Gone missing

My name is James. When I was six, I lived in a large, rambling, old, falling down house in Derbyshire

Our house was home to spiders, hedgehogs, bats and mice. Lots of mice! Mum kept a large broom with which to shoo them away out of the house.

I remember the day that Sam went missing, Dad sat by the telephone his head in his hands, Mum was crying, She had been really nice that day. At lunch I was allowed hot chocolate pudding AND ice cream. The day dragged slowly along. “Time for bed James” I did not make my usual protestations. Snuggled in bed, Mum bent down to kiss me good-night when we heard a scritching, scratching sound. Mum sighed and went downstairs to fetch the broom. The sound was coming from my chest of drawers. We slowly and quietly opened the bottom drawer.

Two large green eyes appeared in the darkness from the drawer..this was no mouse. Suddenly there was a frighteningly loud screeching and screaming (the screaming was my Mum). Dad bounded up the stairs as a green-eyed bundle leaped on to my bed. The three of us stood in silence. The bundle was also still and silent. We all three crept towards my bed and smothered this green -eyed bundle…………with hugs and kisses! (Dad was crying)

Sam hadn’t gone missing she had been shut in my chest of drawers.

Oh! Yes! Sam was my kitten. She arched her back and spat in anger at all this fuss. Mum opened a tin of lobster..the purring was almost deafening.

Sam is now a cat and there are no longer any mice in our home in Derbyshire.