Cat Mummy Read online

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Ancient Egyptian Cats

  I DIDN’T SLEEP properly that night. Mabel padded in and out of my dreams and whenever I woke up the bed was so cold and empty without her.

  I had another search of the house when I got up.

  ‘I’ve had a good look myself,’ said Gran. ‘There’s no sign of her.’

  ‘Let’s open her tin of Whiskas and bang the tin opener about a bit. That always makes her come,’ I said desperately.

  Gran opened the tin. She banged the tin opener lots of times. So did I. We both called for Mabel. But Mabel didn’t come.

  Grandad had another good look when he went to get the newspapers. No luck.

  ‘Perhaps she’s been kidnapped!’ I said.

  ‘Darling, nobody would want an old cat like Mabel,’ said Gran.

  ‘I want her,’ I said, and I cried again.

  I cried so much that Gran and Grandad got really worried.

  ‘Do try and stop, Verity. You’ll make yourself ill,’ said Gran. ‘Come on, now, you’re going to be late for school.’

  ‘Maybe she’s not in a fit state for school?’ said Grandad.

  ‘No, I’m not in a fit state at all,’ I sobbed, hoping that I’d be able to stay off and search for Mabel.

  But Gran was firm. I had to go to school no matter what. She stuck the cleaned sandals on my feet and fetched me a clean school dress from the airer.

  ‘Come on, stop that crying now, Verity,’ she said, buttoning me into my dress.

  She couldn’t button my lips though.

  ‘You don’t understand, Gran. Don’t you care that Mabel’s missing?’

  Gran stopped buttoning.

  ‘I care a great deal,’ she said, and her voice suddenly sounded wavery, like a radio not tuned in properly. ‘I’ve known Mabel much longer than you, Verity. I remember when we first got her as a kitten and your mother––’ Gran’s voice suddenly stopped. There were tears in her eyes.

  My tummy clenched so tight I couldn’t talk either, but I squeezed Gran’s hand to show her I was sorry.

  ‘I’ll take you to school today, Verity,’ said Grandad. ‘Come on, dear. Leave your gran be for now.’

  Gran wasn’t making any sound but the tears were running down her cheeks. Silent crying seems more frightening than noisy sobs. I hurried off to school with Grandad, looking in every single garden on the way. I kept stopping to peer underneath cars too just in case Mabel was curled up anywhere.

  Grandad gave me a hug at the school gate.

  ‘How about a big smile for Grandad?’ he asked. I couldn’t even manage a very little smile. Grandad was finding it hard to smile too.

  ‘I wish I didn’t have to go to school, Grandad,’ I said, wondering if he’d weaken and let me go back home with him.

  But Grandad said maybe playing with my friends would take my mind off Mabel. I didn’t see how he could say that. My mind was going Mabel-Mabel-Mabel like a burglar alarm and when I went into the classroom and started talking to Sophie and Laura and Aaron the Mabel noise didn’t stop. It got louder.

  ‘What’s up, Verity?’ Sophie asked, putting her arm round me.

  ‘Mabel’s missing!’ I wailed, and I told her all about it.

  Sophie was very comforting. She gave me half her Mars Bar from her lunch box and told me that Sporty and Scary and Baby and Posh’s mother once went missing.

  ‘She was gone for ages. She made herself a nest in the garden shed. That’s where she had her kittens. Maybe your Mabel’s having kittens too?’

  ‘Mabel’s much too old to have kittens.’

  ‘Maybe she’s just gone off on the scrounge,’ said Laura. ‘Our dog Dustbin does that. He goes into people’s gardens and barks piteously as if he’s starving and sometimes they fall for it and feed him.’

  ‘I don’t think Mabel would do that. She’s been a bit off her food recently,’ I said. ‘She keeps being sick.’ I put my head down on my desk. ‘I was horrid to her because I stepped in it, but it wasn’t her fault at all. Maybe she’s really, really ill.’

  ‘Our Licky is sick lots and lots. He eats grass, the silly boy, like he’s got this mad idea he’s a sheep. Does your Mabel eat grass?’

  ‘No, she just likes her cat food,’ I said, speaking into my desk.

  ‘Good morning, everyone,’ said Miss Smith cheerily, coming into the classroom. ‘Verity? What’s up with you, poppet? Are you sleepy?’

  ‘Mmm,’ I mumbled.

  ‘Did you stay up late watching television?’

  ‘No. I couldn’t sleep properly.’

  ‘Why’s that?’ said Miss Smith, coming up to my desk and squatting down beside me.

  ‘I had these bad dreams.’

  ‘Oh dear. Did you tell your mum?’

  ‘My mum’s dead,’ I said, and I sniffed hard.

  Miss Smith looked very upset. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, as if my mum had only died yesterday.

  I drooped in my desk while Miss Smith started the lesson, telling us all this stuff about the Ancient Egyptians. We’re doing them this term.

  Miss Smith looks a bit like an Ancient Egyptian herself with her straight black hair and her big outlined eyes. We had to do an Ancient Egyptian picture last week. You have to draw all the people looking sideways. Sophie and I got the giggles wondering if the Ancient Egyptians walked about like that.

  I didn’t feel at all like giggling now.

  Moyra gave me a little dig in the back.

  ‘My pet snake Crusher’s gone missing too,’ she whispered. ‘I wonder where he can have got to?’

  I knew what was coming. A few seconds later Moyra’s arm slithered over my shoulders.

  ‘It’s Crusher!’ she hissed.

  This time I didn’t scream. I didn’t even flinch.

  Moyra tried again, her arm wrapping right round my waist, but I still didn’t move.

  ‘Moyra! Leave Verity alone, please,’ said Miss Smith.

  ‘You’re no fun,’ Moyra whispered.

  I knew I wasn’t any fun. I slumped further down in my chair, thinking about Mabel. I kept remembering how I’d shouted at her for being sick and the sad, shamed way she’d slunk off. I couldn’t bear it.

  I had to find my hankie quick. I snuffled noisily. Everyone politely took no notice – until I got another poke in the back from Moyra. I thought I was under another Crusher attack, but she whispered, ‘Sorry about your cat, Verity. I’m sure she’ll come back. We always find Crusher when he goes missing.’

  ‘Moyra!’ said Miss Smith.

  ‘I was just saying nice stuff about Verity’s cat, Miss Smith!’ said Moyra.

  ‘She was, Miss Smith,’ I said, blowing my nose.

  I’m not always good, but I am truthful.

  The whole class looked astonished. Moyra and I are famed for our deadly enmity and yet here we were sticking up for each other. Even Miss Smith looked surprised.

  ‘Well, I’m glad to see you two being friendly for once,’ she said. ‘Still, we’re really supposed to be thinking about the Ancient Egyptians, not cats. Though as a matter of fact the Ancient Egyptians were extremely interested in cats. They kept them as special pets and looked after them very lovingly. If an enemy soldier held a cat as a kind of living armour the Egyptian soldiers wouldn’t attack because they were so worried about hurting the cat. They even had a special cat goddess called Bastet. They built a big cat cemetery in her name. When a cat died the owners would shave their eyebrows as a sign of mourning – and very special cats were even made into mummies.’

  ‘Mummies! Wow. Tell us about mummies, Miss Smith,’ said Moyra.

  I stopped listening. I was saying a prayer to Bastet.

  ‘Please let me find Mabel, oh great cat goddess Bastet,’ I whispered. ‘Please please please let me find Mabel.’

  I had my eyes tightly shut. When I opened them Miss Smith was holding up a picture of a cat. It looked very odd, long and thin, with no tail or paws, but it had a very distinct cat face and