Zoe and the Very Grumpy Witch by Gill Ingram

Author:Gill Ingram
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Self-Publishing Books

Chapter 10

Hamish was desperate to live in a world without cats. Most of all he was desperate to get away from Slymo. He trembled at how close he’d come to disaster that morning, flying home from the girl’s house. He hadn’t seen Slymo in the tree ahead.

At the last minute, he’d spotted the black shape on a low branch, and dived into his mistress’s cloak. But Slymo was fast. His claws had whipped out. The scratch at the end of Hamish’s tail still felt sore.

Something definitely had to be done about that cat. But what?

* * *

Slymo wasn’t happy either. Things had been all right before that stupid weenager came to live with him and Sawgrump. Okay, so his master had some odd habits. He wasn’t too free with the fish dinners either. But at least he, Slymo, was a favourite. He got treats. But nowadays there weren’t so many of those and he got sent out spying at all hours, in the dark and cold. Good thing if Sawgrump packed his silly niece off somewhere else, Slymo thought. She could take those nasty perfumes of hers too. Mind you, her Sardines and Old Socks Special hadn’t been too bad. He hadn’t thought about that one in ages. Funny, but he almost thought he could smell it now.

Slymo strolled out of the workshop with his nose in the air, sniffing. The sardiney whiffs got stronger. He followed them down to the end of the corridor. Unusually, the door that led out to the walled factory yard was open a crack. He slunk through the gap. But once in the yard, he was disappointed. There was nothing to see and the tempting stink of fish was more difficult to sniff, out in the open.

Remembering his tracking skills, the black cat paced in wider and wider circles until he reached the outbuilding by the far wall. Immediately, everything changed! His senses were stunned by a nose-blast of pure sardiney delight! The exciting pong was coming from an open window.

‘Mmmmm… fishy... Sooo fishy...’ he purred.

If his sneaky mind had stopped to think, it would have known that the open door and open window were a little fishy too. But in a very different way. And if he’d thought that, he might have stopped and turned round. Instead, greed overcame caution. The sardines took over. In the flick of a whisker, he had scrambled up the wall, through the window, and dropped down into the darkened room.

As he sprinted for the group of plates in the middle of the floor, Slymo heard the faint clang of a metal door across the yard. But there was important eating to do, so he didn’t pay any attention at all.

* * *

‘Good job, Hamey,’ Savoy said, dropping the yard door key into her pocket. The mouse nuzzled her neck. He felt enormously pleased with himself. And it wasn’t as if they’d done anything really bad. They’d left enough food to keep Slymo going for weeks. He could get into the yard too.

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