Figaro leaped onto Kitty’s bed and flicked his tail impatiently. “There’s an awful noise coming from the clock tower, and the animals in the neighborhood are in great distress! We have no idea what’s making this dreadful racket. You must help!”’
Kitty leaned her head out the window. The clock tower was a long way from her house, but she could hear a terrible, high-pitched howling. It sent a shiver down her back.
“The clock tower is very tall, and the walls are too slippery for any of us to climb. There is panic out on the rooftops tonight, and we need your help.”
Kitty’s stomach lurched. The noise could be anything! Did she really want to go and find out?
Figaro leaped neatly off the bed. He placed his paw on her knee, his face solemn. “Please, Kitty! We need you.”
Kitty gulped. She wanted to help, and there was also a tiny part of her that wanted to see what it was like to have an adventure. She took a deep breath. “I’ll go to the clock tower if you help me find the way.”
Figaro’s whiskers perked up. “Thank you, Kitty! Every cat in Hallam City will be forever grateful.” He skipped to the window, his white paws flashing. “Follow me, and I’ll take you there at once.”
Kitty’s heart pounded as she climbed onto the windowsill. Clouds moved to hide the bright full moon, and the darkness thickened. For a second, Kitty nearly turned back inside. Then she took a deep breath and clambered through the window. She scrambled up from the windowsill and balanced on the roof, her heart racing.
The shadows seemed to stretch toward her. She shivered as she gazed around, trying to spot the places she knew. There on the corner was Mr. Harvey’s shop with all the cards and magazines in the window. Beyond that was the park, with its tall trees and duck pond. The clock tower looked very small in the distance.
The wind stirred and touched the back of Kitty’s neck like a cold finger. A creature with wide wings swooped past with a terrible shriek. Kitty froze—her breath stuck in her throat.
“Don’t worry, it’s only a screech owl,” said Figaro, bounding away across the rooftops.
Kitty couldn’t move. She clutched the chimney, and the bricks felt rough under her hands. She was just about to tell Figaro she wasn’t really a superhero when suddenly there was a break in the clouds.
Moonlight poured over the rooftops, turning everything soft and silver. Kitty felt her magical superpowers tingling. She narrowed her eyes and turned on her nighttime vision. Then she listened carefully and found she could hear lots of tiny nighttime sounds, from insects chirping to the whispering of the wind in the trees.
Kitty let go of the chimney and felt her super balance kick in. It felt amazing! She skipped across the rooftops, light as a moonbeam.
“Come on—this way!” called Figaro, leaping from one roof to the next.
Kitty jumped across easily. Then she tried a somersault and landed on her toes. Figaro nodded approvingly. Kitty smiled at him.
The wind changed direction, and the terrible howling from the clock tower grew louder.
Figaro shook his head. “It’s getting worse. We have to hurry!”
They ran along the next rooftop. Then Figaro stopped suddenly, scratching his ear. “This is no good! That’s much too far to jump,” he said.
Kitty crept onto a narrow ledge. “I think I can see a way across.” She climbed up the gutter and ran past a row of chimneys. A strange shape moved on the opposite roof. Kitty swallowed. It looked like a monster with two heads. It’s just a shadow, she told herself. Remember . . . you’re braver than you think! When she looked again, she realized it was only the shadow of an oddly shaped tree.
She bent her knees and got ready to jump to the opposite roof.
“Help me!” called a little voice. “Somebody please help me!”
Kitty zoomed in on the sound with her super hearing. “Wait, Figaro! Someone’s in trouble. I think it’s coming from the park.” She clambered down the drainpipe and ran to the park entrance.
“Dear, dear!” Figaro puffed a little as he reached the ground. “What a terrible night we’re having!”
Leaving the city streets behind, Kitty and Figaro raced along the winding path that led through the park. The darkness wrapped around them like a blanket, and there was a crackling in the bushes. Kitty swallowed. It was dark so far away from the streetlights and the houses.
The path forked. Kitty hesitated, listening again for the cry.
“I’ll search this way.” Figaro waved a paw before disappearing in the direction of the pond.
Kitty took the other path, her night vision sharpening. As she dashed around a bend, she caught a glimpse of orange fur. A fox with a white-tipped tail lurked at the bottom of a tree. It glanced at Kitty and raised its black nose to sniff the air. Kitty backed away. The fox had a sharp glint in its eyes.
“Help me!” called a tiny voice from the branches above.
Kitty’s heart raced. Someone was trapped up there! She ran forward and the fox dashed away, its tail flashing in the moonlight.
Kitty peered up into the dark web of leaves. “It’s all right! I’ve come to help you.”
There was no answer. Hairs prickled on the back of Kitty’s neck.
“My name’s Kitty. Are you okay?”
The silence thickened.
A fluttery feeling grew in Kitty’s chest. Even superpowered sight wouldn’t let her see through the tangle of leaves. Who was up there, and why wouldn’t they speak to her?
Kitty gulped. There was only one way to learn who had been calling for help. Finding a foothold in the trunk, she pulled herself onto the lowest tree branch and began to climb.
Chapter
3
Kitty swung from one branch to the next, and the leaves above her moved wildly. No matter how quickly she climbed, someone else was climbing away from her even faster.
“Wait! I came to help you,” called Kitty.
The rustling stopped, and a pair of bright eyes blinked over the edge of a thick branch. “Are you sure you’re not a monster?” said a little voice.
Kitty realized she was speaking to a cat. “I promise I’m not a monster. I’m just a girl who can talk to cats. It’s a special talent that runs in my family,” she explained. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Oh!” The eyes blinked again. “My name’s Pixie.” The leaves shook, and a small cat with fluffy white fur jumped onto Kitty’s branch.
“What happened? Did the fox scare you?” asked Kitty.
“I was up here in the tree, imagining I was a magical cat with wings. Then that horrible howling started. Can you hear it? I think it’s a g-g-ghost!” Pixie’s whiskers trembled.
“Figaro says it’s coming from the clock tower. I’m on my way to investigate right now,” said Kitty.
Pixie clutched Kitty’s arm with her paw. “You mustn’t! What if the ghost sees you?”
Kitty swallowed. “I’m sure it isn’t a ghost,” she said firmly. “Why don’t you come with us and see for yourself? The fox is gone, so it’s quite safe to climb down.”
Pixie followed Kitty down the tree, still muttering about ghosts and monsters. Kitty was starting to wonder if the little cat had a very strong imagination. They scrambled through the bushes to find Figaro scampering toward them. At his side was a tabby cat with serious amber eyes.
“There you are, Kitty!” Figaro twirled his whiskers. “I was getting so worried! Pixie, what on earth are you doing here?”
“I was up a tree dreaming of becoming a cat with wings! But now Kitty says I should come and look for the clock tower ghost,” replied Pixie.
Figaro tutted. “Dear me! I see you’re full of wild ideas, as usual.” He waved to the cat with the amber eyes. “Kitty, I’d like you to meet my friend Katsumi. She’s brought some news about the clock tower emergency.”