A Christmas Tail by Elsa Watson

Author:Elsa Watson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2012-08-26T04:00:00+00:00

Four

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Zoë

When Jessica and Max leave the house, I go on high alert. It’s obvious that they’ve left me in charge—I could tell by the way Jessica said, “Now you be good,” when she went out the door. They’re counting on me to watch the cat and make sure he doesn’t get in trouble.

So, when I hear a funny scratching noise coming from the living room, I’m there in a flash. Groucho is sitting on his back feet like a rabbit, pawing and scratching at one of the wrapped-up boxes under the tree. I saw Jessica put that box there. I’m sure she doesn’t want it shredded. So I bound up to Groucho and give a bark that makes him pring into the air. Ha! That’s the way to get him to stop scratching.

Only the minute he lands, he slips under the tree, out of sight. We both stay perfectly still—I’m breathing hard, but I don’t move. Then I hear a soft pah, pah, pah sound. Like a paw batting something. I lower my head and spot Groucho’s black paw wrapped around a string of lights. He’s pulling one of the lights toward his mouth, trying to eat it. Jessica’s lights!

I dive under the tree, barking. Groucho shoots out the other side. I follow. We fly to the couch, where there’s a big bowl of popcorn and lots of thread from where Jacob was making white strings for the tree. I get thread twisted on my feet, but I don’t slow down. Groucho is in the lead, and I have to keep up with him. He tears back to the tree. This time he has a look of madness in his eyes—he stretches up tall and smacks me right in the nose. It stings so much, I plunk down on my tail. He gives me a triumphal look, then springs into the tree. He’s completely gone from view. And I’m probably about to die from my scratched nose.

I press my poor nose against my paws, then check them carefully for blood. There isn’t any, but my nose smells like hurting. I think about going upstairs to lie on Jessica and Max’s bed, where I’m not allowed—that seems like something I deserve after getting scratched. But then the room starts to sway back and forth. It’s moving, and the ornaments on the tree are moving, and I’m feeling worse and worse…. Until I realize that it’s only the tree that’s moving. Because Groucho is trying to climb the trunk.

That silly cat with his tiny brain. Where does he think he’s going? There’s nothing fun at the top of the tree—anyone can see that. It’s just sharp and pointy up there. But there he goes, digging his claws into the trunk. Except now he’s stuck. He’s gotten himself wrapped up in the lights.

“Rrrr-ow!”

I open my mouth, panting hard as I watch.

“Ssss!” He’s hissing at the lights. The tree is swaying again. I have to get him down. I’m in charge, and Jessica doesn’t want her tree ruined.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.