The Missing Cat

The Missing Cat
A story for my daughter

Once upon a time, in a small town, there lived an old lady alone with her cat. She was very fond of her     cat. They both gave company to each other; watched television together, had food together, and even slept together. The cat used to sleep near the old lady’s feet on the small single cot bed.

One morning, when the old lady woke up from her sleep, she found that the cat was not there near her feet on the bed. She started searching for the cat everywhere in the house, but couldn’t find him anywhere. The old lady got tensed and worried.

‘Oh, where could have poor tom gone?’ She wondered aloud, sitting on the steps, outside her house.

‘Granny, did you say that Tom is missing?’ Prashanth asked, stopping by her compound gate.

'Yes, Prashanth…he is missing since this morning…I don’t know where he has gone?’ The old lady said, lifting her face and looking at him.

 ‘I think I have an idea…’ Prashanth said, ‘Do you have a picture of him with you?’

 ‘Yes, why?’ She asked.

 ‘I would print pamphlets with his photo on it. We would stick it in every nook and corner of this little town..’ Prashanth said, smiling at her.

‘That’s a good idea!’ The old lady screamed, standing up on her old feet, ‘Wait! Let me go and get his picture for you…’ She added, rushing inside her old little house, which had a beautiful garden in front, and a small yard in the back where the old lady grew her own vegetables.

It was during the summer holidays, and Prashanth had nothing much to do. This was a wonderful opportunity for him to prove himself. He had a dream of becoming a famous detective after reading the amazing case studies of Sherlock Holmes.

‘Here you go!’ The old said, the old lady coming with the picture of her cat. ‘Take this money for printing those pamphlets. Thank you so much…’

‘No problem, hope we find old tom soon.’ Prashanth said

Meanwhile, Prashanth’s best friend Mahesh came along that way and asked,

‘Is something wrong, Prashanth?’

‘Old tom is missing since this morning...let’s help the granny in finding him for her, shall we?’ Prashanth turned and asked Mahesh.

‘Sure. Let’s start right away,’ Mahesh said, keeping his hand on his shoulder and pulling him along with him and they went looking for the cat together. On the way, Rajeev joined them.

‘Do you think someone could have kidnapped him?’ asked Rajeev, after listening to what had happened.

‘I don’t think so…as the old lady isn’t so rich to pay the ransom to the kidnappers, isn’t it?’ Mahesh said.

‘Yes, you’re right!’ Prashanth said, ‘then where else could have old tom gone?’

‘Perhaps, old tom fell in love with some beautiful and young local cat and eloped with her.’ Rajeev suggested.

‘Rajeev, let’s be serious. This happens only in the movies…not with cats, I think!’ Prashanth said.

‘Even if we assume that it had happened then there should be two missing cats in the neighborhood, not one!’ Mahesh said.

‘Yes, you’re right!’ Rajeev said, ‘I have an idea! Why don’t we make an announcement on the TV?’ He suggested.

‘Well, we don’t have that much budget, Rajeev. Here is the picture of tom and the money…can you please go and get the pamphlets printed while we search for the cat?’

‘Sure, I would do that!’ Rajeev said, keeping it in his shirt pocket and racing away on his bicycle.

They both started looking for the cat in every street of the town. They couldn’t find it anywhere. Soon, Rajeev joined them with the printed pamphlets. Then they started pasting it on every street light post, road side trees, and walls.

'I think we have done our best…now, we need to wait and see..’ Prashanth said.

‘What to do with the remaining pamphlets?’ Mahesh asked, shrugging his shoulders.

‘I have an idea!’ Rajeev cried, ‘Why not we give them to our local news paper agent and ask him to keep them between tomorrow’s newspaper…..so that we can make sure that everyone sees it!’

‘That’s a good idea indeed!’ Mahesh cried.

‘But do you think he would agree to do it?’ Prashanth asked, doubting it.

‘Leave it to me…I know how to convince him.’ Rajeev said, smiling at them.

He went with them and met him. Initially, he wasn’t willing to do it. Then Rajeev whispered something in his ear and he started nodding his head in approval and flashed a smile on his face.

‘What did you tell him to make him so happy?’ Mahesh asked.

‘I told him that his picture may appear in the newspaper for helping them to find the missing cat and he could become famous in the locality.’ Rajeev said, with a wink.

‘That’s too smart of you, Rajeev!’ Prashanth said, patting on his back.

‘Let’s go back and check with the old lady again,’ Mahesh said, ‘Maybe, she might have found the cat by chance…’

‘Ok, let’s go!’ Prashanth said.

When they reached the old lady was dozing in her rocking chair in the portico. They woke her up and asked her together.

‘Granny, did tom come back?’

‘No, he didn’t!’ She replied sadly.

‘May I have a glass of water, granny? I am feeling so thirsty..’ Prashanth asked.

‘Sure, my boy….’ She said , getting up and walking inside her house. They all waited for her return in the portico. Suddenly, they all heard her cry and rushed in startled.They found her holding the cat in her arms and the cat was trembling in cold.

‘Where did you find him?’ asked Prashanth shocked and surprised. The others were equally puzzled by the sudden appearance of the cat.

‘In the refrigerator!’ She cried, ‘I think he should have woken up early morning and found the fridge door open…as I should have forgotten to close it properly last night. The smell of fish which I kept in a plate in one of the tray should have attracted him into it.’

‘Yes…you’re right!’ Prashanth said, glancing at that plate inside the fridge, which only had the bones of that fish now.

‘And the door of the fridge should have closed behind his back!’ Rajeev said.

‘Yes…Yes…poor tom..’ The old lady said, taking him near her chimney to make him warm again.