The Land of Meow Short Story Series

Chapter Three: "Something is wrong."

Chapter Three: "Something is wrong."

When Jonathon and Ginger-Fluff arrived at Spoilt Sopher's house, they noticed something odd immediately. Spoilt Sopher's 'Fancy Feast' was going off and Spoilt Sopher was nowhere to be seen. They knew that Spoilt Sopher was lazy, but he had never been too lazy to eat his food before, and he was usually to be found lying around somewhere.

"Where is Spoilt Sopher?" Ginger-Fluff whispered.

"I don't know," Jonathon said. "Let's look around."

Jonathon and Ginger-Fluff ran all around the front garden, but Spoilt Sopher was not there. They checked around the side, but there was only an empty path. The back garden was also empty. Jonathon and Ginger-Fluff were puzzled. If Spoilt Sopher was inside the house, he would have used his cat door and eaten the food his owner had left on the verandah.

Then they heard a pathetic mewing, as if it hurt the cat to try to make a noise loud enough to be heard. The mewing had to be Spoilt Sopher, but where was it coming from? Jonathon and Ginger-Fluff sniffed at the garage, but Spoilt Sopher was not there and that was the wrong direction. They checked both the front and back yards once again.

Finally, they noticed a tiny garden shed, not much larger than a toilet cubicle. It had been installed against the side of the garage and was only used for storing the mower and a rake. They mewed outside the small shed, and Spoilt Sopher mewed back.

"How did you get in there?" Jonathon asked.

"I looked in here yesterday when the mowing man visited to do the lawns," Spolit Sopher replied. "I think I must have fallen asleep because before I knew it, he had pushed the mower in after me and locked the door."

"How come Mrs. Harrison didn't hear you crying?" Ginger-Fluff asked.

"Mrs. Harrison is deaf you know," Spoilt Sopher replied. "Besides, she never comes around here."

"I don't know what we can do," Jonathon said considering. "Our paws cannot unlock the padlock."

"Perhaps you could turn back into a boy," Spoilt Sopher suggested.

"If I turned back into a boy I would wake up in bed," Jonathon said. "So that would not work."

"We could get Big Dog and he could bark very loud," Ginger-Fluff suggested. "Then Mrs. Harrison might hear."

"She would only be angry with Big Dog," Jonathon said. "Besides, Big Dog might still have the beagles with him – and we don't want to approach any strange dogs do we?"

"We have to solve the problem ourselves," Ginger-Fluff agreed. "But what can we do?"

"Spoilt Sopher might have to wait until morning, when I can come over in my boy form and knock on Mrs. Harrison's door," Jonathon suggested.

"Oh no!" Spoilt Sopher wailed. "I have already been in here since yesterday morning. I've missed two meals and I am horribly thirsty. Please think of something!"