“Snuggles, stop it!” Mark laughed. This time he grabbed the ball before the kitten reached it, and threw it across the lawn again.
Snuggles rushed after the ball so quickly he did a somersault, and landed SPLAT! on his bottom.
“Oh, Snuggles, you’re so funny!” Mark grinned.
“Maybe, but I’ve got the ball!” Snuggles purred, batting it away from Mark again with his paw.
Snuggles was quite amazed. The garden wasn’t as scary as he’d thought! It was a bit dark and overgrown, but he didn’t feel frightened – because Mark was playing in it too.
Mark took Snuggles to explore the wild patch at the bottom of the garden. They hid behind trees and jumped out at each other. They even rolled around in a big pile of grass cuttings. Then Mark fetched some empty cardboard boxes. He built a big tower and helped Snuggles to climb all the way to the top.
Snuggles really enjoyed playing with his new friend. But after a while he began to feel a bit strange– as though he had forgotten something important …
Then he remembered.“Oh!” he mewed. “My afternoon nap!”
The kitten began to make his way back up the garden, towards the house.
“Snuggles?” Mark called, puzzled. “What’s the matter?”
“I almost forgot to have my afternoon Super-Snuggles adventure!” Snuggles mewed. He went through the open back door and into the Bournes’ living room.
Mr Chapman was sitting on the sofa, talking to Emily, who was in her playpen. Mrs Bourne was laying out cups and plates for tea.
Snuggles leaped up onto his owner’s lap, then settled down and closed his eyes.
“I see what you mean about Snuggles sleeping a lot, Mr Chapman!” Mark’s mum said, smiling.
Mr Chapman sighed as he stroked his kitten’s head.
“Where’s Snuggles?” Mark asked, coming into the living room. “Oh!”
Snuggles was almost asleep by now, but he could hear that Mark sounded a bit disappointed.
“We were having a great game,” Mark went on.
Yes, we were, thought Snuggles sleepily. He liked playing with Mark. In fact, playing with Mark wasalmost as much fun as a Super-Snuggles dream …
Chapter Four
Super-Snuggles stood outside Number 21, his tail waving angrily from side to side. Inside the house, a dog was barking loudly
“That Barney!” Super-Snuggles hissed crossly. “He’s always barking. It’s time someone sorted him out!”
The garden gate was shut. It was quite high, but that didn’t stop Super-Snuggles. He leaped over it, and strolled up the garden path. The front door of Number 21 was shut, but a window at the side of the house was open. Super-Snuggles jumped onto the windowsill and looked inside.
Barney the Alsatian was standing in the kitchen.“In case anyone has forgotten, I’M in charge around here,” he barked. “This is MY—” Barney stopped when he saw Super-Snuggles glaring at him through the window. “Er … hello, Super-Snuggles,” he woofed –much more quietly.“Is something wrong?”
“There certainly is,” Super-Snuggles miaowed coolly. He stepped through the window and onto the draining board, his whiskers twitching.
Barney looked a bit nervous.“What?” he woofed.
“There’s an annoying dog in my street who never stops barking!” Super-Snuggles hissed, staring hard at Barney.
The big dog bared his teeth.
“Grr! You tell me who’s annoying you, Super-Snuggles, and I’ll see him off!” he growled.
Really! Super-Snuggles thought.Dogs are so stupid!“The dog’s name is Barney, and he lives at Number 21,” he miaowed.
“Right!” Barney barked. Then he looked puzzled. “Hang on a minute, that’sme, isn’t it?”
Super-Snuggles jumped down onto the kitchen floor, stalked over to the Alsatian and looked him in the eye.“Yes, it is,” he miaowed.
Barney’s ears and tail drooped. “Sorry. I’ll never bark loudly again, Super-Snuggles!” he whimpered. “I promise …”
“That’s Mark at the door!”
Hearing this, Snuggles left Super-Snuggles telling Barney off, and woke up. He jumped off Mr Chapman’s lap and raced down the hall.
It was a few days since Snuggles and Mr Chapman had gone to tea at the Bournes’ house. And Mark had called in to play with the kitten every afternoon when he got home from school.
Snuggles really enjoyed the lively games they played. Kind old Mr Chapman had the comfiest lap in the world, but he couldn’t run around the garden with Snuggles like Mark did.
“Hello, Mark,” Snuggles purred, as Mr Chapman opened the door. The kitten launched himself at Mark and pounced on the laces of his trainers. It was one of his favourite games.
“Hi, Mr Chapman,” Mark grinned. “Can I have my laces back, please, Snuggles? I need them to keep my trainers on!”
“Why?” Snuggles grabbed one of the laces in his teeth and shook it from side to side. “I don’t know why people wear such smelly shoes anyway!”
“Snuggles, behave yourself!” Mr Chapman laughed. “Come in, Mark.”
“Race you to the back door, Mark!” Snuggles miaowed happily. And he shot off down the hall, with Mark chasing after him.
When Mr Chapman had unlocked the back door, Snuggles and Mark ran out into the garden. Snuggles had almost forgotten that he’d ever been scared of going outside. Now he and Mark went out whenever the weather was fine.
It was a crisp, bright autumn day. Red and gold leaves were falling gently from the trees onto the lawn.
“Come on, Mark!” Snuggles mewed. “Let’s catch the leaves for a while!” He jumped up at a leaf as it floated down towards him and batted it with his paw.
“Well done, Snuggles!” Mark called. Then he looked around the garden. “I feel like climbing a tree,” he said.
Snuggles’s heart sank. “I’m too scared to climb trees,” he mewed quietly. “Only Super-Snuggles can do that.”
Mark pointed at the tallest tree in Mr Chapman’s garden. “Come on, Snuggles. Let’s climb that one!”
Snuggles looked nervously at the tree. It was so tall, it seemed to go on for ever. Even Super-Snuggles hadn’t climbed it yet. Snuggles was surehe’d never be able to climb the tree. Not even with Mark’s help.
“I’ll give you a hand, Snuggles.” Mark picked up the kitten and, standing on tiptoe, placed him on one of the lower branches. “Now just wait there while I climb up to you.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” Snuggles mewed in a scared voice. “Help!” The kitten was very frightened indeed. He felt as though he was going to fall off any minute. He didn’t like it at all.
“Mark, your mum’s here,” Mr Chapman called from the back door. Snuggles wasvery relieved.
“OK,” Mark called back. He lifted Snuggles off the branch. “The tree will have to wait until tomorrow,” he said. Then he gave the kitten a cuddle as he carried him back into the house.
Snuggles was still feeling a bit shaky, so he decided to go and have a nap. A Super-Snuggles adventure would make him feel better.
Mr Chapman was busy in the kitchen, so the kitten curled up on the rug in front of the fire. What would Super-Snuggles do today? he wondered. He’d have to wait and see …
Super-Snuggles the Wonder Cat sat on the front garden fence, watching all the dogs in the street walking up and down. They hardly made a sound.
“Hello, Super-Snuggles,” Barney woofed very softly, trotting up to him. “I’ve told all the other dogs not to bark loudly any more, because it annoys you.”
“Thanks, Barney,” Super-Snuggles miaowed.
The Alsatian wagged his tail happily.
Super-Snuggles sat and watched all the dogs woofing to each other really, really quietly. It was great fun!
Or was it?
“Just a minute,” Super-Snuggles mewed, feeling rather miserable. “Something’s not quite right here …”
Snuggles stirred in his sleep, beginning to wake up.What is the matter with Super-Snuggles? he thought drowsily.Why does he feel so fed up?
“Snuggles, wake up.” Mr Chapman came into the living room carrying a sandwich and a cup of tea. “Were you asleep again? I sometimes wonder what you dream about!”