Maggie

Victoria had always wanted a cat.

Her father said they were too expensive, and her mother didn’t really say anything.

Victoria was overjoyed when the couple next door, the Maxteds, bought a sturdy dark grey kitten named Maggie. Maggie wasn’t the most friendly cat. Rather like her mistress, Mrs Maxted, she thought well of herself and carried herself with dignity.

Victoria would often linger near the border of the two properties hoping to see Maggie. Whenever she did see her, she would crouch down and softly call the standoffish little cat. Maggie would come over slowly, sniff Victoria’s hand, purr lightly, and rub her haunches on Victoria before moving off.

One Friday when Victoria’s mother picked her up after school, she said to Victoria, “Maggie is going to be staying with us this weekend.”

“Really?!”

“Mrs Maxted brought over her food and a bed this afternoon.”

“Can she sleep in my room?!”

“As long as Dad doesn’t mind.”

As soon as they reached home, Victoria grabbed her backpack and ran up the stairs to the living room.

“Where’s Maggie?!”

Mum’s voice came up the stairs. “She was in the living room when I left.”

Victoria lay down on the floor and looked under the sofas. There she was!

“Maggie. Come here, honey. Maggie. Tsk-tsk-tsk.”

Maggie unfroze and squeezed her eyes shut a little when she recognised Victoria. She lowered her neck and started crawling out from under the furniture.

“Maggie!”

Maggie looked a little nervous, her pupils slightly dilated, but Victoria didn’t blame her for that. Maggie had never been in Victoria’s house before.

Victoria picked up her schoolbag and took a couple of steps towards her bedroom. She looked back at Maggie: “Maggie. Come on.”

She walked a little more and glanced back to make sure that Maggie was following.

The two of them reached Victoria’s door. Victoria waited for Maggie to catch up and then opened the door. Maggie froze, her eyes widened, she craned her neck to see what was in the room.

Victoria stood still, giving Maggie time to become comfortable. As soon as she felt safe, Maggie lifted a paw and moved gingerly through the doorway.

Victoria was thrilled to have her beloved Maggie in her own room. She gently put away her school bag and changed into her home clothes. Then she gingerly picked Maggie up in her arms. Maggie pushed against Victoria’s arms a little but when Victoria softly stroked Maggie’s back, Maggie relaxed.

Victoria carried Maggie out to the kitchen. Mum was cutting up vegetables for dinner.

“What is Maggie having for dinner, Mum?”

“Mrs Maxted brought over some cubed meat. It’s the fanciest cat food I’ve ever seen.”

“Can I feed her?”

“As long as you’re careful.”

Victoria’s mother took Maggie’s food bowl out of a small bag and told Victoria to put it on the kitchen floor on a sheet of newspaper. Victoria wasn’t allowed to measure out the food herself, at least not this time, but she watched keenly as her mother spooned the meat into the bowl.

As soon as Victoria put the bowl on the paper, Maggie approached it. Victoria had never seen Maggie move so quickly! Victoria went and crouched by her darling Maggie. As soon as she did, Maggie stopped eating, lowered her head over the food in a guarding motion, and looked at Victoria out of the corner of her eye.

“Move back, Victoria.”

Victoria was shocked at Maggie’s behaviour. Didn’t she trust her and know that she would never hurt her or take her food?

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At bedtime, Victoria convinced her father to let Maggie sleep in her bedroom.

Victoria’s mother set up Maggie’s bed in a corner of Victoria’s room.

“Can she sleep on my bed, Mum?”

“As long as you don’t tell Dad. He wouldn’t like it.”

Victoria’s mother said good-night and closed the door.

Maggie was curled at the foot of the bed. She was purring but didn’t look ready to sleep.

“Come up here, Maggie,” said Victoria, and patted the bed beside her.

Maggie stood up and stalked up the bed and settled inside Victoria’s arm. Victoria smiled and settled her head on the pillow. Within minutes, Victoria was asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Victoria woke feeling heavy movement beside her. For a moment, she was confused and frightened. Then she remembered: Maggie!

“What are you doing, Maggie?” she whispered.

Maggie was trying to push her head under the blanket.

“Maggie?”

Victoria lifted the blanket. Maybe Maggie was cold. Maggie crouched and crept under the blanket. Victoria smiled, feeling warm and maternal. But Maggie kept going, all the way down to Victoria’s feet and then beyond them to the empty space at the bottom. Maybe she was just exploring and would come back up and put her face next to Victoria’s. But no, she was settling down there! She started purring more loudly than ever and turned around twice before lying down curled up below Victoria’s feet. Victoria was worried; she remembered a story her mother had told her about a couple who woke one morning to find their baby dead of suffocation at the bottom of her bed. Oh dear. Victoria couldn’t let that happen to Maggie. Victoria held up the blanket to allow air to reach Maggie. She tried to figure out how to keep holding up the blanket while she was asleep. Eventually she couldn’t stay awake any longer and sank into sleep.

Sometime later – was it half an hour, an hour, two hours? – Victoria came suddenly awake. Maggie! She jerked the blanket up. With relief, she felt a small movement from Maggie. She was still alive!

The night continued in the same vein: being unable to stay awake any longer, groggily wafting air to the foot of the bed, worrying, sleeping again, all the way to dawn. But joy of joys, Maggie was alive come morning.

It certainly was a difficult job, looking after a cat.