“See you later, Daddy,” I said. “See you later, Pumpkin!”
At school everyone was excited. Ms. Colman knew all we could think about was Halloween and our party. But we still had spelling and math work to do. So we had a Halloween spelling bee. Ms. Colman called it “Which Witch Is Which?” and gave us only words about Halloween to spell.
For math we counted the number of pets who would be at our party, and how many categories of pets there would be. (I told Ms. Colman that the word categories was an excellent word for our pet party.) We counted eleven live pets and six paper pets. And there were seven different kinds — dogs, cats, bird, frog, turtle, rabbit, and guinea pig.
After recess we rearranged the tables so the middle of the room would be open for our party. We put on our costumes. Then the grown-ups and pets started filing in.
Woof! Meow! Tweet! Hoot-hoot!
Our classroom was wild! Not everyone behaved well. Bobby’s dog started growling at Hank’s dog and they had to stand on opposite sides of the room.
Then Omar’s big frisky dog knocked over two chairs on his way in.
Nancy’s kitten, Pokey, threw up a hair ball. (Some kids were worried. But Nancy said Pokey had done it lots of times before.)
“Where is Pumpkin?” asked Natalie. “I cannot wait to meet her.”
“I am sure she will be here soon,” I said.
I was getting a little worried. Most of the animals had already arrived and were wearing their costumes.
What if Daddy had changed his mind about bringing Pumpkin in? What if Pumpkin had gotten sick? But I knew I did not really have to worry. Daddy would call if there were a problem.
Finally Daddy walked into the room with Pumpkin. I ran to greet them.
“Hello, Pumpkin, how was your trip?” I asked.
“I am sorry we are late,” said Daddy. “I had trouble catching Pumpkin and putting her into her box.”
“She was probably excited about the party,” I replied. “Natalie, come meet Pumpkin!”
I introduced Natalie to Pumpkin.
“She is so sweet. You are really lucky,” said Natalie.
She gave Pumpkin the fish-shaped treats she had brought. Pumpkin loved them. Then Nancy held out Pokey. We introduced Pumpkin and Pokey and they liked each other right away.
I was already wearing my witch’s costume. It was time to put on Pumpkin’s hat. I set it on her head, but it slid off. I put it back on. It slid off again. The third time it slid off, I left it hanging. Pumpkin started playing with it.
“Wait, Pumpkin. Do not ruin your costume yet,” I said.
Ms. Colman was calling for our attention. She was holding a camera.
“Welcome, everyone,” said Ms. Colman. “Please stand as close together as you can. I would like to get a picture of the guests at our Halloween pet party.”
I put the hat back on Pumpkin’s head. I held Pumpkin in my arms. Natalie stood by me and held the hat in place.
“Ready?” said Ms. Colman. “Say ‘Happy Halloween!’ ”
“Happy Halloween!” we called.
Click! Ms. Colman took our picture. Then she gave out treats and awards. Every pet got one. Pumpkin’s award was for youngest pet at the party.
“You are very special, Pumpkin,” I said.
Pumpkin was also very tired. She curled up on the desk between Natalie and me and fell fast asleep.
Cat Lessons
“This is how you do it,” I said to Pumpkin.
It was Saturday morning. I was giving Pumpkin her first walking-on-a-leash lesson.
It had taken me a long time to find Pumpkin, because she was playing hide-and-seek with me. It took even longer to put on her leash, because she kept squirming away. Finally I snapped the leash on.
I was about to start her lesson when I saw Boo-Boo peeking out from behind the couch. Daddy had said he did not think Boo-Boo would like walking on a leash. But I was not so sure. And I had an extra leash to try with.
I called for Daddy.
“I think Boo-Boo feels left out,” I said. “I think he might want a leash too.”
“We can try,” Daddy replied.
Guess what. Boo-Boo let Daddy put the leash on.
“Will you stay and help me, Daddy?” I asked.
“Sure,” Daddy replied. “I am already amazed. Boo-Boo seems to be perking up a little bit.”
I tried to remember the hints about walking cats on leashes that I had heard on a radio show about pets. But none of them was working. Maybe I did not remember them well. Maybe I needed a book. Maybe I needed more cooperative cats.
Pumpkin was too young and frisky. She walked two steps with me, then stood up on her back paws and started batting at the leash with her front paws.
Boo-Boo was too old and short-tempered. He decided he did not like the leash after all. He lay down on the floor and started biting it.
“Oh, well,” said Daddy. “We tried.”
He took the leash off of Boo-Boo. I took the leash off of Pumpkin.
“I am going to help get lunch ready,” Daddy said. “I will call you when it is time to eat.”
I sat down on the floor next to Boo-Boo. The next thing I knew, Pumpkin had jumped onto my lap. Boo-Boo did not get up and run away.
I decided it was a good time to have a little talk with them both.
“So, Boo-Boo, how do you like having a new kitten in the house?” I asked.
Boo-Boo looked up at me and flicked his tail.
“I know you and Pumpkin are different in some ways. You are old. Pumpkin is young. You are gray with stripes. Pumpkin is black,” I said. “But you have a lot in common too. You are both cats. Neither of you will let me walk you on a leash. And there is one more important thing. I love you both a lot.”
I reached down and petted Boo-Boo with my left hand and Pumpkin with my right. And they purred softly together.
“I think the three of us are going to be okay,” I said. I felt like purring too.
About the Author
ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.
Copyright © 1998 by Ann M. Martin
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition, 1998
e-ISBN 978-1-338-06065-2
Ann M. Martin, Karen's Black Cat
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