“Meow,” Sooky said.

“What do you want, pretty kitty?” PB asked without looking up from her book.

“Meow wow yow,” Sooky replied.

“Do you want to play?” PB asked.

Sooky replied with a soft nudge on her hand.

PB turned another page. She’d play with her kitten in a minute. As soon as she finished this chapter.

Sooky nudged her again, a little harder this time. “Meow yow.”

“Just a second,” PB said. And she really meant it. But this book was really good. She couldn’t put it down now. She just couldn’t. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sooky playing. The kitten had found a string somewhere.

Toss. Grab. Toss. Grab. Toss. Chase.

Wait. What? Chase? PB put down her book. The piece of string moved. It wriggled. It squirmed. It wasn’t a string after all. It was a small snake.

PB tucked her feet under her away from the floor and the snake. “Sooky, stop,” PB said. “That’s not a toy.”

“Meow,” Sooky said. She picked up her toy and brought it to PB. “Meow wow.”

“See my new toy,” she seemed to say. “Come and play.”

“Sooky,” PB said in her sternest voice. “Put that down. It’s dangerous.”

Sooky dropped the snake. But her tail lashed. And her eyes narrowed. She hunched down. She did a cute little bottom wiggle. Then she pounced. She grabbed. She flung. She pounced again.

PB was beginning to feel sorry for the poor snake. After all, it was so little. It might even be a baby. A slimy yucky snaky baby, but still a baby.

So she carefully worked her way to the kitchen. She found a broom and a dust pan. Then she snuck up on Sooky and her ‘toy.’

Grab. Fling.

But before Sooky pounced, PB did. She swept the snake into the pan.

Then this time PB did the flinging through the back door.

The snake slithered across the porch and into the grass. “I hope it will be okay.”

Sooky’s tail lashed. “Meow yowl,” she said with a kitten scowl. She scratched at the back door. Then she looked up at PB and as if to say, “Where’s my toy?”

PB unlaced her best shoes. Then dangled the shoestring in front of Sooky. “Come on, sweet kitty. Let’s play.”

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