Sharing Snowy Read online

  Sharing Snowy

  Marilyn Helmer

  Illustrated by

  Kasia Charko

  Text copyright © 2008 Marilyn Helmer

  Illustrations copyright © 2008 Kasia Charko

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Helmer, Marilyn

  Sharing Snowy / written by Marlyn Helmer ; illustrator, Kasia Charko.

  (Orca echoes)

  ISBN 978-1-55469-021-3

  1. Cats--Juvenile fiction. I. Charko, Kasia, 1949- II. Title.

  III. Series.

  PS8565.E4594S53 2008 jC813’.54 C2008-903425-2

  First published in the United States, 2008

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2008930037

  Summary: Ali finds a white cat, Snowy, and must decided if Snowy is hers to keep.

  Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

  Typesetting by Christine Toller

  Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Kasia Charko

  Author photo by Gary Helmer

  ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

  PO BOX 5626, STN. B PO BOX 468

  VICTORIA, BC CANADA CUSTER, WA USA

  V8R 6S4 98240-0468

  www.orcabook.com

  Printed and bound in Canada.

  11 10 09 08 • 4 3 2 1

  For Ethan and Ashley—a story to share.

  M.H.

  Chapter One

  WISHES

  Ali raced to answer the phone.

  “Hello, Birthday Girl!” said Grandma when she heard Ali’s voice.

  “My birthday isn’t until next week,” Ali reminded her.

  “I’m trying to think of a super duper present,” said Grandma. “Any hints?”

  Ali hesitated. “You know what I want most, Grandma?”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Grandma sounded sad. “You know you can’t have a cat. Not with Jay’s allergies.”

  For a moment, Ali had dared to hope. But what was the use? Her big brother, Jay, was allergic to cats, so they couldn’t have a cat in the house. Not ever. And that was that.

  “I have an idea,” said Grandma. “Let’s go birthday shopping together. How about Thursday? I’ll be back from my trip by then.”

  “Oh, yes, Grandma!” said Ali. Her spirits lifted a bit. Shopping with Grandma was so fun.

  “I’ll see you then,” said Grandma.

  “Have fun at Auntie Claire’s,” said Ali, and she hung up the phone.

  “Leelee!” Ali turned. Her baby brother, Ben, stumbled up the hall toward her.

  Ali gasped. Ben had her favorite necklace. It was made of brightly colored beads, like jewels a queen would wear. It was so long Ali could wind it three times around her neck.

  Ali jumped to her feet. “Ben, give me my necklace. Right now!” she shouted.

  Too late. Ben tripped on the necklace. The string broke. Beads flew in all directions. Ben fell down and began to wail.

  Mom hurried from the kitchen. “What happened?” she asked, picking Ben up.

  Ali scrambled after the beads. “He broke my necklace.” She glared at Ben. “He’s always taking my things.”

  Mom soothed Ben. “I’m sorry about your necklace, Ali,” she said. “But we can fix it.”

  “I wish he would leave my things alone,” Ali said crossly.

  “Ben didn’t mean any harm,” Mom said. “Come on. Let’s have some juice.”

  In the kitchen, Mom put Ben into his high chair. Ben peeked around her at Ali. His tear-streaked face broke into a grin. Ali grinned back. It was hard to stay cross with Ben.

  Mom poured juice into glasses for Ali and herself. She poured juice into a sippy cup for Ben. The sippy cup had cats drawn all around the sides.

  “That was my sippy cup,” Ali said.

  “You don’t use it anymore,” said Mom.

  Ben banged the sippy cup on his high chair.

  Ali sighed. “I hope he doesn’t break it,” she said.

  Mom smiled. “I think it’s break proof.”

  Ali told Mom about Grandma’s phone call. “We’re going birthday shopping on Thursday,” she said.

  “That sounds exciting,” said Mom. She lifted Ben from his high chair. “It’s time for your nap, mister.”

  Ali followed Mom and Ben upstairs. She went to her own room. The shelf over her bed was filled with cats. There were big cats on the shelf. There were little cats on the shelf. Some were made of glass and some were made of china. Others were made of soft fuzzy cloth. They all had names. There was Bernadette and Grumpuss, Chloe and Gina, Catfish and Julia, and Chacha and Mr. Bumbles. Ali loved her cat collection. But she wished, oh, how she wished, that just one of them was a real live cat.

  Ali sat on her bed. She picked up Tedward Bear. “I wish I had a big brother who wasn’t allergic to cats,” she whispered in his ear. “I wish I had a baby

  brother who didn’t take my things.” She hugged Tedward Bear. “But most of all, I wish I could have a real cat of my very own.”

  Chapter Two

  A SPECIAL PLACE

  The next afternoon, Ali played at her best friend Sam’s house.

  Sam had two cats. One was black and white. His name was Panda. Sam’s other cat had gray stripes. Her name was Lucy.

  Panda lay down beside Ali. He rolled onto his back. Ali rubbed his tummy. Panda purred loudly.

  “I wish I had a cat like you,” Ali said.

  “Maybe I can give you one for your birthday,” said Sam.

  “We can’t have a cat in our house,” Ali reminded him.

  Sam frowned. “I forgot your brother’s allergic.” Then he grinned. “You can play with Panda and Lucy any time you’re here.”

  But it wasn’t the same as having a cat of her own. Ali didn’t say that out loud though. It would be rude.

  Sam’s mom looked in the doorway. “Samuel,” she said, “it’s garbage day tomorrow. You haven’t cleaned the litterboxes.”

  “I’ll do it later,” said Sam.

  “Now, please,” said his mom. “You might forget later.” Sam had a habit of forgetting things he didn’t like to do.

  Sam stood up. “Do you want to help?” he asked Ali.

  Ali wrinkled her nose. Litterboxes were stinky. But Sam was her best friend. “I’ll help,” she said, “but not the stinky part.”

  Ali held the garbage bag while Sam dumped in the smelly litter. Then he washed the boxes.

  Ali filled them with fresh litter. “Can we feed Panda and Lucy now?” she asked.

  “Sure,” said Sam. He got a tin of cat food from the cupboard. When the cats heard the can opener, they came running.

  Lucy rubbed around Ali’s ankles. Ali picked her up. Her fur was so soft, like Ben’s baby blanket.

  Lucy smelled food. She struggled in Ali’s arms.

  Ali put her down. Just in time. Panda had already gobbled his food. Now he headed for Lucy’s. Lucy hissed at him. She did not want to share her food.

  “Let’s go play in the yard,” Ali said. Sam’s yard was a neat place. There were swings and slides. There were big tubes to run through. There were bars to hang upside down from and ropes to climb.

  For the rest of the afternoon, Sam and Al
i climbed and swung and slid and ran races.

  On Monday, Sam came to Ali’s house for the day. “Let’s play in the clubhouse,” he said.

  Ali’s backyard was larger than Sam’s. The bottom end was overgrown with bushes and trees. Hidden among the trees was the clubhouse. To Ali it was the most special place in the whole world.

  Chapter Three

  SOMETHING’S IN THE BUSHES!

  When Ali’s family first moved into their house, her dad wanted to pull out the bushes and trees and plant a garden. But Ali and Jay had begged him to leave it the way it was.

  “The bushes are neat for hiding in,” Jay said.

  “We can fix up the shed like a clubhouse,” Ali added.

  Ali and Jay cleaned out the shed. But being in the shed made Jay’s allergies worse. He couldn’t play there at all.

  “Can it be mine?” Ali asked. “Just mine?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Dad answered. He put a screen in one window to let in fresh air. He made a new door and put up some shelves. Mom gave Ali an old rug and a couple of comfortable chairs and a table.

  When it was finished, it was the neatest clubhouse Ali had ever seen. And it was all hers. Only she and Sam ever played in it.

  Mom made Sam and Ali a jug of lemonade. She gave them a bag of homemade granola. Ali licked her lips. Mom’s homemade granola was yummy.

  On the way to the clubhouse, Ali sneaked the almonds out of the granola. Almonds were her favorite.

  Sam noticed. “No fair,” he protested. “You’re eating all the good stuff so you don’t have to share.”

  Ali looked guilty. She handed the bag to Sam. He rooted around until he found two almonds Ali had missed. He gobbled them up quickly.

  “What do you want to do today?” Ali asked when they reached the clubhouse. It was very warm inside, so she opened both windows.

  “Let’s be adventurers,” said Sam. “In the jungle. We can track big game.” Sam had heard that on a TV program. He thought it sounded cool.

  They went back outside. There was a narrow dirt path between the bushes. Ali and Sam had to crawl on their hands and knees.

  Sam led the way. “Ali,” he shouted suddenly. “Look, tracks!”

  Ali looked over his shoulder. In a muddy spot beside the path, there were small footprints. “All right!” Ali cheered. “Let’s follow them.”

  Farther on, the bushes gave way to small trees. Now they could walk upright.

  Suddenly, Sam stopped. “Hey,” Ali protested, almost falling over him.

  “Sh-h-h-h,” Sam hissed. “I saw something.”

  “What?” Ali whispered.

  “I think it was some kind of a wild creature,” Sam whispered back.

  Ali gulped. This was more adventure than she wanted. “Maybe we’d better go back to the clubhouse,” she said.

  “Yes.” Sam turned around. “Not that I’m scared or anything.”

  “Me neither,” Ali spoke up quickly.

  As they hurried back to the clubhouse, Ali kept glancing over her shoulder. Was that footsteps she heard thumping behind them? Or was it just her heart pounding?

  When they were safely inside, Ali breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you want to play Monopoly?” she asked.

  “Okay,” said Sam.

  Ali got out the game box. It was old and raggedy. Most of the money was missing. But the game was safe and familiar, like the clubhouse. Still, as Ali threw the dice, little prickles of fear jabbed at her. What had Sam seen hiding in the bushes?

  Chapter Four

  A SURPRISE VISITOR

  When she woke the next morning, Ali propped Tedward Bear on her stomach.

  “Sam’s gone to his dad’s,” she told him. “Kim and Nav are away too. Jay’s at camp. There’s no one to play with.” Tedward Bear didn’t say anything, but Ali knew he felt sorry for her.

  Ali heard Mom and Ben in the kitchen. She pulled on shorts and a T-shirt and ran downstairs.

  “Leelee!” Ben greeted her from his high chair. His face was sticky with honey and toast crumbs.

  Mom looked up from the list she was writing. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said.

  “G’morning,” said Ali as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.

  “Me! Me! Me!” Ben shouted.

  Ali shook some cereal onto Ben’s tray.

  Mom put the list in her purse. “We’re going grocery shopping this morning,” she said.

  Boring! Ali thought as she munched her cereal.

  But Ali was wrong. The shopping trip was not boring.

  On the way to the store, Ben emptied a whole box of Kleenex onto the backseat. At the store, he shouted “Hi, me Bennie!” to everyone they met. People laughed. They thought he was cute. Ali thought he was embarrassing.

  On the way home, they stopped for ice cream. They sat outside at a picnic table so Ben wouldn’t make a mess in the car. Soon Ben’s face was covered with ice cream. Again people laughed. Again, Ali felt embarrassed.

  When they got home, Ali helped Mom put the groceries away. Mom put the fresh salmon she had bought into a casserole dish. She put it in the oven.

  “We’ll have salmon salad for dinner tonight,” she said.

  “Yum,” said Ali. Salmon salad was one of her favorites.

  After lunch, Ali said, “I’m going to play in the clubhouse.”

  “All by yourself?” asked Mom.

  Ali’s face lit up. “Can you come too?” she asked.

  “I wish I could,” Mom said. “But it’s time for Ben’s nap. I can’t leave him alone in the house.”

  Ali slouched out the back door. “Ben, Ben, Ben,” she muttered. “Mom’s always busy with Ben.” Today, Ali really wanted company. But there was no one around. Even the sun had gone behind the clouds.

  When she got to the clubhouse, her spirits lifted. “This is the best place in the whole world,” she said out loud. “And it’s just mine.”

  A slight breeze ruffled Ali’s hair. She looked up. Uh-oh, she had left both of the windows open overnight. Luckily it hadn’t rained.

  Ali sat, chin in hand, thinking about what she could do by herself. She could play Monopoly or Crazy Eights or Go Fish. But games aren’t any fun when you have to play them alone.

  Ali noticed her paint box sitting on the table. That’s what she could do. She could paint a picture for Grandma. Grandma loved Ali’s paintings.

  Ali jumped up to get her paints. Suddenly she froze. Her heart pounded. Behind a box in the corner, something moved.

  Chapter Five

  PROMISES

  The wild creature Sam saw yesterday...it was right here in the clubhouse! The open windows caught Ali’s eye. That’s how the creature had gotten in. Ali wanted to run, but her feet weren’t listening.

  Something darted out from behind the box. Ali gasped. Then she let out a shriek of delight. The creature was a cat!

  “Meow,” said the cat.

  Ali stared. It was the most beautiful cat she had ever seen. Her eyes were jewel green. Her nose looked like a small pink button. She was white from head to toe, like freshly fallen snow in winter.

  “If you were my cat,” Ali whispered, “I’d call you Snowy.”

  The cat ran to her. She circled Ali’s ankles, purring loudly.

  Ali crouched down. “Snowy,” she repeated, “do you like that name?”

  “Meow,” said Snowy.

  Ali ran her hand along Snowy’s back. “Where did you come from?” she asked.

  Snowy didn’t answer. She lay down and rolled over. Bits of dried grass clung to her tummy. Her paws were very dirty.

  Ali picked off the dried grass. She spit on a Kleenex and washed Snowy’s paws. “I’ll bet you don’t have a home,” said Ali. Snowy stood up. She put her front paws on Ali’s knee. “Meow,” she said. The meow sounded lost and lonely.

  That’s when Ali had a wonderful idea. “You can live here, Snowy!” she said. “I can bring you food and water every day.” The words tumbled from her mouth. “I’ll play
with you and make you a special bed.” She hugged Snowy gently. “You can be my cat. My very own cat.”

  Snowy struggled out of Ali’s arms. She ran to the door and meowed. “Oh, Snowy, I can’t let you out,” Ali said. “You might get lost again. You’ll be safe in here.”

  Snowy wasn’t listening. She paced back and forth. What was the matter?

  Ali scrambled to her feet. “I’ll bet you’re hungry,” she said. “I’ll get you some food and water. Right now. And I’ll play with you all afternoon.”

  When she went to the door, Snowy wanted to come too.

  “You can’t come into the house,” Ali said. “My brother Jay is allergic.” She started to explain what allergic meant. Then she stopped. It might hurt Snowy’s feelings.

  Ali was almost out the door when she remembered the windows. Both were open. Only one had a screen in it. Snowy couldn’t get out the screened window. But she could get out the other one. Ali hurried over and closed that one tightly. Snowy still had plenty of fresh air, but she could not get outside.

  Ali rushed to her house. What could she feed Snowy? She didn’t have any cat food. She had to find something. Snowy was hungry.

  When Ali came into the kitchen, she saw the baked salmon cooling on the counter. Cats love salmon, thought Ali. But she couldn’t just take the salmon. Mom would ask what happened to it. And she couldn’t tell Mom about Snowy.

  Ali stared at the salmon. There was a lot of it. She looked into the den. Mom was working at the computer. Ali leaned over Mom’s shoulder. “Can I make myself a salmon sandwich?” she asked.

  Mom looked up. “You just had lunch,” she said.

  “I’m still hungry,” said Ali.

  “Okay,” said Mom.

  “Can I eat it in the clubhouse?” Ali asked.

  Mom nodded. “But come right back. As soon as Ben wakes up from his nap, I’m taking you both for a haircut.”

  Ali groaned. “Mom, I don’t need a haircut,” she protested.