Smokey and the Bandits
Christine Hill
Daniel had always been a difficult child. He was born eight weeks too soon and it was often said that he was maybe he was starved of oxygen during the birth but his mother Sarah was not convinced about this. As he grew older, she noticed lots of little things that he did or said and observed his way of learning things and she recognised that he was totally different to her other three children. Daniel was intelligent and quick to learn anything new but he would never express affection and hated to be cuddled or kissed. When his grandma came to visit, she would give each of the other children a big hug but Daniel somehow always managed to escape. Grandma often commented to Sarah and felt hurt that he would never interact with her but Sarah tried to explain that Daniel was Daniel and she just had to accept the way he was. Grandma would shake her head sadly, feeling just more than a little concerned but even worried that there was something wrong with her youngest grandchild but Sarah would insist that he would “grow out of it.”
It was Daniel’s sixth birthday very soon and Sarah wanted to do something special for him but having a children’s birthday party would not please Daniel; she knew from previous experience that he would sit in a corner all by himself and watch all the other children having fun playing games but nothing would ever persuade him to join in. After collecting Daniel from school the day before his birthday they were walking home down the high street in town and as they reached the pet shop, Daniel stopped to peer through the shop window. He did this everyday, never said much but simply looked inside. Today however, Sarah could see he was more excited than usual and she bent down to see what was holding his interest. He pointed with his finger and suddenly without warning he ran to the shop door, pushed it open and hurried inside. Sarah called him back, alarmed at his sudden action but when he did not respond she hastened inside the shop too. Daniel stood motionless looking inside a huge crate, his eyes fixed on the animal inside curled up in the corner.
“Come along Daniel,” she urged. “We will miss the bus,” but Daniel refused to go. She took his hand and he snatched it back instantly. Surprised at this odd behaviour Sarah looked at him. Finally he turned to look at his mother and said,
“Please can I take him home?” Sarah then looked at the crate and saw a tiny silver grey kitten all curled up in a fluffy ball. She smiled at him and said softly,
“Daniel we have talked before about having animals at home. It’s just not possible to have a tiny kitten when we often have grandma’s dog round at our house. Cats and dogs don’t really like each other.”
“But I want it!” he said angrily, tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. Sarah recognised the signs she knew only too well, when Daniel really wanted something and was refused it, there were often very heated tantrums to follow. She certainly didn’t want to have a performance there in the pet shop which was quite busy with customers so she said to him.
“Well when we get home we will ask daddy and have a talk about it, right?” and again she took his hand and tried to guide him towards the door but Daniel was adamant and stood as if his feet were glued to the floor. Becoming impatient Sarah tugged his hand but he refused to move. Just then Mr Johnson the shopkeeper came over saying.
“Is there a problem? Can I help at all?” and he smiled at Daniel. “He’s a lovely little boy isn’t he?” nodding his head at the little kitten. Sarah realised with dismay that this was a battle that she was not going to win easily. She sighed and then smiled at Mr Johnson saying,
“I guess we are going to buy that little fellow. Can you put together a cat carrier, its food requirements and whatever else we will need?” and she gave a woeful smile. Suddenly Daniel’s eyes lit up with excitement and he jumped up and down hardly able to contain himself.
Half an hour later Sarah and Daniel and the new addition to the family were on the bus journey home. Daniel could not take his eyes off the tiny mewing animal and he talked non-stop to his mother about what he was going to do when they reached home. Sarah however was having palpitations wondering what Tom would say when he discovered the kitten. She decided to say it was Daniel’s birthday present instead of a party and hoped that Tom would be in a good mood when he returned from work.
That night it took a lot of persuasion to get Daniel off to bed. He wanted the kitten which he had christened Smokey to sleep in his bedroom but Tom said that this was not a good idea and he finally convinced Daniel to climb the stairs to bed. Once the children were all safely in bed and Tom and Sarah were finally alone in the kitchen, Tom looked at his wife, shook his head and said, “Sarah, what on earth were you thinking about? Fancy getting a cat of all things? Could you not have just got him a goldfish instead?” She tried to explain how Daniel had been at the pet shop but Tom commented that she was too soft with him and said “You give in to him too easily Sarah, you really do. You will have to learn to be stricter with him. I know he is not like the other children, that he is special to us and sometimes I wonder if actually he has special needs. Do you know what I am saying?” Sarah bristled at the insinuation and said,
“I know exactly what you are saying Tom,” and she looked into the cat carrier as she continued “but you have to admit, he is cute isn’t he?”
As the months went by Smokey grew bigger and his fur was a beautiful silky silver grey. Daniel adored him and both Sarah and Tom had to admit that since the arrival of Smokey, Daniel’s behaviour was exemplary. He ate his meals properly, remembered his manners, even allowed grandma to give him a hug now and then, as long as he could escape to go and play with Smokey afterwards. The other three children liked to play now and then with Daniel and the cat but they told their mother one day that they had been asked to look after the school classroom gerbils during the Easter holidays and so reluctantly Sarah agreed to allow the cage containing six little gerbils take up residence in the utility room on the floor next to the fridge. And so it became a routine that the children looked after their pets each day before they went off to do other activities. Matthew was the oldest child, almost eleven and one day Sarah told him that as soon as he had finished playing with the gerbils she wanted him to go to the local shop for some bread and milk. She told him that she had put a five pound note inside an envelope on the top of the fridge for him to take to pay for the items. Sarah continued with her chores, filling the washing machine and then emptying the drier. She heard Matthew calling to her asking where was the money.
“It’s in the envelope on the fridge,” she answered.
“No it’s not,” he replied. Puzzled, Sarah went through and stared in disbelief saying,
“But I put it there, I’m sure I did!” Shaking her head she reached down to her bag and pulled out her purse and took out another five pound note and handed it to him and he sped off to the shop. Sarah shrugged her shoulders feeling puzzled what she had done with the money, feeling sure that had definitely put it there. Unable to solve the mystery she continued with her chores.
A few days later as Tom was leaving for work Sarah called through to him saying,
“Tom, will you post that letter that’s on the fridge for me as you pass the post box?”
“What letter?” he replied. “There’s no letter here,” he added as he reached out and stroked Smokey as he stalked along the bench top. “You will be in trouble if you get caught up there,” he whispered to the cat. Sarah came into the kitchen and stood looking questioningly at Tom, her hands on her hips, waiting for the letter to magically appear.
“Well I know I put it there!” she announced.
“Well it’s not there now!” replied Tom quite unconcerned. “I’m off to work now. Bye,” and he gave her a peck on the cheek.
The two weeks holiday from school was almost over and Sarah told the children that they must make sure that there was clean shredded paper in the gerbil cage before they took it back to school. They had great fun cutting up sheets of newspaper to make new bedding and finally they announced that the job was done. The gerbils were all safely tucked up in their cage next to the fridge the children were all ready for bed and on their way up the stairs as Sarah glanced around the kitchen before switching off the light when she saw a grey streak gliding around the side of the bench top.
“Oh no you don’t!” threatened Sarah, giving Smokey a gentle helping hand down from the bench. It was one of his favorite tricks to get up there and walk right along the bench tops having first called in at the kitchen sink for a drink of tap water, then with wet paws he would leave a tell-tale trail along his walk back along the benches. Satisfied he was now at ground level her eyes fell upon the cage full of scurrying creatures. Although Sarah was not overly keen on gerbils, she had to admit that they were quite fascinating as they wriggled and squirmed around amongst the torn up newspaper and she stood for a few seconds watching them. Suddenly something orange caught her eye and she peered more closely into the cage. The little animal was munching away intently but there it was, being gently shredded into tiny fragments. It was a postage stamp! My letter! She thought to herself how on earth did that get into the gerbil cage, I wonder. As she bent over the cage, she was suddenly aware of Smokey once again on top of the fridge.
“Oh no you don’t!” she yelled at him when just at that moment he deftly flicked his right front paw at the shopping list she had written earlier and had placed carefully on top of the fridge, ready for tomorrow! But before she could reach out the piece of paper fluttered down and landed on top of the gerbil cage and as fast as lightning several little animals clambered up the bars, tiny little mouths with sharp pointed teeth grabbed the piece of paper and within seconds it was gone!
And so the mystery of the vanishing five pound note (and the letter she had written) was finally solved. The culprits were Smokey and The Bandits! Whoops! Gerbils!
Christine Hill
Daniel had always been a difficult child. He was born eight weeks too soon and it was often said that he was maybe he was starved of oxygen during the birth but his mother Sarah was not convinced about this. As he grew older, she noticed lots of little things that he did or said and observed his way of learning things and she recognised that he was totally different to her other three children. Daniel was intelligent and quick to learn anything new but he would never express affection and hated to be cuddled or kissed. When his grandma came to visit, she would give each of the other children a big hug but Daniel somehow always managed to escape. Grandma often commented to Sarah and felt hurt that he would never interact with her but Sarah tried to explain that Daniel was Daniel and she just had to accept the way he was. Grandma would shake her head sadly, feeling just more than a little concerned but even worried that there was something wrong with her youngest grandchild but Sarah would insist that he would “grow out of it.”
It was Daniel’s sixth birthday very soon and Sarah wanted to do something special for him but having a children’s birthday party would not please Daniel; she knew from previous experience that he would sit in a corner all by himself and watch all the other children having fun playing games but nothing would ever persuade him to join in. After collecting Daniel from school the day before his birthday they were walking home down the high street in town and as they reached the pet shop, Daniel stopped to peer through the shop window. He did this everyday, never said much but simply looked inside. Today however, Sarah could see he was more excited than usual and she bent down to see what was holding his interest. He pointed with his finger and suddenly without warning he ran to the shop door, pushed it open and hurried inside. Sarah called him back, alarmed at his sudden action but when he did not respond she hastened inside the shop too. Daniel stood motionless looking inside a huge crate, his eyes fixed on the animal inside curled up in the corner.
“Come along Daniel,” she urged. “We will miss the bus,” but Daniel refused to go. She took his hand and he snatched it back instantly. Surprised at this odd behaviour Sarah looked at him. Finally he turned to look at his mother and said,
“Please can I take him home?” Sarah then looked at the crate and saw a tiny silver grey kitten all curled up in a fluffy ball. She smiled at him and said softly,
“Daniel we have talked before about having animals at home. It’s just not possible to have a tiny kitten when we often have grandma’s dog round at our house. Cats and dogs don’t really like each other.”
“But I want it!” he said angrily, tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks. Sarah recognised the signs she knew only too well, when Daniel really wanted something and was refused it, there were often very heated tantrums to follow. She certainly didn’t want to have a performance there in the pet shop which was quite busy with customers so she said to him.
“Well when we get home we will ask daddy and have a talk about it, right?” and again she took his hand and tried to guide him towards the door but Daniel was adamant and stood as if his feet were glued to the floor. Becoming impatient Sarah tugged his hand but he refused to move. Just then Mr Johnson the shopkeeper came over saying.
“Is there a problem? Can I help at all?” and he smiled at Daniel. “He’s a lovely little boy isn’t he?” nodding his head at the little kitten. Sarah realised with dismay that this was a battle that she was not going to win easily. She sighed and then smiled at Mr Johnson saying,
“I guess we are going to buy that little fellow. Can you put together a cat carrier, its food requirements and whatever else we will need?” and she gave a woeful smile. Suddenly Daniel’s eyes lit up with excitement and he jumped up and down hardly able to contain himself.
Half an hour later Sarah and Daniel and the new addition to the family were on the bus journey home. Daniel could not take his eyes off the tiny mewing animal and he talked non-stop to his mother about what he was going to do when they reached home. Sarah however was having palpitations wondering what Tom would say when he discovered the kitten. She decided to say it was Daniel’s birthday present instead of a party and hoped that Tom would be in a good mood when he returned from work.
That night it took a lot of persuasion to get Daniel off to bed. He wanted the kitten which he had christened Smokey to sleep in his bedroom but Tom said that this was not a good idea and he finally convinced Daniel to climb the stairs to bed. Once the children were all safely in bed and Tom and Sarah were finally alone in the kitchen, Tom looked at his wife, shook his head and said, “Sarah, what on earth were you thinking about? Fancy getting a cat of all things? Could you not have just got him a goldfish instead?” She tried to explain how Daniel had been at the pet shop but Tom commented that she was too soft with him and said “You give in to him too easily Sarah, you really do. You will have to learn to be stricter with him. I know he is not like the other children, that he is special to us and sometimes I wonder if actually he has special needs. Do you know what I am saying?” Sarah bristled at the insinuation and said,
“I know exactly what you are saying Tom,” and she looked into the cat carrier as she continued “but you have to admit, he is cute isn’t he?”
As the months went by Smokey grew bigger and his fur was a beautiful silky silver grey. Daniel adored him and both Sarah and Tom had to admit that since the arrival of Smokey, Daniel’s behaviour was exemplary. He ate his meals properly, remembered his manners, even allowed grandma to give him a hug now and then, as long as he could escape to go and play with Smokey afterwards. The other three children liked to play now and then with Daniel and the cat but they told their mother one day that they had been asked to look after the school classroom gerbils during the Easter holidays and so reluctantly Sarah agreed to allow the cage containing six little gerbils take up residence in the utility room on the floor next to the fridge. And so it became a routine that the children looked after their pets each day before they went off to do other activities. Matthew was the oldest child, almost eleven and one day Sarah told him that as soon as he had finished playing with the gerbils she wanted him to go to the local shop for some bread and milk. She told him that she had put a five pound note inside an envelope on the top of the fridge for him to take to pay for the items. Sarah continued with her chores, filling the washing machine and then emptying the drier. She heard Matthew calling to her asking where was the money.
“It’s in the envelope on the fridge,” she answered.
“No it’s not,” he replied. Puzzled, Sarah went through and stared in disbelief saying,
“But I put it there, I’m sure I did!” Shaking her head she reached down to her bag and pulled out her purse and took out another five pound note and handed it to him and he sped off to the shop. Sarah shrugged her shoulders feeling puzzled what she had done with the money, feeling sure that had definitely put it there. Unable to solve the mystery she continued with her chores.
A few days later as Tom was leaving for work Sarah called through to him saying,
“Tom, will you post that letter that’s on the fridge for me as you pass the post box?”
“What letter?” he replied. “There’s no letter here,” he added as he reached out and stroked Smokey as he stalked along the bench top. “You will be in trouble if you get caught up there,” he whispered to the cat. Sarah came into the kitchen and stood looking questioningly at Tom, her hands on her hips, waiting for the letter to magically appear.
“Well I know I put it there!” she announced.
“Well it’s not there now!” replied Tom quite unconcerned. “I’m off to work now. Bye,” and he gave her a peck on the cheek.
The two weeks holiday from school was almost over and Sarah told the children that they must make sure that there was clean shredded paper in the gerbil cage before they took it back to school. They had great fun cutting up sheets of newspaper to make new bedding and finally they announced that the job was done. The gerbils were all safely tucked up in their cage next to the fridge the children were all ready for bed and on their way up the stairs as Sarah glanced around the kitchen before switching off the light when she saw a grey streak gliding around the side of the bench top.
“Oh no you don’t!” threatened Sarah, giving Smokey a gentle helping hand down from the bench. It was one of his favorite tricks to get up there and walk right along the bench tops having first called in at the kitchen sink for a drink of tap water, then with wet paws he would leave a tell-tale trail along his walk back along the benches. Satisfied he was now at ground level her eyes fell upon the cage full of scurrying creatures. Although Sarah was not overly keen on gerbils, she had to admit that they were quite fascinating as they wriggled and squirmed around amongst the torn up newspaper and she stood for a few seconds watching them. Suddenly something orange caught her eye and she peered more closely into the cage. The little animal was munching away intently but there it was, being gently shredded into tiny fragments. It was a postage stamp! My letter! She thought to herself how on earth did that get into the gerbil cage, I wonder. As she bent over the cage, she was suddenly aware of Smokey once again on top of the fridge.
“Oh no you don’t!” she yelled at him when just at that moment he deftly flicked his right front paw at the shopping list she had written earlier and had placed carefully on top of the fridge, ready for tomorrow! But before she could reach out the piece of paper fluttered down and landed on top of the gerbil cage and as fast as lightning several little animals clambered up the bars, tiny little mouths with sharp pointed teeth grabbed the piece of paper and within seconds it was gone!
And so the mystery of the vanishing five pound note (and the letter she had written) was finally solved. The culprits were Smokey and The Bandits! Whoops! Gerbils!