Chapter One: The Bad Beginning<\/p>\n
It was a stormy day outside. I was immensely bored. I was in school doing algebra.
\nPlease ring, I thought looking at a poster that said Learning is fun! (with a teacher that had a creepy smile on it).
\nRinggggg!
\nFinally!<\/p>\n
Stacy and I walk home together every day. Stacy’s my best friend. She’s from Miami. She has blond hair, white skin and loves beach volleyball! I wish I were born in Miami! I have brown hair, hazel eyes and I was born in texas.
\n\u201cDo you want to come to my place?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cYou want to come to my place instead?\u201d Stacy asked. I thought about it, and decided that was a good idea.
\nStacy was so excited. \u201cYay! My mom made cookies,\u201d she said. Now it was my turn to say yay (and yum)!
\nWe walked up to Stacy’s house and rang the doorbell, jumped into a bush and waited. When Stacy’s mom opened the door we jumped out and booed her.
\n\u201cBoo to you, too,\u201d Stacy’s mom said. \u201cWant a cookie?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, please,\u201d we said at the same time.
\n\u201cJinx!\u201d we both said at the same time again.
\nWe all laughed (because it was funny). I took a cookie.
\n\u201cThank you…and you\u2019re welcome for finishing off the cookies!\u201d
\nWe laughed again, because that was funny, too.<\/p>\n
It started storming just as we walked inside.
\n\u201cOh no!\u201d I said. \u201cThe cats! They\u2019re scared of thunderstorms!\u201d
\nI rushed out the door to my house, but to my surprise the cats were fine. They woke up and started meowing like crazy! Stacy ran into my room.
\n\u201cWhat’s the…oh,\u201d she said, slapping her hand against her forehead.
\n\u201cDarn those cats,\u201d Mom screamed from downstairs.
\nStacy and I looked at each other, puzzled. Then Stacy remembered that Mom hates it when the cats start meowing like crazy.
\nThunder clapped. All the cats ran out the door as Mom was trying to come inside.<\/p>\n
Chapter Two: CATastrophe<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no!\u201d we screamed.
\n\u201cDaaaaa! How are we ever going to find them?\u201d
\n\u201cDrama queen,\u201d mumbled Stacy.
\nOkay so we have a CATastrophe. (get it?)
\n\u201cGrayson? Earth to Grayson. We have a problem here!\u201d
\n\u201cWait, what?\u201d
\n\u201cDang it!\u201d Stacy said, slapping her hand against her forehead.
\n\u201cSorry.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s fine. Maybe focus on our problem?\u201d
\n\u201cI am focusing on our problem!\u201d
\nWe found a few cats right away, and walked around outside to try to find more.
\n\u201cAhhh! The cat catcher! Hide the cats!\u201d I yelled.
\nThe cat catcher gave us a rude look.
\n\u201cHe knows you have a lot of cats. He must know something is up,\u201d Stacy whispered.
\n\u201cWhat are you up to now?\u201d the cat catcher asked, with a suspicious look on his face.
\n\u201cNothing!\u201d Stacy and I answered at the same time.
\nOne of the cats started to leave the bush it\u2019s hiding in. Stacy grabbed him, just in time, and squished him back into the bush.
\n\u201cOkay…but consider this your warning. I\u2019m on to you.\u201d
\n\u201cOh no!\u201d we said at the exact same time.
\n\u201cRun for the door,\u201d I yelled, \u201cbefore it’s too late! The cat catcher will surely come back any minute now!\u201d
\nStacy grabbed the cats and ran inside.
\n\u201cPhew!\u201d I said.
\nThunder clapped again, and the cats shimmied out of our arms. They ran outside again, darting into bushes and down rabbit holes.
\n\u201cNow the cat catcher is going to find them and that’s the opposite of what we want!\u201d
\n\u201cNoooo!\u201d we screamed.
\nMom came up to us, as we sat on the stairs feeling glum. \u201cEverything okay?\u201d she asked.
\n\u201cNo. We lost the cats! Again!\u201d
\n\u201cOh…I’m sorry to hear. Come here girls,\u201d Mom said and gave us a hug. \u201cWait…did you say you lost the cats?!\u201d
\n\u201cYeah,\u201d me and Stacy said.
\n\u201cOh me, oh my\u201d
\n\u201cIs there a way to get them back?\u201d
\n\u201cThere is one way, I suppose, but you pay for it.\u201d
\n\u201cFine,\u201d we say, shrugging our shoulders.
\nOkay. But whyyyyyyyyyyyyy? I scream in my mind.
\n\u201cI think there were some cats at the shopping outlet,\u201d I said.
\nWe went to the shopping outlet.
\nI saw a cat! She was wearing a sun hat.
\nWe got her and brought her home.
\nWe went to the printing store and printed 50 posters that said: Missing cats! Last seen in Rocky Ridge. If found, call (567) 678-8006.
\nWe went to Mr. Plantneck\u2019s house and asked if he had seen anything. Sadly he hadn’t.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you if I see anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Chapter Three: One Way, Maybe<\/p>\n
We went to the cat catcher\u2019s office.
\nHe welcomed us in.
\n\u201cSo little mischief makers…how can I help you?\u201d
\nMom gave us the look. We laugh nervously because we know that he had caught us making mischief more than just once. Like the time he caught us with a cat without a leash. Man, oh man, he\u2019s strict alright.
\nMom spoke up. \u201cWe came because we need you to catch-\u201d
\n\u201cOur cats,\u201d Stacy and I interrupted.
\n\u201cYes, our cats,\u201d Mom finished.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I can’t. Mr. Peacock lost his precious poodle, Penelope Sparklepants, just this morning. I\u2019ve already committed to helping him.\u201d
\nI looked at the wall with an award for best pet catcher of the decade. I felt a big bucket of guilt wash over me.
\n\u201cCan you at least call us if you see one of the cats?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe, but no promises,\u201d he replied with a smirk.
\nWe left the office, feeling frustrated and defeated.
\n\u201cGirls, I can\u2019t believe\u2026\u201d Mom stopped talking as soon as she noticed me and Stacy were crying.
\n\u201cI\u2019m so-\u201d Mom started.
\nBut I interrupted her. \u201cIt\u2019s fine,\u201d I said, slamming the front door behind me.
\nI ran up to my room (I slammed my bedroom door, too), and screamed into my pillow.
\n\u201cAghhhhhhhh!\u201d
\nThen something magical happened.<\/p>\n
Chapter Four: A Surprise Return<\/p>\n
I heard a meow.
\nI heard an actual meow.
\nOh my goodness! A meow!
\n\u201cMom,\u201d I screamed. \u201cA cat!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat? I thought they were all lost!\u201d
\nThen I heard Stacy scream \u201cwhat?\u201d too.
\nWe were all super joyful when we got up to my room to see a cat purring and enjoying itself.
\n\u201cWooohooo!\u201d I screamed.
\n\u201cWait. Does that mean there’s more?\u201d Mom said.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Stacy replied.
\n\u201cHmmm…I hear something,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cThere it is again!\u201d
\nI heard a knock at the door. I looked out the window to see who it might be. As soon as I looked out the window, my body went stiff.
\n\u201cWhat, honey?\u201d Mom asked.
\nStacy came up to the window.
\n\u201cOh,\u201d she said.
\nI ran downstairs and screamed to keep the cats hiding.
\n\u201cWhat a delightful surprise,\u201d I said, opening the door. It was the pet catcher.
\n\u201cSo,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cSo,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cWell, I found Penelope Sparklepants, so I thought I would help you instead.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay,\u201d I said. \u201cFollow me inside.\u201d
\nWe hear a rumbling.
\n\u201cUh oh,\u201d I said, just as the power went out.
\n\u201cIs there a working light switch in this place?\u201d Stacy screamed from upstairs. \u201cYou know I\u2019m afraid of the dark!\u201d
\nThe pet catcher started to laugh – at Stacy.
\n\u201cDon’t even,\u201d I said, under my breath.
\nHe gave me a shocked look.
\nWe reached the top of the stairs in silence.
\n\u201cMom, someone wants to see you!\u201d I yelled towards the bedroom.
\nStacy looked at me and then him.
\n\u201cYou let him in?\u201d she whispered.
\n\u201cYep,\u201d I said with a shrug. \u201cWhat\u2019s the worst that can happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chapter Five: Corn Maze of Life<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came back?\u201d Mom said, with a puzzled look on her face.
\n\u201cYeah,\u201d he said. \u201cI found your cats. They are in the truck. Come on, let’s go.\u201d
\n\u201cYay!\u201d we said.
\n\u201cOkay, let’s go,\u201d Mom said.
\nWe went to his truck.
\n\u201cUh-uh-uh\u2026\u201d the cat catcher said, wagging his finger. \u201cYou’ll have to pay for them first!\u201d
\n\u201cUm…what are we paying for?\u201d I said, staring into the empty truck.
\n\u201cOh no! The cats must have escaped…again!\u201d the cat catcher said.<\/p>\n
We went crazy trying to find the cats…again.
\nWe went downtown. It was almost Halloween so there was a corn maze.
\nWe saw paw prints going into the corn maze.
\nWe went to the booth selling tickets to the corn maze.
\n\u201cExcuse me sir, we would like four tickets to the corn maze, please.\u201d
\n\u201cWonderful. Here you are.\u201d
\nWe ran into the maze and something jumped out of the corn! We ran as hard as we could.
\nWe heard a meow coming from a part of the maze with a sign that said: young adult level scary.
\nMe and Stacy gulped.
\nWe entered that part of the maze, even though it seemed like a bad idea. I heard something breathing behind me. Oh no! I thought.
\nI turned around slowly. \u201cAhhhhhhhh!\u201d
\nA cat?
\n\u201cMom, Stacy, I found him! The cat!\u201d
\n\u201cYay!\u201d<\/p>\n
When we got home, we didn’t remember the power was out. (We did, however, remember we were soaked.) Stacy and I changed up in my room while Mom called the pizza place.
\n\u201cPizza place, what can I get ya!\u201d
\n\u201cThanks for letting me borrow some of your clothes.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s nothing,\u201d I replied. The pet catcher stayed at our house for pizza. He and mom were talking about finance (aka boring adult stuff).<\/p>\n
Chapter Six: An Unexpected Surprise<\/p>\n
Dad got home ten minutes later. I was sick of sitting on the couch staring at my parents. At least I had the cats to think about. Mom and Dad got up and went to the sitting lounge. We heard a truck pull up just as the power came back on.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll get it!\u201d Mom screamed from the sitting lounge.
\nMe and Stacy asked Dad if we could watch a movie. Of course he said yes. We picked The Untitled Guide to Horror. Mom came back in with the pizza. Stacy and I got some from the pepperoni pizza box. Dad likes sardine pizza. We watched our movie. And then a cat came up to me and meowed. \u201cAwwww!\u201d we all said.
\nIt started storming harder and I swore to Penelope Sparkle Pants. All hope of finding any of my cats was gone.
\nThe movie finished and I went up to my room to talk to Stacy about the cats.
\n\u201cOh no!\u201d I screamed. I closed my eyes, hoping this would disappear. It didn\u2019t.
\n\u201cMom!\u201d I screamed. \u201cMy room is infested with spiders!\u201d
\nImagine a gazillion spiders crawling around your room. Now that’s something you can’t unsee!
\n\u201cLet me call pest conceal.\u201d
\n\u201cOH NO!\u201d I screamed. \u201cThe cats are on the other side of the web that the spiders are weaving. We can\u2019t get to them!\u201d
\nMy answer to this was to scream and run.
\n\u201cNope, this isn’t happening,\u201d I mumbled under my breath.
\nDad ran up the stairs and I tripped over his shoelaces. \u201cOOF,\u201d I said as I got back up and kept running away from my room.
\nStacy followed close behind. Mom grabbed my sleeping bag and said we can sleep in the living room tonight.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean we?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cStacy and you are having a sleep over tonight!\u201d
\n\u201cOMG!\u201d we screamed.
\n\u201cCan we go down to the creek?\u201d I asked. Anywhere but here with all these spiders.
\n\u201cSure,\u201d Mom said. \u201cAs long as you talk about how to get the cats back!\u201d
\nI headed down there. The best part of the creek is that I have a secret!<\/p>\n
Chapter Seven: River Rock<\/p>\n
Back at home, pest control arrived and dealt with the spiders.
\nWe reached the creek. I headed down to the rock and opened the door to our secret club. When we found it there was a power box for the neighborhood nearby and it had furniture sitting next to it! It was the perfect place for a club house! Not even mom knows about our secret spot.
\nWhen I went in, Amber was sitting on the floor.
\nPause the story. Who\u2019s Amber you ask? She\u2019s my other best friend! She’s from Las Vegas and has brown skin, blue eyes and loves arcade games. Back to the story!
\nOur clubhouse is basically a room with a tv and neon lights. We also have arcade machines and bean bag chairs! We sat down in the beanbag chairs and talked.
\n\u201cYou want to go ask Mom if you can come to our sleepover?\u201d I said.
\n\u201cSure!\u201d Amber replied.
\nWe went home and asked her, and she said yes!
\nWe went to the living room and hung out.
\n\u201cI can’t believe my room was infested with spiders!\u201d I said.
\n\u201cPest control dealt with it!\u201d Dad said.
\n\u201cYAY!\u201d we all screamed.
\n\u201cBut it was fun to experience the look on your face when you tripped over your dad\u2019s shoe laces!\u201d Stacy said.
\n\u201cWait. They dealt with it?\u201d Mom yelled from the kitchen.
\n\u201cYep,\u201d Dad said.
\nWe all laughed at that! Just then kracabobom. The lights started flickering frantically.
\n\u201cDang it!\u201d we all screamed.
\nA cat came up to us.
\n\u201cMaybe some are in the house?\u201d I asked.
\nWe all spread out except for me and Stacy. (We all know she’s afraid of the dark by now, right?)
\n\u201cCreak…\u201d the floors started making creepy noises.
\n\u201cWhy me?\u201d Stacy mumbled.
\n\u201cHmmm. Maybe some are in the bathroom? Persilla loves my parent\u2019s bathroom!\u201d
\nStacy groaned. And just as she finished groaning her head off… lightning struck.
\nStacy groaned some more.
\n\u201cWhat? I have a way with nature,\u201d I said, laughing.<\/p>\n
Chapter Eight: Who Was It?<\/p>\n
When we entered the bathroom I could see a ruby mirror and a gold hot tub. The bathroom was beautiful. That\u2019s why it was Persilla\u2019s favorite spot.
\n\u201cPersilla!\u201d
\n\u201cWhat!?\u201d
\n\u201cGrab her! I said. Stacy grabbed her just in time.
\n\u201cOh! I wonder if we can find cats based on what they like best!\u201d
\n\u201cLike how Mr. Lalala likes to sing so he\u2019s in the ballroom playing the piano to his tunes, maybe?\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s find out!\u201d
\nWe went to the ballroom and there he was! My theory was correct! So now we could go to the kitchen or the living room.
\nWe decided on the living room. We looked there, but there were no cats.
\nRing, ring…
\n\u201cOne sec, that’s mine,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cKk.\u201d
\n\u201cUmm, okay,\u201d I said into the phone. As soon as I hung up, Stacy asked who it was.<\/p>\n
Chapter Nine: The End<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the cat catcher! He found our cats!\u201d
\n\u201cWoohoo!\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s go! He said he\u2019s out front!\u201d
\nWe went outside and he gave us the cats. He did make us pay for them though, and yes, it was ALL our allowance!
\nWe went inside, soaked but still happy.
\nStacy\u2019s mom came over, too, and we told her the whole story. Mom and Stacy’s mom made chocolate cookies. Of course those are my favorite!
\nWe watched a movie, ate pizza and cookies and\u2026<\/p>\n
Cuddled the cats (so we wouldn’t have a repeat of them running away again so you don’t have to read this book all over again)!<\/p>\n
by Grayson M.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter One: The Bad Beginning It was a stormy day outside. I was immensely bored. I was in school doing algebra. Please ring, I thought looking at a poster that said Learning is fun! (with a teacher that had a creepy smile on it). Ringgggg! Finally! Stacy and I walk home together every day. Stacy’s …<\/p>\n