Alfie Far From Home Read online

‘The water’s gone cold,’ someone else shouted. Lots of voices shrieked all at once.

  ‘You did that?’ Viola asked. She looked cross. Nathan fell about laughing.

  ‘But we’ll get into trouble,’ Emily said. Jack looked as if he might cry.

  ‘Run,’ Stanley said; they all ran. I heard the whistle and Mr Green rounded the corner, blowing it furiously. Angry people crowded round him as he tried to pacify them, with Humphrey at his feet.

  I found the children sitting outside our van. None of them looked happy.

  ‘What did you do that for?’ Stanley demanded. ‘We could have got into big trouble.’

  ‘I don’t know; sometimes I just can’t help myself,’ Nathan admitted. ‘I guess I did it because I miss home.’

  ‘But getting us into trouble isn’t going to help you,’ Stanley pointed out.

  ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Look, we need to have fun but not get into too much trouble. I know, I have a lot of experience of trouble,’ Stanley said. He did.

  ‘What can we do now?’ Jack asked.

  ‘We can play table tennis – there’s a table in a room by the clubhouse. We’re allowed,’ Nathan said.

  ‘Yay!’ Jack was excited again. As they stood up, Mrs Clover appeared.

  ‘Viola, it’s time for piano practice – come along.’

  Viola looked sadly at the other children as they all ran off.

  ‘But—’ she started.

  ‘Chop chop, Viola,’ her mother said.

  ‘I’ll never make friends at this rate,’ I heard her mumble.

  ‘What, dear?’ Mrs Clover asked.

  ‘Nothing, Mum,’ Viola sighed.

  Viola was still unhappy the following morning. And no one but me seemed to notice. Mr Clover was loving the fresh air; Mrs Clover was drawing – something she said she never normally had time for. Stanley was happy – all the children were going on a campsite treasure hunt, and he enjoyed being with his new friends. I needed to do something for Viola – it seemed I was her only chance.

  The children waited by the clubhouse. Jack was bouncing around, Emily hung back, a bit like Viola – they were so alike they could have been friends, if only one of them would speak! I felt my fur tingle as an idea started coming to me.

  ‘Guys, listen up. This treasure hunt sucks,’ Nathan said.

  ‘What does sucks mean?’ Jack asked.

  ‘It means it’s rubbish,’ Stanley explained – being an adventurer in training meant he was good at international languages.

  ‘Yeah, it’s rubbish. The prize is some dumb candy.’

  ‘What’s candy?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Sweets,’ Stanley said.

  ‘So, anyway, here’s my plan. How about we all pretend not to understand the clues? It’ll be so funny,’ Nathan suggested.

  ‘That does sound funny,’ Stanley said.

  ‘Will we get into trouble?’ Viola asked.

  ‘Nah, Uncle Green will just think we’re stupid,’ Nathan said.

  ‘But I really like sweets.’ Jack sounded upset.

  ‘You can get candy anytime but this will be more fun, trust me,’ Nathan said.

  I miaowed – it sounded strange to me – like it could get them into BIG trouble. They really shouldn’t trust him.

  ‘But, but—’ Jack looked as if he might cry. Emily put her hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Great, so we’re all agreed. This will be so cool.’ Nathan gave all the children a high-five.

  Mr Green approached with a girl I hadn’t seen before. She was about Stanley’s age, with dark hair in bunches and wearing dungarees.

  ‘Ah, you are all here,’ Mr Green said, blowing his whistle. ‘I do like punctuality. Come on, line up, line up.’

  ‘I’m Poppy,’ the new girl said. Stanley and Nathan looked at each other, about to tell her what they were up to, but Nathan put his finger to his lip.

  ‘Yes, sorry, this is Poppy. Her family just arrived so luckily she is just in time for the treasure hunt.’ He blew his whistle again. ‘Not only do we get some fresh air but also we get to exercise the grey matter.’

  ‘What?’ Jack looked terrified. I thought he probably wouldn’t have to pretend not to get the clues.

  ‘Your brain,’ Emily explained as Mr Green set off.

  I followed them, trying to keep myself hidden from Mr Green. I wasn’t sure if cats were allowed on the treasure hunt. I was pretty sure I wasn’t.

  ‘Right, first clue. What has leaves but isn’t a tree?’ Mr Green asked.

  ‘A table?’ Nathan asked. Stanley giggled behind his hand.

  ‘No, try again,’ Mr Green said. They were standing by the bush which I was hiding under, and as I saw a piece of paper, I realised the answer. I tried to hide myself further as I saw Poppy’s hand reach in and retrieve the clue.

  ‘A plant! I’ve got it!’ she said triumphantly.

  ‘Well done, Poppy. At least someone here has some sense,’ Mr Green muttered. As Nathan smirked at Stanley, I saw the girls exchange a look. They didn’t seem happy. ‘Right, on we go. I have pegs but I don’t hang washing,’ Mr Green said.

  ‘A—’ Viola started to say, but Stanley pushed her out of the way. ‘Ahh,’ she said, nearly falling on me.

  ‘I’m not sure I understand. What do you mean by pegs?’ Stanley asked. ‘Is it actual washing?’

  ‘Well done for trying, Stanley, but no.’ Mr Green sounded kind. Viola turned pink and Emily looked at the floor. This wasn’t funny. Not at all.

  ‘A tent!’ Poppy shouted triumphantly, and she ran round the tents until she found one with a clue pinned to it. She handed the clue to Mr Green.

  ‘Well done again, Poppy. I really can’t understand why no one else can get the clues.’ Mr Green scratched his head and looked puzzled. Nathan smiled again, and although he hadn’t welcomed me with open arms, I felt very sorry for Mr Green.

  ‘Ah, this is a good one. Right, what is a cat’s favourite food?’ Mr Green looked hopeful, but the boys looked blankly at him. Viola and Emily were clearly uncomfortable and I knew the answer! Pilchards. Not that I knew where to find them. I only wished I did!

  ‘Cat food,’ Nathan said. Mr Green shook his head.

  ‘Is it fish?’ Poppy asked, running towards the shop. The other children watched as she went to the tins of fish and found a clue underneath them. ‘Got it!’

  Mr Green looked relieved, and quickly carried on. But the next clues were equally embarrassing. Mr Green patted Poppy’s head each time she got the clues whilst the other children looked blank.

  ‘Right, last clue. Beneath the house that isn’t a house,’ Mr Green announced. ‘Let’s see if someone other than Poppy can get this one.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Nathan said. I was feeling cross with the children now. They weren’t being nice to either Mr Green or Poppy. I saw that Viola and Emily weren’t happy as they both now stared at the ground and Jack looked close to tears. This wasn’t fun.

  ‘Well, it’s quite simple. Beneath the house that isn’t a house,’ Mr Green repeated. He sounded impatient.

  ‘I know, it’s under this caravan!’ Poppy exclaimed and she crawled on the floor, retrieving a bag of sweets.

  ‘Well done, Poppy.’ Mr Green smiled with relief.

  As soon as he’d gone, Nathan and Stanley started laughing.

  ‘That was such fun,’ Nathan said.

  ‘Why are you laughing?’ Poppy asked.

  ‘Well, you see before you arrived we decided to play a trick on Mr Green by not getting any of the clues right,’ Stanley explained.

  ‘You mean you did it on purpose?’ Poppy said.

  ‘Yes,’ Viola said. ‘It was Nathan’s idea.’ She looked embarrassed.

  ‘I didn’t want to do it – I like sweets,’ Jack said. Emily patted his shoulder again.

  ‘Well, I shan’t be sharing with you, it wasn’t nice,’ Poppy said, clutching the sweets to her chest. The others looked a bit embarrassed.

  ‘I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to be mean,’ Emily said.

  ‘We really didn’t,’ Viola added. The two girls exchanged a shy smile.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ve got sweets in the van and I’ll share them with all of you; even you, Poppy,’ Stanley said. ‘Come on.’

  I started after them but a cat-shaped shadow loomed.

  ‘Hello, Humphrey,’ I said.

  ‘What business did you have going on the treasure hunt?’ he asked.

  ‘I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed.’

  ‘I am getting fed up with you being on my territory.’ He flicked his tail in anger. This was one mean cat.

  ‘Look, one of my children, Viola, is unhappy, so I need to stay close to see if she’s all right.’

  ‘Um … Well I do like children, but I’d still prefer it if you could try to keep out of my way as much as possible.’

  I bounded off. I didn’t need asking twice.

  ‘Right, dear,’ Mr Clover announced. He was wearing a rucksack, a big-brimmed hat and carrying a walking stick.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Mrs Clover asked. She was sitting in a chair with a big drawing pad on her lap.

  ‘The children told me the treasure hunt was a bit of a disaster, so I am taking them on an adventure, to forage in the wood for fruit or whatever. We might even see a bear,’ he laughed.

  ‘Oh no!’ Jack hid behind his sister.

  ‘It’ll be fine, young man, now go and tell your parents and meet me here as quick as you can.’ Stanley and Viola were giggling excitedly as they waited for their friends.

  ‘Viola,’ Mrs Clover said. ‘You need to do your piano now.’

  ‘What?’ Viola looked at her mother.

  ‘Piano now. It’s the only time the clubhouse is free.’

  ‘But I was going with Dad and the others.’ Her face fell.

  ‘Nonsense, you can do that anytime – come along.’

  I sat next to Viola on the piano stool. I had been desperate to go with the others but Viola needed me. Despite the fact that she was upset, she was playing beautifully.

  ‘Oh, Alfie,’ she said. She stopped playing and started stroking me. ‘I do love the piano but I wish I could have gone with the others. If I can’t make friends here, how will I ever manage at school?’ She paused.

  ‘Purr,’ I said in understanding.

  ‘I wish I was like Stanley – he makes friends so easily – but I really struggle and now I am in here on my own and they’re off having fun. I’ll never have any friends and I’ll probably be on my own for ever!’ She bashed the piano in frustration. I curled on to her lap to comfort her. She sighed and started playing again but I could see she was playing through tears.

  That night, the children all sat round a table in the clubroom. I had snuck in again, getting better at this every day. They were still talking about foraging and what they had managed to collect, so Viola felt more left out than ever. No one noticed, but Emily kept shooting her worried glances. I nudged Viola but she didn’t even look at Emily. She was intently staring at the table. I jumped on to her lap and she petted me. I also had a good view of the stage as a spotlight – which was actually Mrs Green holding a torch – shone on it and the curtains were pulled back to reveal Mr Green in a massive top hat and cloak, waving a magic wand. Everyone clapped, although Viola’s was half-hearted.

  ‘Welcome to my Magnificent Magic Show,’ Mr Green said in a funny voice. ‘I am Magician Green.’ He took his hat off and put it on the table. Nathan rolled his eyes at Stanley.

  ‘What?’ Stanley whispered.

  ‘This is going to be awful,’ Nathan replied.

  ‘Shush,’ Poppy hissed.

  ‘For my first trick, I shall join these silk scarves,’ he announced with a flourish as he pulled a number of brightly coloured scarves out of his hat. He showed the audience how they were separate. Then he held them in one hand and waved his wand over them.

  ‘Abracadabra,’ he said, grabbing the end of one scarf; the rest fluttered to the floor.

  ‘Oh dear,’ he said, hurriedly picking them up. He tried again but the same thing happened. I saw Mrs Clover cover her mouth with her hand and Mr Clover’s mouth twitched. The children all looked confused as Mr Green turned his back and hastily tied a few of them together. Despite the fact that we’d all seen him doing this, everyone clapped.

  ‘Thank you, and now for the classic trick of pulling a rabbit out of a hat.’

  My goodness, I thought, a rabbit? I wasn’t sure I was keen on rabbits.

  ‘But as we don’t have a rabbit I am going to produce a cat from my hat.’ Mr Green laughed as did everyone else. Viola looked at me. Mr Green showed the audience that the hat was empty, waved his wand over it and said his magic words. I heard a light laughter start from the adults and then Stanley and Nathan shouted.

  ‘He’s there!’

  As Mr Green was looking in his empty hat, Humphrey had come round to the front of the stage and sat cleaning his paws. He yawned and then lay down.

  ‘What?’ Mr Green asked.

  ‘Humphrey – he’s on the stage!’ Nathan shouted and Mr Green looked over and, dithering for a moment, picked him up and shoved him into the hat.

  ‘MIAOW!’ Humphrey didn’t sound happy as he jumped straight out. The adults were all beside themselves with laughter now and I wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for Mr Green or not.

  ‘For my final trick, I have a length of rope.’ He held it up. ‘I am going to cut it into three.’ He took some scissors and cut it. ‘Well, now, if we all say the magic words together it will rejoin.’ He looked hopefully at the audience. ‘Right, one, two, three …’

  ‘Abracadabra,’ everyone shouted.

  Mr Green closed his eyes and held up the end of the rope. He opened them to see the other two pieces flutter to the floor.

  ‘That wasn’t supposed to happen,’ he said, looking crestfallen. Although Viola was still looking miserable, I put my paw on her arm, and she looked at me, then at poor Mr Green, and she started clapping loudly. Emily’s eyes widened and she joined in. Then the rest of our table, except for Nathan, started cheering and the adults followed suit and Mr Green began to smile. Poor Mrs Green looked confused, though, as she kept the torch shining on her husband.

  When it was quiet again, Emily turned to Viola.

  ‘Well done – it was good you clapped, especially after the whole treasure hunt thing.’

  Viola looked at me and smiled.

  ‘Thanks, Emily, I felt we owed it to him,’ Viola replied.

  At least I knew what I needed to do. I needed to get Emily and Viola to become friends and then Viola would realise that she could easily make friends at her new school too. It sounded simple but I still had to figure out just how …

  I decided to take one of my nine lives in my paws and seek out Humphrey. I needed a friend and wanted to try to win grumpy Humphrey round. I found him cleaning his fur by the Greens’ caravan.

  ‘Good morning,’ I said cheerfully.

  ‘What do you want?’ he asked.

  ‘Viola is unhappy. She doesn’t find it easy to make new friends. But, I have a plan to cheer her up.’

  ‘A plan?’

  ‘Yes, it’s what I do and I need your help. Anyway, Emily, one of the other girls, she’s a bit shy too and I think they would make lovely friends but I need to get them together.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘That’s the thing – I’m not sure yet but I thought you might have some ideas.’

  ‘Me?’ Humphrey looked uncertain.

  ‘I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important and it’s not for me but for Viola.’

  ‘Humph.’ Humphrey didn’t look happy. ‘I will help with the girl …’ He sounded reluctant.

  That was as good as I could expect, and it had to be better than nothing, surely?

  Help also came in the guise of Poppy. She was bossy and didn’t like sharing but when it came to adults, she was always very nice. She even told Mr Green it was the best magic show she’d ever seen and I couldn’t believe that was true.

  I heard a knock on the van door; Mrs Clover opened it.

  ‘Hello, Mrs Clover, it’s a nice day, isn’t it? I like your hair, have you had it styled?’ Poppy asked.

  ‘Oh well, not really, dear; do come in.’ Mrs Clover stood aside and patted her hair, which was a terrible mess as usual.

  ‘Hi, Poppy,’ Stanley said.

  ‘I’ve organised a Swingball tournament,’ Poppy told him.

  ‘Is that an invitation or an order?’ Stanley asked. I wasn’t sure he liked Poppy.

  ‘We’ll just put our shoes on and come,’ Viola said. She swatted Stanley on the arm.

  I followed them over to Poppy’s caravan; it was one of the best ones on the site, according to her, anyway. I had never seen a Swingball before – it was a pole with a string and a tennis ball attached. Poppy was brandishing two bats. Nathan, Jack and Emily were crowded round.

  ‘Right, as I was explaining, the winner of each game will go on to play each other until we have a final winner. I’ll play Jack, then the winner plays Stanley, then Emily, Nathan and Viola.’

  ‘Does that make sense?’ Stanley asked.

  ‘No idea, but let’s get on with it – we’ll be here all vacation otherwise,’ Nathan mumbled.

  ‘Wow, you’re good,’ Jack said as, after failing to hit the ball more than once, Poppy was declared the winner of the first game.

  Feeling like having a bit of fun, I jumped for the ball, missed it and slipped. Luckily, I managed to land on my feet.

  ‘Yowl!’ I cried. The children laughed.

  ‘Alfie, we need to take this seriously,’ Poppy said. So I leapt again. This time I managed to swipe the ball with my paw and everyone clapped.

  ‘Right, Alfie, enough messing around, we really DO have to take this seriously,’ Poppy said. She was SO bossy.

  ‘Miaow!’ I was having fun.

  ‘Oh, let Alfie play. He’s funny,’ Stanley said.

  ‘No, Stanley Clover, this is a serious game for people only.’

  As I raised my tail in anger, I wondered if perhaps Poppy and Mr Green were related after all.