Cally's Adventure

 Good morning,

Do you ever have a week where you feel like you are starting out the week behind and you never quite seem to catch up? That's sort of how I've felt this week. We had a lot of fun on Saturday at our church picnic for the 4th of July. (I even joined in the adults' baseball game.) And Sunday was busy with orchestra practice then playing and then I taught children's church. On Monday I was tired. I went to a parade with my best friend, and took a nap in the afternoon. Wednesday night I worked nursery at church, last night I attended a political meeting and found out who I was NOT going to vote for. (Hint: If you want my vote, don't spend most of your speech criticizing and tearing down your opponent and the shaking your head and rolling your eyes when he's telling the truth about your accusations.)

Anyway, writing has been slow. I have only gotten just over 3k written all month! Am I going to have to lower my goal? I hope not, but we'll see. I've also been busy with some other needed things for my website or blog, and preparing a cover of that "secret project" I've mentioned here before. Not to mention Camp is going on.

We haven't been walking because it's so hot! When you are under heat warnings and it's 103ºF with a heat index of 107º or more, you don't feel like walking. At least I don't.

Today's story is one I wrote several years ago for some young friends. I changed the names and decided to let you all read it. Just remember, it was written for little children.

 

Cally’s Adventure

    It was a beautiful summer morning. All the birds were awake and singing. The flowers nodded their heads to a small brown, yellow, and white kitten as it slowly walked down the sidewalk. A yellow butterfly flitted in front of the kitten and, Cally, for that was the kitten’s name, scampered after it down the sidewalk until the butterfly floated up into the blue sky. Then Cally sat down and began to wash her face, for she had forgotten to do it before leaving the house.
    It didn’t take Cally long to finish washing, and she once more started off. She was going exploring all by herself. Usually her owners, Emmy, April, and Joel were outside with her, but they had been busy when Cally had slipped out the door that hadn’t been latched.
    Quickly Cally darted across the street and into an empty field. There were so many flowers to stop and sniff, bugs to look at, and butterflies to follow, that Cally didn’t pay any attention to where she was or to where she was going.
    When a sudden movement in the grass near a tiny stream caught her attention, Cally crouched down, hoping it was a mouse and she could catch it. But instead of a mouse, a strange creature that Cally had never seen before jumped out from behind the rock.
    Cally tipped her head and stared at him, and the creature stared back. Slowly she stretched out her head to sniff the small thing, but when her nose came close, the creature jumped away.
    This so startled Cally that she gave a jump backwards. She didn’t know it, but the little creature was a frog.
    Both the kitten and the frog stared at each other again. Then Cally stepped forward cautiously. She didn’t want to frighten her new playmate. “Meow,” she said softly.
    The frog jumped away again and waited.
    Cally followed.
    Again the frog jumped.
    And again Cally followed.
    It became a little game, and Cally never once thought of how late it was getting or where she was. All she was interested in was getting close to that jumping creature.
    Then suddenly, the little frog jumped onto a large rock in the middle of the stream.
    Cally stopped at the edge of the water. “Meow!” she complained to the frog. “Meow!” Cally didn’t think it was very nice for the frog to jump onto a rock in the stream, for Cally, like most cats, didn’t like water. “Meow, meow,” Cally called, trying to coax the frog back to dry land where any sensible creature would want to be.

*

    Back at the house, Emmy, April, and Joel were looking all over for Cally. They called and called, but there was no small kitten anywhere.
    “Perhaps she went outside,” April said.
    “May we go look for her, Mom,” Emmy asked.
    “Me too!” Joel put in quickly.
    Mom looked at the children. “Yes, you may go look in the yard, but if she’s not there, you will need to get someone big to go with you.”
    “Okay.” Quickly the three children ran outside.
    “Cally! Cally!” They called and called, but Cally didn’t answer.
    “I’m hot,” Emmy said, sinking down to rest on one of the swings.
    “Me too,” April agreed. She sat down on the other swing.
    “Not me,” Joel called, running to look under another bush. He didn’t find Cally, but he did find a stick, which he kept, knowing it could be very useful.
    “Meow.” It was a very faint call, but all three children heard it.
    “That’s Cally!” April exclaimed!
    “But she’s not in the yard. Quick!” Emmy jumped from her swing and ran to the house. “Cally’s not in the yard, but we can hear her!” she called.
    Mom sent one of their big sisters to go with them.
    The children followed the sound of Cally’s cries until they came to a street. After looking carefully in both directions, and with Joel holding their sister’s hand, they crossed it. A large and lovely field stretched before them, but April didn’t stop to pick any flowers, and Emmy didn’t try to catch any butterflies. Even Joel forgot to look for bugs.

*

    “Meow!” Cally called to the frog again. But the frog wouldn’t jump back. So Cally decided to be brave and attempt to jump across the nasty water and join the frog. Crouching low, she made a valiant attempt and actually made it to the rock!
    But where had the frog gone? Carefully she sniffed all around the rock. He was nowhere to be found. As she moved to the farthest edge of the rock, it tipped, and Cally’s back feet fell into the water.
    “Meow!” Frantically she tried to scramble back, but the rock wobbled unsteadily. “Meow!” she cried. “Meow. Meow!”
    “There she is!” Emmy and April shouted at once.
    Cally heard the voices and meowed again. A moment later she felt herself lifted up and handed to the safety of Emmy’s arms. Cally gave one more pitiful, “Meow,” and then settled down.
    April stroked the kitten’s head and crooned over her. “You poor kitty. You shouldn’t go out and get lost. What were you doing in the water?”
    “A frog!” Joel, as soon as he had seen the kitten was safe, had begun exploring the water’s edge and poking his stick into the small current. “Look, look! A froggy!” Joel abandoned his stick and started after the frog. Twice he almost had it, but each time the creature hopped just out of his reach.
    “Let’s go home now,” Emmy suggested. “We found Cally.”
    “I want to catch a frog,” Joel said, still chasing the frog. “See, I found a frog!”
    “Yes,” Big Sister said, “but we can’t keep a frog, Joel. He wouldn’t like it at our house. And we need to take Cally home for her breakfast.”
    Cally began to purr. She didn’t know what a frog was, but going home sounded good, and breakfast sounded even better.

How was your week?

Do you like the heat or the cooler weather better?

Did you enjoy this story?