Fluffy

"Puss puss puss puss!"

Ruby stopped yelling and sighed. Fluffy had obviously decided to stay out again tonight. She'd shaken the dry food box, banged a tin with a spoon, called him on and off for an hour – nothing. Fluffy was nowhere to be seen.

"Silly thing!" she muttered at the absent cat, "Just don't come back with dead wildlife, you horror!"

She shut the back door, bolted it carefully, and wandered into the kitchen to make dinner.

****

A high-pitched yowling woke Ruby from a deep sleep. She sat u