1. A Sound Outside
I am reading in the front room. My mother is in the kitchen. I hear a small sound near our door. It comes again. It sounds like a cat. I put my book on the table and call my mother.
We open the door together. A small cat is sitting outside. Its back is black, and its feet are white. It has a long black tail. One ear is black. The other ear has a little white spot on it.
The cat looks up at us with green eyes. Then it looks inside the house. We do not have a cat. I wonder where its home is. The cat may need help. My mother asks me to stay beside her. We give the cat some space.
The cat stands up and moves its tail. It walks a little way from the door. Then it sits down again. It is waiting for something. I sit on our step, away from the cat. I speak in a quiet voice.
2. A Bowl of Water
It is a warm afternoon. My mother brings a small bowl of water. She puts the bowl on the ground near the cat. Then she steps back. The cat looks at the bowl. After a moment, it walks towards the water.
The cat drinks slowly. Its white front feet are beside the bowl. Its long tail rests on the ground. I can see its small pink tongue. I stay on the step and watch. I do not try to pick the cat up. We wait quietly.
My mother looks towards the house next door. There is sometimes a cat at its window. It is black and white too. She wants to ask about the cat. We leave the bowl beside our step.
My mother walks to the next door. She can still see me on our step. I can still see her too. The cat stays near the water bowl. It washes one white foot with its tongue. Then it looks towards my mother.
3. The House Next Door
A woman opens the next door. My mother asks about her cat. The woman comes outside with a picture on her phone. Her cat has white feet and a black back. One ear has a small white spot. This cat looks the same.
The woman sits near our gate. She speaks softly to the cat. The cat turns its head towards her. It gets up and walks over. It touches her hand with its head. The woman smiles. This is her cat.
Our front door is blue. The door next door is blue too. The woman looks at both doors and laughs gently. Her cat is sitting outside the wrong blue door. Its own home is only a short walk away.
The woman thanks us for the help and the water. I ask if I can touch the cat. She says I can try gently. I hold out my hand and wait. The cat comes closer. I stroke its back once, very softly.
4. Back to My Book
The woman stands up and walks to her home. The cat walks beside her. Its tail is high now. They go through the next gate together. The woman opens her blue door. The cat walks inside, and she follows it.
I take the empty water bowl to my mother. She washes it in the kitchen. I wash my hands too. Our front step is quiet again. There is no cat at our door now. I go back to the front room.
My book is still on the table. I open it at a picture of a white cat. This cat has blue eyes and a short tail. The real cat next door has green eyes and a long tail. I look at the picture again.
Later, I pass our front window. I can see the window next door. The black and white cat is sitting there, inside its own home. One white foot is on the glass. It looks at me, then closes its green eyes.
