Disappearing Darcy Read online

  “So, what you do is this,” I went on. “During the act, I’ll put you inside the box. I’ll close the curtain in front. Then you crawl behind the black cloth, okay? There are some kitty treats in the secret space back there. You’ll hide there, enjoying your treats. I’ll wave my arms around and say some magic words. Then I’ll open the curtain, and no one will see you. They’ll believe you disappeared!”

  “Meow,” Darcy said.

  I grinned. “I’m so glad you want to be the star,” I said. “Are you ready to practice the trick?”

  “Meow,” he said.

  “Great,” I said. “Okay. Here goes.”

  I closed the purple curtain and held my breath. Darcy began to cry. Loud, sad cries.

  I sighed. “He’s just missing you-know-who so much,” I said.

  Alfreeda rolled her eyes. She was busy painting a sign. ENJOY THE SHOW, it said.

  “He’s just scared to be in the dark box,” she said. “That’s all it is, Tabby Cat. Really. Unlike dogs, cats don’t miss people that much. Cats aren’t social animals. Dogs are. Cats only care about themselves. That’s a fact.”

  “That’s not true!” I snapped.

  Alfreeda acted as if she hadn’t heard me. “But I bet Joy is really missing Darcy. It must be scary and lonely in that hospital without him, don’t you think?”

  Thinking about Joy made me less mad at Alfreeda. “Yeah,” I said. “Too bad Darcy can’t be there with her.”

  The crying went on and on.

  “He won’t fool anyone,” Alfreeda said. “Even if he’s hidden behind the cloth wall. He’s way too noisy.”

  “Just give him a minute,” I said. “He’ll get used to it.”

  But Darcy kept right on crying.

  “I’m taking him out of there,” Alfreeda said, marching toward the magic box. On the way, her shoe bumped a small paint can and knocked it over. Paint splashed on the floor.

  “Yikes!” I said, jumping up. I ran to the bathroom, grabbed an old towel, and ran back to wipe up the mess.

  Alfreeda had found a box of tissues and was trying to help.

  “Sorry about that,” she said.

  “No problem,” I said.

  That’s when I noticed the room had become strangely quiet.

  “Darcy stopped crying,” I whispered to Alfreeda. “See? He’ll fool the crowd, after all.”

  “Good job, Darcy,” Alfreeda said, pushing the purple curtain open. “You can come out now.”

  Darcy didn’t make a sound. Not even the tip of his tail showed.

  “Well, this trick will wow the crowd,” I said. “It really seems like he disappeared.”

  “I know!” Alfreeda said.

  “Come on out, Darcy,” I said. “We’ll give you more treats for doing such a good job.”

  I lifted the cloth.

  “Oh no! He’s not here,” I said. “He didn’t eat the treats either. Where is he?”

  Alfreeda and I stared at each other. I’d never seen her eyes so wide.

  “Do you believe in magic?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “Do you?”

  Alfreeda shrugged. “Maybe he jumped out of the box when you left the room,” she said. “I wasn’t watching. I was wiping the floor, trying to clean up the paint mess.”

  I looked around the living room, high and low. My face felt hot. “Oh, Darcy,” I called in a singsong voice. “Where are you?”

  Chapter 5

  He’s Not Here

  “Come here, Darcy,” I said, dropping to my knees. “Where’s our good boy?”

  I started crawling around the living room to look for him. So did Alfreeda.

  Together, we looked under, around, and behind all the furniture. We kept calling, “Come out, Darcy!”

  We searched everywhere in the living room. “He’s not here,” I said, my heart beating faster. “How can he not be here?”

  I jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Alfreeda followed right behind me.

  “Oh no!” I cried.

  The basket of potatoes had been pushed away from the cat door. I ran over and kneeled in front of the little door. “Look,” I said, my heart pounding.

  A bit of white cat fur was caught in the opening. Darcy’s fur!

  “Grandma Kit!” I shouted. “Grandma Kit! Come here, quick!”

  It was storming outside, so Grandma Kit, Alfreeda, and I threw on our raincoats and boots and ran across the farmyard, toward my grandparents’ barn. The rain fell hard, slapping my hood.

  Grandpa Tom was in the barn. He was fixing the tractor. Grandma Kit told him that Darcy had escaped. “We thought maybe he came in here,” she said.

  “No sign of him,” Grandpa Tom said. “Scruffy is right over there, sitting on top of that hay bale. If Darcy had come into Scruffy’s barn, there would’ve been a terrible cat fight.”

  “Please come inside, Tom,” Grandma Kit said. “I need you to watch the cats in the hotel while we search for Darcy.”

  “Of course,” Grandpa Tom said, wiping oil off his hands.

  “The girls and I will search the farmyard,” Grandma Kit said. “If we can’t find Darcy here, we’ll take the truck. We’ll check the roads heading toward town. It’s not unusual for cats to walk many miles to get back to their owner’s house.”

  “Lots of dogs do that,” Alfreeda said. “Some walk for hundreds of miles. They’re so brave.”

  I wanted to shout, “How can you brag about dogs at a time like this?” But Grandma Kit was already outside, looking for Darcy. I ran after her, and Alfreeda ran after me.

  We looked behind the chicken coop. We checked between hay bales. We looked in trees.

  “He’s not in the farmyard,” Grandma Kit said at last. “He’d be crying in this rain, for sure. Come on, girls.”

  All three of us piled into the truck and headed up the road toward town. Grandma Kit turned the headlights on high. They lit up the road. She drove very slowly.

  “Alfreeda, you watch the left side of the road,” she said. “You watch the right, Tabitha.”

  We peered out the windows. Rain came down in gray sheets. The sky was almost as dark as night. Thunder began to rumble.

  “What if we can’t find him?” Alfreeda asked. “Joy will never see him again. If I lost my best friend in a pouring rainstorm while I was lying in a hospital, I’d be sad forever.”

  Grandma Kit didn’t say anything. She just patted Alfreeda’s knee.

  We reached town, and Grandma Kit drove up and down the streets. Before long, she stopped the truck. She turned off the engine and pointed at a small house.

  “That’s the Jacksons’ home,” she said. “Look who’s there.”

  “Darcy!” I cried, throwing open the truck door and leaping out.

  I ran to the front steps of the Jacksons’ house and gathered Darcy in my arms. He was muddy, crying, shivering, and dripping wet.

  I rushed him to the truck and laid him in Alfreeda’s lap. I took off my raincoat and sweater, then wrapped the sweater around him.

  “He must’ve run like the wind to get here so fast,” Grandma Kit said. “I better call Joy’s parents and tell them what happened.”

  She called Ms. Jackson.

  “Annie, I’m so sorry, but Darcy escaped from Tabby Towers and ran home,” Grandma Kit said.

  “I’m not surprised, Kit,” Ms. Jackson said. “Joy is just as unhappy without him. She’s so sad. I don’t think being apart from her sweet, furry friend is good for her weak heart.”

  “We’re on our way,” Grandma Kit said. She didn’t wait for Ms. Jackson’s reply. She hung up and started the truck. Then she zoomed through the thunderstorm toward the city, an hour’s drive away.

  Chapter 6

  The Secret Plan

  The heavy rain and dark clouds made i
t hard for Grandma Kit to see the highway.

  “Driving in thunderstorms always makes me nervous,” she said. “I sure wish Scruffy were here. He’d sit on my lap the whole way and keep me calm.”

  She turned on the radio. Soft music played.

  Alfreeda and I took turns holding and petting Darcy. At last, he stopped shivering. He lay still and quiet in my arms.

  We began to see the bright lights of the city. Grandma Kit found the hospital and parked the truck. Then we headed inside.

  The waiting area on the main floor was full of people. I kept Darcy wrapped in the sweater.

  “Looks like you’re holding a baby,” Alfreeda whispered in my ear.

  Grandma Kit called Ms. Jackson. A few minutes later, she came to meet us.

  “Here, Ms. Jackson,” I said, offering Darcy to her. She shook her head at me, then looked at Grandma Kit.

  “I tried calling you back,” Ms. Jackson said. “Your ringer must’ve been turned off. I asked the nurse if Darcy could visit Joy. The answer was no. He said pets weren’t allowed.”

  “But we have to get Darcy upstairs to Joy,” I said. “He will make her feel so much better.”

  Then I saw it: a sign on a door that said, MOTHER-BABY CENTER. The door led to the hospital’s birth unit. I noticed a box of lost-and-found items beside the door too.

  I got an idea. A good one. A top-secret one.

  A hospital guard sat at the welcome desk. He wasn’t looking in the direction of the box. I quietly handed Darcy to Alfreeda and whispered, “I have a plan. But I’ll need your help, okay? I’ll be right back.”

  I hurried to the box and dug through the stuff. I took two things and hurried back to the others.

  “Come here,” I whispered, leading them behind a few tall plants.

  I showed everyone the baby hat and baby blanket I’d taken from the box. Alfreeda grinned and took the sweater off Darcy. She put the baby hat on his head. It fit him purr-fectly and looked so cute.

  Next, I wrapped the baby blanket around him. I covered his whole body. Just the top of his hat and the tiniest bit of his face showed.

  I laid Darcy in Ms. Jackson’s arms. He went totally limp, like a sleeping baby. He didn’t make a sound.

  “Hey, it looks like you’re cradling a real baby,” Alfreeda said.

  “I bet it will fool the guard,” I said. “Take Darcy upstairs to Joy’s room, okay? No one will know.”

  Ms. Jackson looked at Grandma Kit. Grandma Kit shrugged at her and smiled.

  “All right,” Ms. Jackson whispered. “I’ll go along with the plan. Anything to cheer up Joy. Darcy is the only one who can make her feel better right now.”

  “Can we come?” Alfreeda asked. “I know Joy from school. I bet she’d like to meet Tabby Cat too.”

  “Sure,” Ms. Jackson said.

  “You run along. I’ll stay here,” Grandma Kit said. “I need to call Tom and see how the other kitties are doing.”

  Ms. Jackson, Darcy, Alfreeda, and I moved toward the hospital guard. I held my breath.

  Chapter 7

  The Wrapped Surprise

  We sailed right past the hospital guard. Easy! He was busy talking to a woman in a wheelchair. He didn’t even notice the “baby” in Ms. Jackson’s arms.

  The elevator bell dinged, and the door opened. A nurse stood inside.

  Uh-oh, I thought.

  Ms. Jackson walked into the elevator. Alfreeda and I followed.

  “What floor would you like?” the nurse asked.

  “Fifth floor, please,” Ms. Jackson said.

  “Certainly,” the nurse said. She pressed the fifth-floor button. The elevator began to move upward. “May I see your baby?”

  I gulped. My heart started to pound. Alfreeda’s eyes grew to twice their usual size.

  “I’m sorry,” Ms. Jackson said in a kind voice. “My daughter is very ill. It’s best if others don’t come too close. You understand.”

  “Of course, of course,” the nurse said, giving Ms. Jackson a sad smile. “You’ve come to the right place. We’ll take good care of your daughter here.”

  “Thank you,” Ms. Jackson said.

  The elevator door opened. Ms. Jackson walked quickly down the hallway toward Joy’s room. Alfreeda and I rushed behind her.

  And then, there we were, inside Joy’s room. She lay in bed, wearing a hospital robe. Her father sat in a chair beside her. He was holding her hand.

  Ms. Jackson shut the door behind us and cried, “We did it! Thank you, girls!” She sat next to Joy on the bed and laid the wrapped surprise beside her. “Look, Joy,” Ms. Jackson said. “Take off the blanket.”

  Joy peeled the blanket away and gasped. Darcy saw her and began to meow.

  “My Darcy,” Joy cried. She cradled him and gave him a bunch of nose kisses.

  Darcy raised his front legs and wrapped them around Joy’s neck.

  “Look! He’s hugging you,” Alfreeda said in a shocked voice. “Wow. I never knew cats hugged their people.”

  “Darcy always hugs me,” Joy said.

  I couldn’t believe my eyes either. It was an actual hug. It sure seemed like Darcy was trying to make his sick best friend feel better.

  Just then, the door opened, and a nurse walked in. He looked at Joy, then at Darcy. His mouth fell open.

  “How did that muddy cat get in here?” he asked. “No, no, no. It better leave the way it came. Right now!”

  Chapter 8

  The Purr-Fect Plan

  Joy started to cry. Then she cried super hard.

  The nurse rushed to her side. “Calm down, kiddo,” he said. “It’s very bad for your heart to get this upset.”

  Joy kept right on crying. “Don’t take Darcy away,” she said. “I’m scared here, and Darcy makes me less scared.”

  “Shhh,” the nurse said, patting her arm. “Okay, Darcy can stay for a little while.”

  “How long?” Joy asked, crying less hard now.

  “We’ll see,” the nurse said. “Stop those tears now. That’s a good girl. We need you to stay calm, okay? I’m going to check your heart rate. Then I’ll take your blood pressure.”

  Joy stopped crying. She rubbed her face in Darcy’s fur. She closed her eyes and patted his back. The room became very quiet.

  The nurse checked Joy’s heart rate and blood pressure. He looked surprised, then wrote the numbers on a clipboard.

  The door opened again, and this time Joy’s doctor marched in.

  “Hello, everyone,” she said. “How’s our brave girl doing on her big day?”

  She looked at Joy, and her smile quickly turned to a frown.

  “How did that dirty cat get in here?” she said. “No pets are allowed in the hospital.”

  “Doctor?” the nurse said. “Look at this.” He held out the clipboard. “Joy’s heart rate and blood pressure are lower now than when she arrived this morning.”

  “That’s because Darcy’s here,” I spoke up. “It’s true. My grandma always says that her cat, Scruffy, calms her down. Pets can make their owners healthier.”

  Joy looked at the doctor. “I need Darcy here,” she said. “He’s already making me feel better. Can he stay? Please?”

  The doctor sighed. Finally, she said, “All right. But someone needs to give him a bath.”

  “I will,” I offered.

  “I’ll help,” Alfreeda said.

  I carried Darcy to the sink in Joy’s small bathroom. Alfreeda and I gave him a quick soapy bath and dried him with a towel.

  A few minutes later, we carried him back out. He looked like his old self again.

  “That’s the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen,” said the nurse.

  “You are a handsome one,” the doctor said to Darcy, scratching him under the chin. “You take good care of Joy now, okay?�
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  “Meow,” Darcy said.

  I laid Darcy beside Joy. She smiled happily, and Darcy purred.

  Before long, Ms. Jackson took Alfreeda and me back to the waiting room.

  “Darcy’s my hero,” I said. “He knows exactly how to make Joy feel better.”

  “That’s not a true hero,” Alfreeda said. “Dogs that save people’s lives? They’re heroes.”

  Ms. Jackson cleared her throat. “Alfreeda?” she said. “I’m going to tell you a true story. A week ago, Darcy started acting strangely. He wouldn’t stop pawing at Joy’s chest and crying. I’d read many real-life stories about cats that had discovered their owners’ illnesses.”

  The elevator reached the main floor, and we stepped out. Ms. Jackson finished her story in the hallway.

  “So, I took Joy to the clinic,” she said. “The doctor ran some tests. We were shocked. Joy had a bad heart! We were lucky we found out when we did. Joy was supposed to have gone to soccer camp this week. The doctor said the exercise could’ve caused Joy’s heart to stop.”

  “Oh,” Alfreeda said.

  “Mm-hmm,” said Ms. Jackson. “Darcy is a hero. Without question, he saved Joy’s life. Many cats have saved people’s lives.”

  Alfreeda nodded.

  I smiled. For once, Alfreeda had nothing to say, and that was great.

  The sun shone brightly through the big windows in the hospital waiting room. The storm had passed.

  Ms. Jackson talked quietly with Grandma Kit for a minute, then it was time to go. Alfreeda and I said goodbye to Ms. Jackson. She thanked us about five times for bringing Darcy to the hospital.

  “We’ll have to work fast when we get home,” I said, walking to the truck. “It’s almost time for the magic show.”

  “Mmm,” Grandma Kit said. She didn’t say a word as we drove through the city.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so,” she said. “Mr. and Ms. Jackson have to stay in a hotel while Joy is in the hospital. And they both have to miss many days of work. They will have a lot of bills to pay when they go back home.”