sally and the big show (scribd edit)

8/3/2019 Sally and the Big Show (Scribd Edit)

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Sallyand

theBigShow

First

EditionBySarianaFaye


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The Move-In

Today was a busy day for Sally and her mother, Ms. Peters. They were moving fromDawsbury Creek Town to Kitsworth, a city three miles away. The creek was overflowingin their area, but fortunately, Ms. Peters got a promotion to work at Fancy Knits Co. inKitsworth as the district superintendant. They had already packed their furniture and al

of their clothes and now, the moving van was here to pick them up from their quaintlittle house. Sally hugged and said goodbye to her friends, Jodie, Kaydee, Norra, Faria,and Danielle, whom she enjoyed being around so much. These cats didnt hate her blackcolour, size or anything about her, and to Sally, they were the nicest friends anyonecould ever have.

For the entire trip to Kitsworth, Sally was both anxious and sad because shed both lefther close friends and she was going to a new town in which she knew no one except hermothers fellow co-worker, Pam. As the van drove up to their new home, Sally saw littlekittens happily playing in the streets and this made her somewhat optimistic. When theygot their home, Sally gasped at the size, she had never had a house so big! It was light

blue with white trimmings and inside, there were beige walls with light blue trimmings inthe two bedrooms and white with blue trimmings in the two bathrooms.

Sally ran through the house, sniffing here and there to get used to her new surroundingswhile her mother instructed the movers where to put their furniture. She walked up toher mother and asked in her sweet little voice, Can I go outside and play?Sure, but keep close now, her mother replied, I dont want to lose you. Sally skippedoutside and then got butterflies in her stomach.What would these new cats think about me? Sally thought with a fringe in her littleforehead, Suppose they dont like my fur?


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Poor Sally didnt know what to do; she was, for the first time, scared to meet someoneThen, she quietly snuck from behind the front porch wall and took a short tour of theneighbourhood.

Anna

Sally noticed that in her new neighbourhood, there were many cats and kittens, therewere some small and some large, some playful and some very serious. Others werecoloured wholly and others had stripes and splotches all over. Nevertheless, Sally wasdifferent because she was the only full black cat. She was a Scottish Fold by birth andlike her mother, was supposed to be white with grey or brown splotches. Sally was slimflexible and fluffy but not very fat. She was also very talented, sweet and nice. While shewalked through the neighbourhood, some cats saw her and whispered amongstthemselves as to who she was and what she was doing here. They were already makingher feel like an outlaw.

Suddenly, as Sally was about to head back home, an Angora that was black with whitespots curled around Sally, stood in front of her, and said in a gentle voice, Hi, Im AnnaSingh and what is your name?Sally Peters she replied, still somewhat bothered by her previous thoughts.No need to be shy, Sally. Im one of the few nice cats around here. Speaking of which,you see that cat over there? Anna said pointing to a fluffy white Himalayan cat with oneblue eye and one green eye, His name is Dean, hes the big troublemaker and he startsall the nasty rumours around here. So be careful around him.Sally looked at Dean, who looked back with a proud sneering look on his face, and Annaeyed him with a stare that said Dont even think about it.

Anna walked with Sally back to her house, deeply engaged in conversation. They sat on

the porch and talked late into the afternoon sipping on the cold glasses of lemonade thatwere brought to them. How happy Sally was to find a friend! This went on for a fewweeks until Sally and Anna became best friends.

When Dean first saw her, it was hate at first sight. He hated cats that were speckleddark or black. Unfortunately, Dean lived next to Sally, and was the starting point of althose unkind rumours about her and even his so-called friends. Because he was racistSally was his new favourite to malign, no matter where he was.

Because of Dean, no one but Anna gave her a chance to prove herself nice. All the othercats and kittens called her bad luck Sally, the black sheep, the misfit and the very

unlucky one. The playful young kittens even made a song and they would sing italthough they knew it was wrong. It goes like this:

Bad Luck Sally,Shes an evil black witch

Shes half dog with puppy earsMaybe one day shell bark

And eat us all

Though it did not rhyme, it hurt her feelings. It would make her sometimes cry andsometimes bawl and say, Why do these kittens hate me at all? Sally told Anna, who


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told her that she was also considered a misfit and that she should pay no attention tothem. Every time she told her mother, she would only hear her say, Dont worry, Sally,tomorrows another day. Then the next day would come with Sally holding a smalamount of confidence and the kittens would only say that Sallys ruined the day.

The Broadcast

Then one day, there was word of a talent show called The Tyrone A. Sung Talent Showthat would be held at the Harrison Hall three weeks from then. In addition, everyone wasanxious to see who the most talented cat could be. When Sally heard, she sat on hehind paws and looked up to her mother with her pupils widened and begged her motherto give her permission to enter. Mother shook her head at first and then Sally pulleddown her already drooping ears and begged more, mentioning that she wanted toimpress Sam. Mother said, Who is Sam? You never told me about him.

Sally blushed until the black on her cheeks turned purple and then said, He lives downthe alley next to Junia. His fur is brown and black with specks of white and tan on hisbelly, paws, tail and ears. Sam is very nice and polite and I dont believe he has anyprejudice against my black fur. Her mother scratched her head and twitched her earsbecause she could not find an answer that would make them both happy. She did so fora few minutes while Sally watched, gave her the innocent kitty look and licked her pawat intervals. Finally, she sighed and said in a worried, exhausted tone, I know Sam andhis mother too, she did train him well and made sure he never got into any trouble...Isuppose he would do you some good. Sally began her innocent look again and this timetilted her head to the left with her paw raised three quarters of the way towards hermouth as if she was about to lick it. She wanted her mother to say yes.

To avoid having to answer without being held to her word, Sallys mother changed the

subject saying, Ill let you enter the show, once you tell me what song you will sing.I am a rainbow too, Sally replied smiling from one floppy ear to the other.In front of everybody? Her mother asked. Sally then shook in fright because shethought of the sight of thousands of cats looking at her alone on a stage and wanting tohear her sing. Uhm, well...I suppose. It couldnt be that bad, right mom? When I wasjust starting out, I was scared to death when I was backstage and then when I got aquarter of the way through my act, I felt more confident. You probably wont do as badas I did, that is, if you are prepared.

What would I have to do to get prepared? asked Sally with her head tilted, I alreadyknow the song and the tune by heart.

Smile, keep good posture and let that song out the best that you can. And no matterwhat the judges say, I will always believe in you mother said with a twinkle in her eyeThen, Sally started to practice her song quietly and sweetly. She wanted no one excepther mother and Anna to know she was entering.

The Flawditioners

The next day, she went to Mr. Sung, the one in charge of the building, a school and theshow. She was sure to brush her fur so she would look clean, proper and tame. After afull hour of searching through the entire hall, she finally found his office door and


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knocked on it. A voice from inside told her to enter and when she did, she was surprisedat who she saw sitting behind the desk. He was a well-groomed, unusually quiet Siamesecat with glasses and long whiskers. After all, she expected to be greeted by a bigofficial-looking, mean person. When she was let in, she quietly sat at a chair and saidMr. Sung, may I join the talent show?

Why sure, and what is your name? He asked, And tell me; what is your splendid

talent, your ticket to fame?My name is Sally Amelia Peters, she replied and I can sing.Mr. Sung smiled at the little cheerful Sally and told her to go downstairs into the largeconference room and stand in line with the many others that were there. Then hefollowed her out to check on his assistant, Kelly, who was watching the aspiring youngcats audition.

Mr. Sungs whiskers violently twitched when he heard a screeching noise from thepassageway leading to the conference room. When he entered, it stopped twitching toreveal the surprised look on his face which was because he saw Kelly slapping herselwith a book when a cat named Phanny was singing the hit song Dont Worry, Be Happy

incorrectly. Curious to see the other performances, Mr. Sung sat next to her in one of thejudges seats that were already in place, with the still surprised look on his face whileSally joined the line.

Gary, who was next went onstage triumphantly and began his jokes, which made nosense at all. To make it worse, he stuttered throughout the entire performance and feloffstage when he finished. Then, second in line, there was Disa Tai doing a dance to avery upbeat song. She danced correctly for the slow and somewhat fast portion of thesong and then she misstepped terribly when the song reached its fastest. Kevin Sentrickthe third flawditioner did ballet and fell several times, falling over the edge of the stageand knocking over the seats and in turn, some of the tensely awaiting cats that were inthe line.

Next up, the fourth out of now only ten, was Jaga Kyama dancing a folk dance to a songthat was in Swahili. He twisted his ankle in the final move and had to be carried offstageon a stretcher. After seeing such performances, Mr. Sung hid his face with his paws andshook his head followed with a despairing moan. What else could go wrong? Another twowent up, not doing so miserably but suddenly, after they finished, the power went outand Mr. Sung banged his head on the desk and whimpered both because it hurt andbecause the faulty generator that he had ordered to be fixed a week ago, had cut outThe eight in the now scattered line were left staring at him and wondering what to doThose being Suzy McAllister, Junia Fraser, Franny Greigh-Brooks, Anna Singh, the duoGeorge Wills and Sue Jiggs, Dean ORiley and finally, Sally. He got up and told Kelly tomake sure that the other personnel were working on the generator.

In the dark, windowless conference room, Sally worriedly looked around at the other catswho fretted because they hadnt auditioned yet and theyd practiced so hard for theaudition. Mr. Sung was the only one who had to fumble around because his glasses madehis vision somewhat blurry and he would be even blinder without them. Mr. Sung wasnow at a point of distress as he thought of the auditioners before and the ones who wereleft. He lifted his head from the desk and told them sadly that they would have to comeback tomorrow at 10:00 A.M.


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They all left him sadly, with drooping ears and dragging tails. Poor Mr. Sung could onlywhimper in the cold, dark conference room.

Sallys Song

The following day, Sally was up early and waited until 9:30 to start walking back to thehall. On the way, she met up with Anna and conversed about each others acts and thenervousness that they exhibited the day before. When they

When it was her turn, Sally gulped softly while her little ears flicked then bravely shestood up and sang the song she made.

Black and blueI love you

Black and yellowMakes me say hello

I can see a world of colourI am a rainbow too

I am a rainbowI am a rainbow

Even though Im all blackI am a rainbowI am a rainbowRat-a-tat-tat-tat

White and peach

Orange tooPurple and pinkMakes me think

What other colours are thereI can see a world of colour

I am a rainbow too

I am a rainbowI am a rainbow

Even though Im all blackI am a rainbow

I am a rainbowRat-a-tat-tat-tat

I am a kitty catA very black kitty cat

I have no spots or stripesNot even a blemishFull black all overI am a rainbow too

I am a rainbow


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Nice and blackNo other colour

Rat-a-tat-tat-cat

Sally took a bow and Mr. Sung smiled warmly and said, Well done, Sally. You will dovery well and the judges will most certainly love you. A matter of fact, I am going tofeature you as a special guest in the show. When Dean had finished, he started walking

down the passageway. At that moment, he heard singing and realized that it was Sally.He turned around, and pressed his ear to the big door. He simply couldnt believe itSally, bad luck Sally could sing! He could not wait to tell the world this story, and hurther feelings with, of course, some of his false additions.

Sally leaped for joy. She was accepted! She thanked Mr. Sung, who was sitting in ajudges seat, and turned around to go home and tell her mother about what he said.When she opened the big hall door, Dean had fallen inside unexpectedly. She screamedand ran home crying; her surprise had been ruined. Now he would tell everybody so thathis gang and his regular crowd would tease her without mercy. Sally told her motherthen sat on her bed, and cried unceasingly until her good mother came and said

Whats the matter dear? You were accepted, I thought you would be happy nothing thatlittle runt called Dean could say would ever change my mind and to me, you are still themost talented kitten I know. At these words, Sally sniffled and got off her bed andhugged her mommy tight because she knew her mommy was right. Nothing he could saywould stop the show from happening and she was determined that it would not stop herfrom performing.

Dean had already started his mischief; he made up his false story. As soon as he foundthem, he was publishing it to Kevin, Gary, Disa and Jaga and said, Did you hear thatSally got a special position in the show? Well, its only because shes Mr. Sungs distantcousin and she paid him $6,000 just to get into the show. Shes just another untalentedproud, puffed up person who only likes to be seen, heard and noticed. As more peoplegathered around him on the street corner, he continued, And you know what else? I sawher go to a studio and record someone singing and tell her mother that she was going touse it at the audition and lip-sing the words at the show! Dean smirked evilly to himselfthinking, My plans are working! Everyone gasped and whispered about this little blackScottish Fold that Dean despised so much and falsely accused.

Sabotage

After Dean had made his rumour, it spread like wildfire throughout the city and before

Sally knew it, Anna called her and said, That dirty Dean! He started a rumour aboutyou! Anna spilled the beans to Sally, mentioning that she did not believe anything Deansaid. Sally cried when she heard his rumour because she knew that no one would believethat she was singing when she was at the talent show.

Dean had plotted that after he spread the rumour, he would put her out of thecompetition. Hed planned on knocking her over and breaking her leg so that she wouldnot enter another competition ever again. Consequently, he took a ride around theneighbourhood, waiting for the little black cat to come out of hiding.


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Later that afternoon, Sally decided to go and visit Anna and talk, mainly because shewas bored and wanted to know if she knew how far the rumour had spread. As Dean wasriding his bicycle around the neighbourhood for the 38th time, waiting for Sally to showup, he finally saw a black frame walking up the street from Sallys house. Upon seeingher, he swerved and hit her, making her tumble over and dislocate her left hind leg.

She saw him with an evil smile on his face and saw that he hit her deliberately

Everybody rushed over when theyd seen him hit her and ask him if he was okay and leftSally there. Luckily, Anna was nearby and had called for her father, Dr. Ahmed who had aday-off, to look at her leg.

The Hospital

When Dr. Ahmed saw Sallys leg, he immediately took out his cell, called the ambulancefor her, and then called her mother. A few minutes later, the ambulance raced up thestreet for Sally. The van stopped with a bump and the back doors flew open revealingtwo doctors, one fully black and one fully white and the driver was speckled orange

brown and grey. Working together, they quickly climbed out, put her on the stretcher,and rushed her into the ambulance followed by her mother whod fainted in Dr. Ahmedsarms.

Sally was whining in the ambulance about the pain she felt as the doctors attended toher leg. Both of the doctors were assuring her that everything would be okay once shegot to the Kitsworth Hospital. The ambulance reached the Hospital in no time and soon,Sally was inside, with her leg back in place and her mother with her conscience fullyregained.

The doctors in the ambulance were married, as Sally and her mother learnt, and had a

litter of five black and white kittens. They had gotten married against their parents wilbecause their parents thought that it was wrong for them to be together because of thecolour of their fur.

Sally was in the recovery room with her mother by her side. They were listening to thedoctor say, You were very lucky that the bone in your leg did not become fracturedfrom the fall, but you will have to rest for about five days in this cast, and then you haveto come back to the hospital and get your leg checked to see if it has healed properly.

The Ribbon

Five days later, Sally, her mother and Anna went to the doctor and the doctor found thatSallys leg healed fully and that she could go about her life as she did before. Anna wentwith Sally both to find out how she was doing and because she promised to lay her clawson Dean and shred him if he tried another stunt.

After the doctors visit, Ms. Peters left Sally and Anna to get a ribbon for this very speciashow. When she passed any kittens who believed him, they would whisper and sayLook, shes getting her costume so she can lip-sing. Sallys ears twitched becauseshed heard everything, every word of such a dastardly rumour that showed the


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handiwork of Dean. She still kept on walking in her special kitty strut, proud to be theonly black Scottish Fold with her little puppy-like ears flopping with every step.

When they got to the accessory store, they saw hats, flowers, and even pictures of LadyLiberty and the Eiffel tower. Then something caught her eye, it was a little blue silkribbon that looked her size. She tried it on her tail, it fit well, and Anna thought so too.She twirled around looking at the pretty ribbon, dazed at how nice it looked. After all

Sally had never worn a ribbon before because she thought it was too girly and wouldnever fit her style. She smiled and paid the full price for it gladly, unlike other stingybuyers who went to this particular store.

She strutted back home smiling with those little floppy ears bouncing up and down onher little roundish head while Dean and all who saw her just gaped at her pretty ribbon.Some who heard the rumours almost fainted because it brought out her black well, wellenough to make her look pretty. Anna looked around every now and then, to see if Deanwas going to try anything but noticing that some had dropped things that they wereholding because they were so busy staring.

Sally got home in a short while and when she got in the door, her mother looked at herand smiled Oh Sally, what a pretty ribbon you bought. You should keep it somewherewhere the silk would not be ruined. I should have a small jewellery box somewhere. Hermother looked up and down and all around for it when finally, she pulled it from theinsides of a very large cardboard box in her closet along with a few other little trinketsshe thought were lost or stolen. She then pulled out her head and because of the dust inthe air, she started to gag and laugh at the same time. She got out her polish andpolished them all. The first one was made of gold alone, the second of gold and twelve jewels for each month. The third box was made of mostly silver adorned with blackpearls and the last was also mostly silver but adorned with white pearls instead of black.

Sally chose the box adorned with black pearls and placed her blue silk ribbon inside it. Inthe suspense of the moment, she began to practice and practice late into the night untilat about ten thirty her mother said, Sally, youve been up all night and you should getsome rest. After all, the talent show is day after tomorrow. You can practice later. LaterSally drank her milk and prayed once more then she and her mother went to sleep butforgetting to lock the door.

Where Did It Go?

Malicious Dean crept out of his hiding spot where he waited for two extra hours. He

wiped his sweaty fur and got on his mask to hide his face, because he was about toembark on a dangerous task of stealing the jewellery box and her ribbon. Dean checkedthe unlocked door and found that he needed his lock-pick no more. He quietly walkedinto the dark house, then into Sallys bedroom and saw the prized box. He picked it up,put it in his little bag, and crept back outside, locking the door behind him. Dean felt astrange excitement because his ingenious plans were working smoothly.

The next morning, Dean was happily sleeping while at Sallys house there was a bigcommotion. Sally had woken up and wanted to look at her little ribbon once more, andfound that it was not in its usual place. She looked all over her bedroom and in hermothers too. When she finally looked all over the entire house, she pulled her ears while


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screaming, Where did it go? Deans mother rushed over, asked if everything was okayand soon found out that the priceless jewellery box was stolen.

Mrs. ORiley went back over to Dean, held him up by the scruff of his furry neck, andasked, Did you steal anything from Sally? Dean stared at her with a tinge of guilt in histhieving eyes, and said, No, what happened? Deans mother told him the story, atwhich he twitched his ears in an annoyed manner.

Deans Big Scare

For the entire morning, Dean had been boasting to his rumour group, Aha, the pompousSally lost her pretty little ribbon, huh? She deserves it. Then in the afternoon, when hegot tired of it, he went inside his bedroom and sat on his bed, alone, and stared at thejewellery box, which he took from inside his bag and thought about what he did. Itstarted to haunt him because he empathized on how worried Sally was. When he was asmall kitten, someone stole his favourite yarn to play with, and he never saw it again. Onanother occasion, someone stole his bike the day before he was to enter a bike race.

Meanwhile, Sally was with Anna fretting her fur off about the box and the fact that allother ribbons of the same type in the store were pink, fuchsia, and neon green, alcolours that Sally hated very much. Her mother called the police and they sentDetectives Rodriguez and Lansbury, the middle-class investigators of the precinct. MsPeters told them afterwards, that she pressed charges on whoever stole the boxbecause that box was 10 generations old, and because it held the ribbon.

While they were there, Rodriguez asked questions while Lansbury inspected the crimescene, looking for clues. Rodriguez found that the old cat Gertrude, who lived across thestreet, woke up in the middle of the night in question, to close her window because of

the draft. She saw a figure that she recognised as Dean, put on a powdery substance,enter with a bag that looked half-empty, and leave with a bulge in the bottom of thatsame bag. To add to that, Detective Lansbury found fur definitely belonging to aHimalayan cat. Dean being the only Himalayan, because his mother was a Portuguesecat, he seemed more likely to be the thief than ever. Then his friend named Franklinwho heard a rumour that Dean spread about him saying that he wore girly things, spreadthe true rumour he heard that Dean was the thief.

The two detectives came together to Deans house and knocked on the door, waiting foran answer. Deans mother, Mrs. ORiley, answered the door and let them in without Deanknowing. His friend, Kevin was there also, but he still held a grudge towards Dean

because of what he said about him and would do anything to get him in trouble. The twoofficers then walked in quietly, sat down with her, and began asking questions.

Did you ever see Sallys jewellery box? Rodriguez asked. Mrs. ORiley looked at himand answered, No, I was only aware she had one when it was reported stolen.Then Dean, in his bedroom, heard strange voices inside the house and quickly hid thejewellery box in a compartment that his mother did not know about. He snuck out intothe living room, peeked around the corner, and listened to the conversation.

Det. Lansbury wrote down her answer.


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Do you know of anyone who would try to steal it? Det. Rodriguez asked, scratching hischin. Mrs. ORiley thought for a moment at that question, thought of Dean, and answeredhesitantly,No. Then Kevin said quietly, Dean hates her. I think he would have stolen her wholehouse if he could, just to get her from her special position in the showDean shuddered and closed his eyes tight, hoping that Kevin would rat him out nofurther, although he did not know that he really was.

Rodriguez looked over at Kevin, raised his eyebrow at him, and said in his deep voice,Hm. What do you think about that, Ms ORiley?She fringed her eyebrows and answered, He hides a lot from me. I dont know what tosay.Detective Lansbury and Rodriguez exchanged looks while Dean started pulling his earsand shook even more. Don, now assured that Dean was a definite suspect, askedWhere is he?

Dean ran to his bedroom, hopped into his bed, and pretended to sleep. His mother ledthe two officers to his bedroom and opened his door to find Dean sleeping in his bed.

Lansbury looked at the way his sheets laid on him, to check his breathing, without MrsORiley noticing. He found that his breathing was too rapid for him to be sleeping, unlessit was a terrible nightmare.

The Discussion

When they left, Detective Lansbury looked at his co-worker, Don, and said, That cat,Dean, is very suspicious. When we saw him in the room, he was not sleeping. He wasrunning because he was either guilty or he knew something that he didnt want to tellus. All the evidence points to him and no one else, except his mother.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the press and the news crews came to follow them, or, to bemore precise, hunt them down, and ask questions, because this was the first crime tohappen in the city. Therefore, Rodriguez and Lansbury dodged them, hid in the alleywaited for them to pass by, left their hiding spot, and went for coffee and continued theirconversation.

They entered Wandas Coffee House, ordered their meal and a coffee, and sat down. think he is guilty, and that its more than just a gut feeling, Rodriguez said, lets look atthe evidence together and see if there are any other possible clues, just to relieveourselves of just assuming that he is the thief.

Just then, a pretty waitress came, with their two coffees and large cheese Danishes on aplatter, and set them down on the table. The two hungry detectives thanked her andbegan to eat, and not stopping for a moment to continue. After they had finishedRodriguez wiped his whiskers and his paws and took out the folder containing the photosof the evidence carefully. He held up the sample of hair, on which he found that theblack powder had come off in the bag. This revealed that the hair was not black at all,but white. Now the officers were sure that Dean was the thief.

Lansbury scratched his eyebrow, covered his eyes, and then shook his head. What couldcause him to steal it? It was a very girly-looking jewellery box and he owned no


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jewellery. Rodriguez sighed at the evidence and put it all back in its place, then saidLans, were gonna have to take him in. We have to do our job. Detective Rodriguezknew that Lansbury was a big sucker when it came to juveniles.

The question is: what do we do to him? He is, after all, a young cat. I just dont seemyself locking up such a juvenile. Lansbury said. Lans, you worry too much, said Don,Hell be fine when we lock him up in juvenile prison. Maybe the jury will have mercy.

The Note

Dean fell asleep under his covers when the officers left his home, and had a dream thatSally had found him, killed him, and took back the box. When he jumped out of his sleep,it was night, so he got the box into his bag and hid in the same spot again and waited forSally and her mother to fall asleep.

At 11:49, he crept out once more, picked the locks, and entered quietly with thejewellery box in mind. He walked into Sallys room, took out the jewellery box and thenote he wrote, which said,

Dear Sally,I am so sorry for stealing your ribbon. I was so jealous that you got the specialposition instead of me. I was trying to sabotage you by stealing your ribbon, onlybecause I knew you liked it and that you would look so ordinary without it. I will tryto reverse the rumour I started. Im so sorry for what I did.

From: The Thief

Dean nearly cried when he put down the box and slipped the note under it. After that, he

picked up his bag and bumped right into the door, making a loud thud. Mother got up,holding her big baseball bat and saw the thief, grabbed away the bag, and set it downthen started to beat Dean with the bat, beating him in and out of the bedroom.

Sally had awakened to the sound of the thief getting a beating and was cheering hermother on. However, neither of them could tell it was Dean because he had on his blackpowder. Until at last, when he could speak he said, Ms. Peters! Stop! Its me, DeanORiley, the neighbours son! I was putting it back! Then all beating ceased she droppedthe bat, picked him up, and said, You are in big trouble, young man. I am going to tellyour mother and the police

Oh no! Please not my mother, shell never let me live! Have mercy! Dean cried withthe most innocent begging face. Ms. Peters picked him up then marched next door to hismothers house with Dean hanging over her shoulder screaming. She knocked on hismothers door and when Mrs. ORiley opened it, she screamed angrily and stutteredmadly. The only thing Ms. Peters could make out were the words where and kill.

Before Ms. Peter or anyone could explain, the door was shut and all Deans cries for helpwere cried loudly and in vain. Sleepily, mother turned around and went back to hehome, and then she and Sally peacefully hit the sack. You could guess that Dean wouldhave kept them and the entire neighbourhood up if his mother hadn't covered his mouthwith a sturdy plastic cup.


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The Arrest

The next day, Deans father called the two detectives to have lunch with her to talkabout the investigation. Then, late in the afternoon, there was a knock at the door andDean answered, since his mother was inside the kitchen preparing the lunch. DetectiveRodriguez looked at him sternly while Lansbury looked away because he knew what wasto come.

Hello, you must be Dean. My name is Detective Rodriguez Guillham and this isDetective Paul Lansbury. Where is your mother? Rodriguez said, receiving only asorrowful point towards the kitchen. Lansbury whispered to Don, What do you think iswrong with him? Dons ears twitched and he looked at Dean, the little white fluffykitten, sulking in a chair.

Just then, Mr. ORiley popped up out of nowhere and said, Oh, good afternoon officers.Come right in, the dining room is this way. She led them to a small, well-lit room with asmall, square table and four chairs surrounding it. There was also a pink vase with largeflowers inside it. The two bewildered officers sat at the table, waiting to hear what shehad to say. In the meantime, she and Dean set the table, sat, and said grace.

Then Rodriguez looked at her asked, What was it that you wanted to tell us? Deandidnt even respond to this question, as he would have, if he were in his normal mood,been listening intently, and making a mental note to remember every word so that hecould tell the world.

Mrs. ORiley said, Last night, I was sleeping soundly and then I heard a thrashing noisenext door. I didnt bother to look because I thought it was a racoon messing with the

trashcans but when it stopped, I heard a knock on the door. I woke up and opened it antthere was Ms. Peters holding Dean over her shoulder with his bag in her hand. I was somad, I took him from her and then, I let out my anger on him for waking me up in themiddle of the night and for being where he was not supposed to be.

Lansbury let out a heavy sigh and looked at Don, who only looked at Dean, who waslooking up at his mother with little sorrowful eyes that made her feel guilty. What washe doing over there in the middle of the night? Lansbury asked, while taking notesDean turned his gaze from his mother and started to cry on her saying in between sobsI didnt mean to steal it, I promise! I just wanted to be somebody other than Mr. Gossipfor once. I went over there to put it back because I felt guilty! I give you my word, thats

all I did! Dean was now in tears that wet his mothers fur and some of his too.

Rodriguez fringed his forehead and looked at Lansbury who only lowered his headRodriguez then said in a deeper, sullen voice, Ill still have to take you in. You alreadymade your confession, Im sure the jury will have mercy. Lets just eat and forget aboutit for now. Lansbury looked at Rodriguez in awe, his co-worker was normally the one tocrack down on similar criminals and shove them in a jail cell as soon as possible. Now, itseemed, to Lansbury, that a completely different cat sat next to him.


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The List

The morning after that, Ms. Peters and Sally visited Dean to see if he was still alive. Sheknocked on the door but no one answered, she knocked again and still no answer. Ms.Peters was about to leave then the old cat Gertrude who lived in a two-story house

across the street, told her that he and his mother had gone to the hospital together thatmorning. After hearing that, she went to the hospital, inquired for Dean, and the doctortold her that he was getting stitches and that she must wait in the seats provided. Shewaited and waited until she saw Mrs. ORiley in one piece followed by Dean who hadgotten a few bandages here and there.

Ms. Peters slowly approached them and asked if everything was okay. Then Mrs. ORileysaid, Everythings alright.Are you sure? asked Ms. Peters.Mrs. ORiley sighed and replied, Yes. Hes going to be fine.

Their phones then buzzed and rang with a text from Mr. Sung, telling them that theymust carry their children who had auditioned to be in his show to the hall so that theycould know which time their children were to perform. Sally and her mother quietlyventured down to the big hall in town and saw a long paper sheet with the names ofauditioners written nice and neat. Then right next to it was a shorter one with the namesof those who had risen up above the rest. She saw the names as follows:

Suzy McAllisterJunia Fraser

Franny Greigh-BrooksAnna Singh

George Wills and Sue JiggsDean ORileySally Peters

Sally leaped but then she saw Dean's name on this list, it looked strange enough to be aflaw. Then he ambled up behind them, with his black eye more obvious, and pushed heraside, scanned the paper, and sneered at her name with ridiculous pride. Then henoticed his name was right before hers, he could not say them, but he thought manyunkind words. He growled and hissed then stormed away, limping angrily and furiouslyThis made his mother a little curious, if she'd beat him over the head too much or if thetable that he bumped into had any splints sticking out of it.

She just looked at him and snickered because as he stormed, his so-called friendswatched him, whispered, and laughed. Then Sally and her mother left the hall beforeDean could start a pointless fight. Sally practiced singing but soon, her mother's earsstarted ringing. That night, they slept peacefully, with Dean's thieving paws and face outof sight.

Mercy


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After they finished eating, Rodriguez told Dean his rights while Deans mother clearedthe table. Then Lansbury followed Dean, who was already inside the vehicle in which hewas to go to interrogation and make his confession final. Rodriguez and Mrs. ORileyfollowed, and soon they were at the police station, in the interrogation room, with Deanwriting and signing his confession. When this was over, Rodriguez called Ms. Peters andtold her to come to the station because they found the thief.

Fifteen minutes later, Ms. Peters, Sally, and Anna arrived at the police station, with aknowing expectancy that the thief was Dean. Ms. Peters adjourned to a desk in thecorner of the lobby and told the officer there who she was and what shed come for.They were then lead to the area on the opposite side of the glass of the interrogationroom and then they were left there with Detective Agnes Sheffield, an officer told to waitthere for them.

When Anna saw Dean, she fumed with rage, almost wanting to run through the wall andbeat the living daylights out of him. However, the officer calmly held her close so that nosuch thing would happen. None of them was in any way surprised that Dean stole itafter all, they knew that he had it out for Sally. A minute later, after reading the

confession, Rodriguez patted Deans head, which was now lying on the table, and wentout to greet Ms. Peters.

Hello, Ms. Peters. We caught the thief, Rodriguez said, and we have the box with theribbon inside. Do you still want to press charges? No, I think he has been throughenough, but Ill give you the reward if you still want it, replied Ms. Peters. Lansburycame outside when she asked the question and looked at Don, who replied, No, I dothink Lansbury might, though. No, I dont either, you can keep it, Lansbury said with aslight smile on his face.

Rodriguez then smiled and went into the interrogation room, telling Dean and his motherthat they could leave and that Ms. Peters dropped the charges against Dean. Deanjumped for joy and then limped quickly outside, with no anger or resentment in mind andhugged Sally, squeezing her tight and then he said a multitude of thank you to MsPeters, who, along with everyone else in the room, watched with awe.

Sally then told Dean that shed read the note and that she accepted his apology. Thenthey all went home, having a peaceful night with no guilt or nightmares attached.

Friends?

The next day, Dean made sure that he went around to everyone that he knew he toldand said that he lied concerning what he said about Sally. Likewise, he went to hisrumour posse and begged them saying, Tell everyone that you told about the rumourabout Sally was a fake. She really can sing and she didnt pay to get into the show, Mr.Sung isnt even related to her! At first, they refused but then, as he pleaded more, theyfinally gave in and spent the entire day erasing the rumour and saying that the sourcethat they got it from was a liar.

The next day, while Sally was practising, she heard a knock at the door. However, hermother answered and found Dean standing there with the notorious kitty begging face


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asking to come in and speak to Sally. Ms. Peters smiled and let him in. He hop-walkedhappily over to Sally and said quietly, I told everyone that I lied...can we be friends?Sure, said Sally, but you have to promise that you wont spread any rumours aboutanyone. Dean sat on his hind legs, flicked his ears, and thought for a moment.Well, he paused, okay.

Ms. Peters, who was watching from around the corner, smiled. Sally and Dean then went

to Annas house and Sally explained that Dean had tried his best to reverse the rumourand that they were now friends. Anna listened and looked at Dean fiercely, making himquiver in his pure white fur. She then walked towards him fiercely, paused as if she weregathering strength to put a hurting on him, and gave him a big hug. Dean wincedhesitantly, almost not breathing from the moment that she began to walk towards himand he almost fainted while she hugged him.Well, well, well, Anna said with a fiercely friendly grin, look whos changed, friend.

Dean sighed heavily because he thought that Anna would have killed him and fed him tothe dogs. Then for the next six hours, they played games at Annas house and helpedher to search through her attic for some very interesting artefacts of her parents

childhood. Sally found an expensive old Indian necklace and polished it up for Anna towear when she performed. Anna found an autographed picture of her famous aunt bellydancing in a blue sari. Dean found something, but he didnt know what it was. It wassomewhat shredded and stuffing stuck out of it. The wooden part had apparently beenscratched terribly with many pieces chopped off.

They all jumped up, excited to find out what this strange, red and blue, unidentifiedfound object was. They took it down to Annas father, who was home from work, andshowed it to him. He said, That is an old puppet that I go when I was very young. Afterthe third time I played with it, it went through the wood chipper and Im surprised that itstayed even so intact. Everyone laughed and went back upstairs, with the small glee ofthe puppet, or at least the remains of one.

Soon, it was time for them to return to their homes for dinner with their families. Theysaid their goodbyes and headed in their opposite directions peacefully, because theyknew that theyd made peace with each other that day.

Crick Crack

The next day, something peculiar happened. Someone had come through theneighbourhood and spray-painted everyones house with brightly coloured paint and on

Sallys house, they wrote, Black cats must DIE! In the morning, everyone freaked outwhen they saw the mess that the vandals had made in their quiet, almost crome-freelittle neighbourhood. Once again, the detectives Rodriguez and Lansbury were sent toinvestigate this vandalism. They first walked through the neighbourhood and took notesalong with the insurance detectives who surveyed the damage done to their clientshouses, then they went to Deans house and checked with them.Hello Dean, Detective Rodriguez said, Do you know anything about who might havebeen behind this vandalism?No, sir, Dean said nervously.Are you sure, Dean? Rodriguez asked sharply.


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Yes sir. I was sleeping when this happened, said Dean, it might have been my oldgossip crew or Kevin Sentrick, her hater. I think he really has it out for her now that Ivestopped gossiping.Thats good. Thank you for your time. Detective Rodriguez said while he and Lansburyexited the ORiley home.

Soon, Dean was back in his bedroom, practicing on his xylophone. However, the

neighbour on the other side, Kevins sister, did not like hearing the xylophones constantding-a-ding-ding-doo while she watched her favourite TV show. Upon hearing Dean starthis practice, she turned off the TV, went outside, picked up a god-sized rock, aimed, andthrew it through Deans open window. Luckily, Dean dashed away, allowing hisxylophone to be broken in half instead of his back or face.

The detectives had barely gotten down the road when they heard the crash. They rushedaround and caught Laila, Kevins sister, red-handed with another rock, ready to throwRodriguez got out his handcuffs and took her to the station. In his anger, Kevin incitedand led a riot, screamed through the neighbourhood, Bad luck must go! Sally must go!Soon, a big crowd followed him to Sallys house and started beating down the door,

chanting those same words and beginning to throw rocks.

Sally and her mother hid under a bed and called the detectives. In no time, there were asquad of police cars pulling up in the neighbourhood and calming the riot. They arrestedKevin and took him to the jail with Laila, who was charged with attempted murder. Thatsame day, Detective Lansbury took her into interrogation and questioned hercustomarily as to why she threw the rock.I threw it because he wouldnt stop playing that stupid instrument. Laila said, I justwanted to shut him up for once and for all!So you were trying t kill him? Detective Lansbury replied.Thats what shut up for once and for all means, Laila snapped haughtily at the officer,I thought youd you know that by now.

Lailas lawyer covered his face and let out a groan. His client had just confessed toattempted murder and was undoubtedly going to jail. He could only tell Laila to take itback because she didnt mean it. She only insisted that she meant it. Lansbury thencuffed her and took her to jail until her hearing. Kevin went through the same processunfortunately, and was placed into the cell right next to Laila and after the hearing; theyboth went to juvenile prison for inciting a riot and attempted murder. Kevins parentsalso had to pay a $2,000 fine for disturbing the peace.

The Wild Goose ChaseAfter the new morning rose, Detective Rodriguez and Lansbury had already left theirhotel rooms and set out to find the perpetrators of what the Kitsworth Times calls thespray-paint incident. Now that Kevin was in prison and was innocent as far as thevandalism was concerned, they made a B-line for Deans house to ask him who themembers of his gossip crew were.

When they opened the front gate to Deans house, his mother had already opened thefront door and welcoming them in.Good morning, officers. What can I do for you today? she asked pleasantly.


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Rodriguez fixed his collar and said, We need to know the names of the members ofDeans so-called gossip crew.Well, come on in. Deans in the kitchen. Deans mother replied in the same manner asbefore.

They walked in and took a seat at the kitchen table at which Dean was already seated,sulking. Lansbury looked at Rodriguez and Rodriguez looked at the wall, knowing the

sign language of expressions that Lansbury gave. That one meant, Go easy on him.Dean, you mentioned your gossip crew. May I have their names, please? Rodriguezasked as nicely as he could.Yes sir, mumbled Dean, Kevin in prison, Gary Dunn, Disa Tai, Quincy Walin and JagaKyama. They all live across the street. Gary is in the peach house, Disa is in the red brickhouse, Quincy is in the grey brick house, and Jaga is in apartment #16 of the whiteapartment building.Detective Rodriguez sighed, said a thank-you, said goodbye, and left with Lansburysilently trailing behind.

They went to Garys house first, but he was not there. Hed run off to some place where

his parents could not find him. Hed done this before and come back the next day, so hisparents did not worry about it. Lansbury scratched his chin and took notes. They visitedDisas house but she had done the same. Quincy and Jaga were missing too. Lansburyand Rodriguez both thought that this was a sure sign of guilt.

They then stopped at Wandas Coffee House and had their usual, thinking about whereto look for the guilty gossip crew. There were several abandoned buildings, small alleysshady persons, and criminal hideouts that could be their possible location. Immediately,Lansbury called up the search party to find these missing criminals.

The detectives themselves then went to an abandoned house known to be a criminahideout sometimes. They looked through some of the broken widows, circled with theirweapons drawn and ready. Lansbury saw a shadow and heard a rustling. They then wentto the front door and busted in, with all the dust flying, they saw a bird flutter and fly out.Other than the bird, no one was there. Lansbury gave a heavy sigh while Rodriguez justgrunted unhappily.

Presently, they walked out of the house and headed to their next stop. They were ontheir way to the heavily whiskered brute named Lee Chance, nicknamed Leech, whocurrently was a well-known, uncatchable crook who helped the criminals that were tryingto escape the law. Upon reaching his apartment, they knocked, receiving a muffled,Whos there?Were detectives Rodriguez Guillham and Paul Lansbury. Rodriguez said.What do you want? Leech said, now peeking out of a hole.We need to ask you some questions. Dont worry, you arent in trouble, at least wehope so. He replied.Then abruptly, the door opened and they were pulled inside his junky apartment.

Inside the living room, there was an old blue couch and a whitewood and maple coffeetable. There were a few papers and books about being an escape artist lying around theplace. Then there was a bookcase made of the same whitewood and maple combination.They sit down on the couch and talk, starting with some basic questions.


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Have you seen any of these individuals, Leech? Rodriguez asked, showing him some ofthe pictures.Why? asked Lee, Ive seen them come through here wanting to escape to DawsburyHarbour or something. I wasnt about to help a bunch of crazy kits ruin my new rep.New rep? asked Lansbury.Im becoming an expert escape artist and starting my own show, Extreme Escape I cal

it. Thats working out pretty well for me, Lee replied, and my parole officer even likesthe idea of me using my skill for a better cause. Im also getting into cartography.Thats good, but do you know why they would want to go there? Rodriguez asked, alittle relieved that he might no longer have to worry about seeing Lee as a suspect for acrime.Hmm. I dont really know but there is another group of racist vandals just like that in theHarbour of nothing but white, peach, or tan kits. Lee replied, now telling on them, Theyhave no blemishes as they call them and none of them are black. Theyre a bunch ofhopeless racist snobs.Where in the Harbour? Rodriguez asked slowly.Their hideout is near the pier in a dry cave. You have to find the hidden pathway in the

grass and climb up a rope. Heres a map. Lee said, handing them a well-drawn mapshowing their hideout. He had made these sorts of things just in case his old noggin losta few memories and intricate directions.What are their names? Rodriguez asked, getting up.Lets see, their tiny boss is Edomo Sukasa, a.k.a. Scruffles, the bodyguard is ImranTobias, a.k.a. Bobo, the actual vandals are Tony Ricardo, Juan Diceo, Samanda Saheel,Kenraj Saheel, Kemun Zababa, Tina Semana. Theyre all born in the Eastern countries,India, Spain, and Africa, to be exact. Leech replied smiling.

Gotcha!

The officers then thanked him for being honest and left for their new destination, the pierin the bustling city of Dawsbury Harbour. But on the way, they stopped at their precinctand briefed the chief on the operation, asking for backup and for Damien Walin, adedicated, undersized cat the size of a kitten, to send on the sting and catch the twelvesuspects. Upon hearing Lansburys plan, the police chief, Charles Phillips laughed atLansbury, telling him that the idea was dumb. Lansbury then lost all hope and walkedout of the chiefs office to sulk in his own office. This had happened to Paul too manytimes before, hed give an idea to Chief Phillips and hed reject it, then thievingdetective, Andon Arnough, steal it and suggest the very same idea and get all of thecredit once the criminals were caught. Rodriguez then put out a paw, stopping Paul fromgetting up.

Chief, with all due respect, cant you listen to his plan for once and give him the creditinstead of that thief, Arnough? Rodriguez asked, near a rage.What do you mean? Andon comes up with excellent ideas, the chief said, what doesPaul have to do with that?Thats exactly the problem right there. You never listen to him and then Arnough comesin with the same idea after eavesdropping with a stethoscope like hes doing now.Rodriguez replied.There was then a thud behind the door. The chief opened the door to discover that it wasAndon falling after trying to escape being found out. He was so disappointed that hepulled Andon up to his feet and dragged him into the office.


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Detective Andon Eustace Arnough, what were you just doing behind that door? ChiefPhillips shouted discreetly at the cringing, scared cat holding a stethoscope limply.Nnnnnnoth..th..thing sir. Arnough replied, trembling at the vexed Chief who hetricked many times.Tell me the truth! he snapped almost instantly, reaching for Andons throat with alclaws showing, ready to strike.

Okay, okay, I was listening in so that I could steal the idea. Andon said fearfully.Whose idea? he bellowed.Detective Paul Lansburys idea, Andon replied shakily, please dont hurt me.I should. I trusted you! Chief Phillips growled with utmost anger, Youre FIRED!

He then slapped Andon and shoved him out of the office, making him trip onto the coldtiles. Chief Phillips then told Paul that his idea was great and sent them on their way withDamien and the backup. Before they sent him out, they did a background check on all ofQuincys family and found that Juju Walin, Damien and Quincys asthmatic cousin, was aknown criminal in juvenile prison for vandalism, hate crimes, battery, and for assaultwith intent to do bodily harm. He was perfect for the disguise.

They put a wire in Damiens ear, put on a small gold hoop earring in the same earinstead of his regularly worn small diamond in silver. They also gave him a the fake ID asJuju, a weapon, tracking device, camera, a disposable cell phone, Swiss army knife, abicycle to ride because kittens cant get drivers licences until they were full grown, anemergency inhaler to keep in his bag, and a pair of sunglasses for style. They had alsoput hydrogen peroxide on his perfectly grey, which turned it to a colour close to whiteand then dyed him tan and then gave him yellow-green contacts to cover his blue eyesso that he would definitely look like Juju, who was a shorthaired Angora and not himselfa Russian blue. He then was taught the uppity English accent to sound like Juju. Aftergetting his makeover, he went out into the communications room to make the call toEdomo.

Hello, is this Scruffles? he asked.Whos this? Scruffles replied.Juju Walin. Im Quincys cousin who just got out of juvie really early. I need to meet withhim so I can help him out. I heard about the spray-paint thing, it was awesome, my oldaccomplice told me to contact somebody named Scruffles to find my adorable cousin.Damien said, holding back a laugh.Oh. Scruffles replied, I heard about all Quincys famous cousins, including you, thehideout is in the little hill next to the Dawsbury Harbour pier. You have to go throughsome tall brush that is at the piers end and follow the path until you reach a rock face.After you get there, climb up the rope, I could use a little help for my next job.See you when I get there. Damien said then paused, Do I actually get to see you?Yes, of course, I have nothing to hide besides my luscious fur. Someone might want tosack me and steal it all, you know, Im a delicate breed. Scruffles replied haughtilyAnyways, goodbye.Bye, Damien replied, a little disgusted by Scruffles first impression.

Damien then set off on his bicycle with backup far enough behind that the criminalswould not notice but close enough that they could rescue the tiny Damien if needed. Andonce they got there, parked and followed behind in the tall, dry brush while Damien took


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the pathway. Once they reached the separation point, they stayed put and allowedDamien to climb the rope while they waited outside.

All of the suspects were in this huge, messy making of a lair sitting down and waitingfor Juju to come and meet them. They were all seemingly uncomfortable with Damiensperfect attitude. He then started having a chat with Scruffles, an unusually nappy-furred white Himalayan with an incredibly annoying nasal voice that made the nerves in

Damiens back twitch constantly.

So, Juju, what can you do for me? Scruffles inquired.I can make a mess of any material and I can also do some impressively neat interiordecorating. Damien replied.Hmm youre just what I need, Scruffles said deviously. Heres some material, asyou call it, start decorating in here!Okay then. Damien replied, knowing what he was about to do.Everyone then went inside another room to play cards. He started cleaning first, makingsure to bring up a lot of dust, and started coughing uncontrollably. He screamed for help,

luring them all outside to look for his inhaler. He did not tell them that it was in a deep,hidden compartment in his bag, which was hung on his bike which was lost somewherein the bushes. As the entire band of criminals, including Scruffles searched for Damiensbike, Damien had snuck away along the path. They did not know that the officers hadcovered their fur with similar grass as was in the forest of dry grass.

First, they caught Imran, then Tony, then Juan, then Tina, and soon they were down toScruffles, who was screaming, trying to find the others. Damien circled around, back intothe bush with Rodriguez and caught Scruffles by his neck, having a small scuffle trying toget him still enough to handcuff him, and they carried him by the scruff of his nappy-furred neck, into one of the squad cars. The police then drove away happily, after takingthe evidence from the lair, and placed all of the suspects in juvenile prison after asuccessful trial.

A Fixer-Upper

The following day, the insurance brokers had already compensated everyone in theneighbourhood and the repairmen were working relentlessly. Meanwhile, Sally wasmaking plans for a party with Anna. Theyd invite the officers, Dean and his family, theother show contestants, and Annas family. They also wanted to get Dean a newxylophone and congratulate the officers at this small event. With their parents

permission, Sally and Anna ventured down to the Jamieson Conference Hall, two blocksfrom the Harrison Hall where the talent show was to be held.Once they got there, they started decorating the conference room. Sally had made abanner that said Thank You for Saving Our Neighbourhood and Anna helped her put itup. While Anna put up the serving tables and arranged the seats, Sally made it herbusiness to blow up all of the balloons, tie them, and decorate them with ribbons. Onceshe was finished, she and Anna put the balloons everywhere they saw fit. In addition, inone hour, they were finished decorating. The only thing left to do was get Dean thexylophone and get it wrapped.


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At Music Plus, they had five different luxury xylophones made of redwood with blackkeys, whitewood with whitewashed keys, blackened wood with brown keys, mahoganywith brown keys, and maple with vanished keys. All of the xylophones keys had suchwatery paint and varnish on the keys so that Sally and Anna could still see the patternsof the wood showing still. Neither Sally nor Anna knew which one Dean would like.

It was about 5:00 now and they had to be at their houses before 5:30. Sally and Anna

went their separate ways, bathed, ate, and went to sleep. The next day, Sally and Annareunited, went in front of his house where the broken xylophone lay, and examined it.This xylophone was black with multicoloured keys, one that did not seem up to the beststandards even if it were brand new. Suddenly, Dean crept up behind them and made aloud screeching noise, making the fur on both of their backs stand up straight.

What are you doing? Dean asked.Looking at your xylophone. Anna replied.Oh. Why? Its all broken up and I never liked it anyways. Dean said, almost laughing.Why didnt you like it? Sally asked.Its badly painted, it sounds wrong, the keys are blinding in colour, and the black they

painted it isnt good-looking, I wish it were white. Dean said, a little puzzled at why theywere looking at his badly broken instrument.Okay. Sally and Anna said in unison and ran off to Music Plus once more.

They rushed over to the whitewood xylophone to see the price, $100. Sally and Annaonly had $75 to spend; they would have to raise $25 to get it. Because of this, they putthe xylophone on layaway and paid the $75 so that they would not have to worry aboutthe temptation to spend it on catnip-flavoured candy. Immediately, they ran to Sallyshouse, made lemonade and started selling it around the neighbourhood for $2 a cup. Atfirst, only two customers bought then about twenty customers came, drying up theirsupply of lemonade and lemons ran out. They now had $44 dollars to spend on thexylophone and some to spare.

The delighted duo the packed up their lemonade gear and ran off to the store andbought the whitewood xylophone for Dean and had it wrapped with a beautiful black-and-white chequered ribbon and white wrapping paper. It was perfect but they had topay $15 out of $19 to the delivery service to get it to the Jamieson Hall. Anna hadalready set up the refreshments and made the invitation cards that Sally sent out. It wasonly a matter of time before people would come at the appointed time of 3:30.

When the time came, no one was there. Then thirty minutes later, the officers came thenthe other show contestants, Sallys mother, Annas little brother and father, and Dean,along with his mother came. Soon, they were having a blast with all of the things thatSally and Anna single-handedly set up. The officers were pleased with the amount ofappreciation offered. However, Sally and Anna had not given Dean his present; theywere too scared. Suddenly, Ms. Peters, who knew all about the present, tapped a glassand called everyones attention. She said, Ahem, as you all know, Deans xylophonewas broken. But out of the kindness of their hearts, Sally and Anna saved up and madeenough money to get him a new one.

As Dean heard this, he looked straight at Sally and Anna, who were hiding behind atable, and gaped. Then two strong cats moved the xylophone into everyones view and


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unwrapped it for Dean to see. Dean, paralyzed by surprise, shifted his view betweenSally and the gift, and lunged towards Sally and gave her a big hug, lifting her up off herfeet.

One day later, the trio of Dean, Sally, and Anna, get together, clean up the room atJamieson Hall, practise, clean their costumes for the show, and went to sleep very early.

The Show

On the day of the show, the sun seemed to cast an extra bright ray. Sally woke up readyand refreshed, and even took an unusual soap and water-bath so she could smell extrafresh. Then slowly, 3:30 came with as much promise and excitement for everyone as afarmers latter rain. Sally and her mother went to the hall where the show was to occurand hosted. Sally drank honey to make her voice extra sweet when she sang. She triedher best to stay strong, not choke up, and freak out backstage. The announcer called theperformer's names, just for the audience to know just in case there were faulty programs

for the show or some blind individuals attending.He said, "Good afternoon and welcome kitties and gentlecats to the Tyrone A. SungTalent Show. Tonight, we have Suzy McAllister with a balancing act, Junia Fraser with apoem, Franny Greigh-Brooks with a song on the flute, Anna Singh with a special dance,George Wills and Sue Jiggs with a dance, Dean ORiley with a song on the xylophone. Welike to save the very best for last so we have a special kitty whose name is Sally Peterswith a special song written by her. The judges will watch each contestant's act and rateeach one on a scale of 1 to 10. The kitty with the highest rating will be awarded with atrophy and an opportunity to become famous."

The crowd cheered with expectancy. Then the lights turned off and the curtains closed tototal silence. The show was about to begin. The announcer moved off the stage and thejudges already started to fringe their foreheads and whisper. The spotlight came on andSuzy stood motionless, then she started her balancing act in which she balanced fivespinning plates on sticks. She held one on her tail, one on her tongue, one on top of herforehead, another on her foot and the other two in her hands. The crowd applauded andthe judges gave her 9.0, 9.0, 9.0, and 7.5 respectively.

Junia was up next and she said her poem well but she choked up and made too manymistakes that sounded not so swell. The judges gave her 5.6, 6.0, 6.0 and 6.0respectively. Franny was to do a song on the flute but she looked at the crowd and

chickened out even though her stature resembled a feminine brute. The curtainsunfolded again and Anna Singh gave her belly dance and was rated a straight 9.8George and Sue did their dance, which contained numerous occurrences of many a kungfu stance. This dance ended with a dive, which was awarded a 9.0.

Then Deans turn came to play, he got his xylophone on the stage and positioned himselfto play. He played well and the judges gave him a decent 8.0. He bowed and hoppedbackstage, with the men carrying his xylophone behind. He then looked for Sally andsaid to her, Im counting on you to do really good. Give it your best shot!


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After this, the announcer came up and said, And now for the cat weve all been waitingfor, give it up for Sally Peters! It was now Sallys turn. The curtains closed, the spotlightmoved, then silence. The drum roll started and the curtains opened. Sally slowly walkedonto the stage with her tail sporting the ribbon she was so proud to wear. She looked atthe crowd, gulped and began to sing. The crowd was engrossed in the song and was atits utmost silence, no mouse would dare interrupt the audience by even twitching itswhiskers.

I am a kitty catA very black kitty cat

I have no spots or stripesNot even a blemishFull black all overI am a rainbow too

I am a rainbowNice and blackNo other colour

Rat-a-tat-tat-cat

As she sung those last lines, the judges and the crowd started screaming and clappingbecause the song was so beautiful. The judges then rated her 15, 15, 15 and 15.9respectively. The crowd cheered wildly as the curtains closed and Sally curtsied. Theannouncer slowly walked on stage saying, And now, the winners of the contest. Infourth place, we have Dean ORiley and in third, we have the duo of George Wills andSue Jiggs tied with Suzy McAllister. In second place, we have Anna Singh and finally, infirst place, we have the amazing Black Silk, Sally Peters. The crowd cheered at eachwinning name, which were later rehearsed and aired from nothingness to total fame.

The show then ended with six happy kittens jumping up and down behind the curtainsand their proud parents sitting in the audience, smiling. After this triumphant show, Sallyand her mother were pleased to know that the other parents had planned to celebratetheir kittens victories at the same place that they had planned to go. The so-called loserJunia still went also with a smiling face because she got a chance to try her poetic case.

Sally, Suzy, Anna, Junia, Dean, George, and Sue sat at a table together while theiparents sat at another. Sallys mother, Viola Peters seemed to like Annas single father,Ahmed Singh and he seemed to like her too. Georges father, Albert Wills was caughlooking fondly at Sue Jiggs mother, Allison Jiggs. Consequently, Viola dated Ahmed, andAlbert dated Allison. After over a year's worth of dating for each, both couples gotmarried. Junia, Dean, and Suzys parents were already happily married.

Sally and her new half-sister Anna, George and his new half-sister Sue, Suzy, and Deanbecame best friends after a little while. Two months later, Sally unexpectedly bumpedinto Sam on her way home. At first, she tried to dodge him but ended up in a longconversation and soon, they became best friends.

The End?


25/25

Two days after the show, a famous singer from the Rio Grande named Juana Picasaarrived in Kitsworth city to see the contestants that gained above eight points. Mr. Sungwas delighted to see her and as soon as the planes wheels bumped on the tarmac, hecalled Suzy, George and Sue, Anna, Dean, and Sallys parents, telling them to expectJuana at their doorstep any time soon and he told them to keep it a secret.

Ding-dong-ting-a-ting, Sally heard, ding-dong-ting-a-ting, she heard again. Who could

that be at the door? When Sally answered the door, she was surprised to see thebeautiful figure that she only saw in posters and magazines. Juana was a long, slenderblack and grey cat with blue eyes and long whiskers, an obvious mix of Tabby andpredominantly, Russian blue. Juana smiled politely and Sally invited her in.

Hello, old friend! Ms. Peters said from the kitchen.Oh my gosh, If it isnt the one and only Viola Peters. I havent seen you in ages, youlook so different! Juana said, standing next to her.Oh stop, you can still recognize me, unlike Vivien. Anyways, what are you doing aroundthis part of town? Viola said.Well, I am supposed to give your little kitty some pointers on how to improve her

wonderful talent, Juana said, pointing to Sally, tell her the ins and outs of beingfamous, and then Ill make her famous.Go right ahead. Heres some of my homemade juice, I hope you like it. Ill be in here ifyou need me, said Ms. Peters.

For the next hour, Juana was doing all that she said shed do and soon, her alarmsounded to tell her that she had to go to the next scheduled contestant, Anna. Howeverbefore she left, she gave Sally a few delicately framed guidelines to hang in a placewhere she could see it often. Juana visited their houses all day, intentionally making agood impression on them and informing them. Soon, it was night and all went to rest.

The next day, Mr. Sung called a meeting at the Harrison Hall, which was to take place inabout an hour. Sally was excited when she received the message, it was only once thatshed ever met anyone famous besides the past day, and she was a posh, overdone fur-dresser from Boston. Immediately, Sally rushed to meet Anna and all her friends at theHall, and see what this meeting was regarding.

When Sally and the others arrived, Kelly the assistant was already there and Juana wasstanding nearby her, ready to address the soon-to-be famous kittens.Hola kitties, how do you do today? she said in her beautiful Spanish accent.Were good. They all replied in unison.Good. You already know who I am, so Ill skip to the point. Juana said, I am here todayto tell you what is going to happen tomorrow. Everyones ears pointed backwards,showing their uncertainty.Well, with your parents absolute permission, tomorrow, you are going to pack yourbags and tomorrow night at 9:00 pm, you are all going to Rio Grande with your parentsand me.

To Be Continued

sally and the big show (scribd edit)

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