Jim and his brother, Bill,
went to the park to play on the swings. Jim heard a meow come from
under the slippery slide. "It's a kitty," Jim said.
Bill ran over to see. "A
kitty. I want a kitty. Let's keep him and take him home."
"We can't do that, Bill. What
if it belongs to someone else?"
"I want it." Bill picked the
kitty up and carried it home.
"We shouldn't take it. It's
not our kitty." Jim shook his head.
Bill ignored him and kept
walking. That afternoon Bill played with the kitty. He named it
Fuzzy and stroked its fur and fed it a can of tuna fish. "Nice
kitty. You're my kitty now."
Jim went back to the park and
started asking people if they had lost their kitty. An elderly
woman sat on a bench. "Do you loose a ginger-colored cat?"
The woman smiled. "No. My
cat's name is Fluffy and she's home, safe in the house."
Jim waved goodbye and saw a
little girl on the slippery slide. "Hey, little girl, did you lose a
kitty?"
The girl slid down. "No. I
don't like cats. I like dogs. I've got a dog at home named Sammy."
She climbed the ladder again.
Jim saw a woman pushing a baby
in a stroller. "Excuse me. Did you lose a kitty?"
The woman stopped and looked
at Jim. "No. I have a puppy at home. My baby, Grace, loves her
puppy."
Jim waved goodbye. He was
about to go home when he saw a boy standing near a tree. "Did you
lose a kitty?"
The boy had tear in his eyes.
"I did. His name is Carl. Have you seen him?"
Jim smiled. "Follow me." He
led the boy back to his house. "Bill? Bill. Come here."
Bill came out the front door.
The kitty was in his arms.
"Carl." The other boy laughed
and ran to Bill, grabbing the kitty out of his arms. "I'm so glad
you found him. I lost him today and I've been so sad." The boy ran
off with the kitty.
Bill sat on a bucket and
cried. "I want the kitty."
Jim sighed. "Bill, maybe if we
ask Mom and Dad, they'll buy you one. Come on. I'll go with you."
Their parents thought it was a
good idea and bought Bill his very own kitty. It had black splotches
on its white fur. Bill named it Patches and didn't cry any more.