all day. And she’d be company for you while you’re working.” She looked at her mum hopefully. It wasn’t just that she really wanted to have Star to stay – she was sure that Mum and Dad would fall in love with Star if they saw more of her. And if Jasmine could look after Star fabulously and give her back to the Murrays as the world’s best-cared-for cat, wouldn’t her parents be tempted to let her have a cat of her own? Once they knew how lovely it would be to have a cat in the house?

  “Pets are a bit messy, Jasmine,” Dad explained. “We don’t have a cat flap, for a start, so that would be a problem…”

  “But we could put a litter tray in the corner of the kitchen,” Jasmine suggested eagerly. “I bet the Murrays have got one, and if not, I’ll buy one with my pocket money.”

  Mum smiled. “I thought you were saving up for my Christmas present!”

  Jasmine grinned at her. “Oh, I bought your present ages ago, when you let me go Christmas shopping with Lara. Please, Mum,” she added. “It’s only for three weeks. I promise you won’t have to do anything – I’ll look after her all myself. I’ll even do the vacuuming, in case Star sheds hairs on the carpet. Oh, pleeease! She’ll be so miserable all on her own…”

  Mum and Dad exchanged a look. “Well, I suppose we could ask Helen and Andy what they thought,” Dad said, rather reluctantly.

  “Yes!” Jasmine flung her arms round his neck. “This is the best Christmas present ever!”

  Star sniffed thoughtfully at the pile of bags in the hallway. What was going on? Her owners seemed to be very excited, and kept running up and down the stairs.

  “Oh, Star! I nearly put that on top of you. Careful, pusscat!” Helen picked her up and stroked her. “We’re going to miss you. But Jasmine will look after you so well. We’d better get your things together.”

  Next door, Jasmine was watching the clock anxiously. “It’s nearly eight o’clock. Oh, I hope they hurry. I really want to spend some time with Star before we have to go to school! There’s the doorbell!” She leaped up from her chair and rushed to answer it.

  Ten minutes later, the Murrays were on their way to the airport, and Jasmine was showing Star where her bowls and her litter tray were. It was so exciting watching her sniffing round the kitchen, her whiskers twitching delicately as she investigated all the interesting corners. Jasmine picked her up and stroked her lovingly, and Star rubbed her ears against Jasmine’s cheek.

  “Come and see my bedroom,” Jasmine told her. She laughed. “You can read my cat books while I’m at school.”

  “Oh, I thought we’d keep her in the kitchen for now,” Mum said.

  “But she’d hate that, Mum! It’ll be all right. Helen said she’s good about using a litter tray – she won’t make a mess.”

  Mum frowned. “Are you sure? Won’t she be worried about being in a new place?”

  Jasmine looked down at Star, who was purring in her arms. “She doesn’t look very worried…”

  Mum nodded, a little reluctantly. “I suppose not. Come on, then. We need to get to school.”

  Jasmine sighed. “I hope she won’t be lonely without me…” she murmured.

  Star sat in the
middle of Jasmine’s bed. She was rather confused. She’d been told off for being in this house before, she remembered. But she was definitely supposed to be here now, because her owners had brought her round that morning, and they’d brought her bowls and her bed too. Her bed was downstairs in the kitchen, but Jasmine’s was nicer.

  Star sniffed. The bed smelled like Jasmine, which was comforting. She had stayed in the kitchen for a while, but Jasmine’s mum kept watching her and looking worried, and it had made Star feel worried, too. Then Jasmine’s mum had gone into another room, and she hadn’t liked it when Star tried to play with the wires on her computer. Helen always laughed when she did that.

  Star had wondered if she’d done something wrong, if her owners didn’t want her any more, but they hadn’t seemed cross. They’d held her and stroked her and made a big fuss. Star was quite sure they were coming back. And meanwhile she had Jasmine, who was almost as good. Star stretched out her front paws, yawned and curled up to sleep. She hoped Jasmine would come home soon.

  “Oh, Jasmine, she’s gorgeous! You’re so lucky!” Jasmine’s friend Lara had come home from school with her to see Star. The girls had gone straight upstairs, and found the kitten snoozing on Jasmine’s bed. She was lying on her back with her paws folded on her soft cream and brown tummy, making a funny little whistling noise – a very small cat’s snore.

  Lara was only whispering, but Star opened one eye thoughtfully, and then bounced up, purring delightedly at Jasmine. She was back!

  “Isn’t she beautiful?” Jasmine said proudly. Then she sighed. “It’s almost like having a cat of my own.”

  Lara nodded. “Three weeks is ages. Oh, I wish someone wanted me to cat-sit! I’m sure your parents will get to like her – how can they resist! You never know, then they might let you have your own cat.”

  Jasmine nodded, sitting down on the bed and hugging Star close. “That’s what I’m really hoping, but I’m not sure it’ll work. Mum was really fussing this morning, about not wanting Star to get into her office and mess up her paperwork. She wanted to keep her in the kitchen all day, but I persuaded her it wouldn’t be fair. I think they only let me look after Star because they wanted to help out the people next door. Neither of them are really keen on having pets. They’ve said I can have a gerbil or a hamster, but I’d much, much rather have a cat.”

  Lara and Jasmine looked down at Star. She was purring blissfully to herself as Jasmine stroked her, in just the right itchy spot down her spine. She looked up at them, then nudged Jasmine’s chin lovingly. Lara and Jasmine both sighed. Who wouldn’t want such a gorgeous cat?

  Over the next week, Jasmine wondered if Star had been listening to what she and Lara had said. She seemed to be doing everything she could to charm Jasmine’s parents. Perhaps it was because Star felt lonely while Jasmine was at school, or perhaps it was just that she was a natural people-cat, but she put on her best manners.

  On Monday afternoon, Jasmine rushed home from school and let herself in, eager to see Star. But today Star didn’t come to say hello. After looking in the kitchen and her bedroom, Jasmine went to her mum’s office to see if she knew where the cat was. She put her head round the office door and found Star and her mum, watching the gleams of rainbow light from the glass prism her mum had hanging in the window. Her mum was laughing as Star leaped around the room, chasing the coloured flashes on the wall.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked her mum sternly.

  Mum looked guilty. “Yes. But Star came in, and she seemed to want making a fuss of. She’s so funny, Jasmine – and so athletic. Look at her jumping!”

  Star looked up at Jasmine lovingly, and then mewed hopefully at Jasmine’s mum.

  “Oh, do you want me to swing it for you again, hmm?” Mum reached up to tap the prism, sending the rainbows all round the wall again, and Star was off in a mad cat dance, leaping and patting at the pretty lights.

  Jasmine huffed and went to get herself a drink. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her mum getting on with Star – after all, it was exactly what she’d wanted! But Jasmine did feel a tiny bit jealous. She played with Star. She and Lara had nipped into the pet shop on the way home, and she’d bought a jingly ball for her. But Mum’s rainbow lights looked much more exciting!

  Dad took a bit longer to fall for Star. He didn’t really spend much time with her, and he got very ratty when he discovered she’d slept on his favourite jumper and left it covered in brown hairs. But on Sunday morning, Jasmine came downstairs and found Dad reading the newspaper, and Star sitting on the kitchen table (which she wasn’t allowed to do). She was batting at the back of the paper. Every time she did it, Dad would twitch the paper straight, and Star would wait a few seconds and whack it again with her paw.

  Jasmine watched her do it three more times before Dad snorted with laughter and folded up the paper. Star jumped delicately on to his lap and gazed up at him with big green eyes. Jasmine’s dad looked down at her, as though he wasn’t sure quite what he was supposed to do now. He put out a cautious hand and stroked her, very lightly down her back. Then he looked up at Jasmine, as if he thought she might tell him he’d done it wrong.

  Jasmine sighed and shook her head, smiling. Star had managed it again. She’d even won Dad over!

  Dad stroked Star again, more confidently this time. “This cat,” he told Jasmine, as she fetched herself a bowl of cornflakes, “has got a real sense of humour.” He reached over and grabbed a packet of cat treats that had been left on the counter. Star sat up on his lap, her tail twitching eagerly, and he fed her three, one after the other. She crunched them up quickly, with her eyes closed in delight.

  “Not too many, Dad.” Jasmine pointed at him with her cereal spoon. “She’ll get fat. In fact…” Jasmine looked worriedly at Star’s silky tummy. Was it her imagination, or was it rather larger than before? “She’s getting really podgy, Dad, now that I look at her! I bet Mum’s been feeding her loads of treats while I’m at school.”

  Jasmine didn’t mention the number of times she’d saved a little bit of chicken or sausage from tea to feed to Star as an extra-special treat, but she couldn’t help feeling rather guilty. She’d just wanted to make Star happy – and it was so sweet the way she nibbled the scraps off her fingers.

  Jasmine’s mum came downstairs and frowned when Jasmine asked her about the treats. “Well, I have given her the odd one. But not that many, Jasmine. I wouldn’t have thought it would be enough to fatten her up.” She eyed Star thoughtfully, as she sat on Dad’s lap and washed her ears. “Hmmm. She is looking a bit fatter, you’re right. Oh dear. I don’t know much about cats, but I’m sure it isn’t healthy for her to be fat. She could get ill.”

  “I’ll try and get her to do a bit more running around,” Jasmine said, wondering what the Murrays would say if they came home and found they had a fat cat.

  Star seemed to be able to tell that Jasmine was worried. She stopped washing and gazed lovingly at her from Dad’s lap. Then she sat up on her hind legs with her front paws in the air, as though she was begging to be picked up. It was so funny Jasmine choked on her mouthful of cornflakes.

  Dad grinned. “You see? She’s definitely got a sense of humour!”

  Chapter Four

  Jasmine started Star’s exercise routine the next day, when she got home from school. They had decorated the Christmas tree at the weekend, and Star had been fascinated by it. The moment Jasmine and her mum went into the kitchen for a drink, Star had climbed up it, then got stuck near the top, wailing frantically as she wobbled on her branch. Jasmine had had to rescue her, and ever since then Star had looked at the tree with great suspicion.

  But Star had loved playing with the tinsel, rolling over and over and chewing it. Jasmine wasn’t sure how people got cute photos of cats wearing tinsel on their collars. Star would have eaten it before anyone had a chance to get a camera out. So tinsel seemed a good idea for getting Star to jump around. It was the end of term in a couple of days. She could do lots mo
re exercising with Star when it was the Christmas holidays. She was really looking forward to being at home and being able to play with Star all the time.

  Jasmine carefully unwound a bit of silver tinsel from round the back of the tree, where no one would really notice it had gone. She crouched down in front of Star, holding the feathery silver tinsel. It shimmered and twinkled, almost as if it were alive, and Star’s tail flicked back and forth as she watched it. She dabbed out a paw, and Jasmine twitched the tinsel away, so that Star missed it. The cat sprang forward, paws batting here and there, dancing and springing as Jasmine giggled and waved the tinsel for her. At one point Jasmine was sure that Star leaped at least a metre off the ground in a truly amazing jump.

  Eventually Jasmine gave up as she was worn out, though Star was still full of energy. She lay on her back, tugging at the tinsel with her paws and shredding it everywhere.

  “Well, that certainly ought to have worked off a few cat treats,” Mum said from the doorway, where she’d been watching. “But if you do it again tomorrow, can you use string instead? We won’t have any tinsel left at this rate.”

  Jasmine looked at the silvery bits all over the floor. “Sorry, Mum. I didn’t know she’d tear it up like that. I was going to put it back on the tree.”

  They looked at each other, and then down at the piece of silver string that was all that was left of the tinsel.

  “Maybe not…” Jasmine said, giggling, as Star abandoned the tinsel, suddenly tired out, and climbed exhaustedly into her lap. She stretched herself out over Jasmine’s legs and went completely floppy, making just a very faint, wheezy purr, as though it was all she had the strength for.