Catcher with a Glass Arm by Matt Christopher

Author:Matt Christopher [CHRISTOPHER, MATTHEW F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316095471
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2009-12-19T05:00:00+00:00

9

Jody pushed himself to his knees. A lump filled his throat. He swallowed, but the lump remained.

Midnight sure had gotten into a mess this time! But it wasn’t all his fault. He liked to chase mice and other animals that were smaller than he was. This time he had gone too far.

How was Jody going to get his cat out of that pool? There was a wall all around it. The water flowed in through a deep narrow crack in the rock floor, and it flowed out through a deep narrow crack. It was impossible for Midnight to crawl out by himself. He tried, but he kept sliding back into the water.

What was worse, Jody could not get him out either.

I can’t leave him there! Jody thought. I can’t let him drown! But how am I going to get him out? If I ran back for a net, he’d be drowned by the time I got back!

A net? Suddenly the thought gave him another idea. His sweater!

His hands trembled as he laid the flashlight on the dry rock floor beside him and hurriedly slipped off his sweater. Then, while he held the flashlight in one hand, he leaned over the edge of the pool again and held the sweater down with his other hand.

“Come here, Midnight,” he pleaded softly. “Come here, pal. Grab hold of my sweater.”

Midnight was still swimming around, his black fur matted against him like a shiny coat.

Jody kept calling to him to grab hold of the sweater. Midnight did not seem to hear him. Or maybe he didn’t understand.

“Midnight, listen to me. Put your claws into my sweater. It’s the only way, Midnight. The only way. Please!”

Midnight was clawing at the wall at Jody’s left. He fell back and tried again, a little closer to Jody this time. Again he fell back, his head going under the water so that for a moment he was completely out of sight. Once more his head popped up, and he began swimming hard to keep afloat.

“Midnight! Here, pal!” Jody flashed the light onto the sweater.

Midnight looked at the sweater. He swam toward it, sank one claw into it. Then he sank another claw into it. Jody felt the sweater stretch. He grabbed a stronger hold of it and slowly began to pull it up, with Midnight clinging on.

“Just a little more, Midnight!” he whispered. “Hang on a little more!”

A moment later he put his left arm around his cat and lifted him into his arms.

“Midnight! My pal!” he cried. He hugged the cat tenderly to him while his heart spilled over with joy. “Come on! Let’s get out of here!”

He carried Midnight out with him.

When he reached the outside Jody returned the flashlight to Johnny and began drying off Midnight with his sweater. Johnny’s eyes were like marbles as he looked at the cat.

“What happened to him?” he asked.

“Chased a rat right into the pool,” said Jody.

Johnny looked at the front of Jody’s shirt and pants. “You’re soaked,” he said.

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