CHAPTER TWO
A Button thief
Olivia, a nine-year-old girl, was busy making a snow sculpture. A snow dog, to be exact. The girl grabbed a fist of snow and pressed it where the dog's paws would be. It was so exciting! She tried to remember the puppy she had seen in her sleep. But the picture in her head was too fuzzy. She felt a little sad, but soon the girl was distracted from these thoughts.
The wicket creaked and swung open. The girl saw a cat creeping cautiously along the garden path. The cat wore a white hat, glasses, and a checkered scarf. He was accompanied by a huge, fluffy-bear-looking dog.
The cat squinted mischievously and whispered to his partner. "Look! She's got six buttons on her parka! What luck!" The dog slipped as his paws got stuck in the snow.
The annoyed cat muttered, "You're so clumsy, Dean! Don't frighten this nice little girl! We're guests here and should be respectful to the owner of this precious parka with so many buttons." The cat smiled and said, "My name is Fargo. This is Dean the dog. What's your name, little girl?"
The girl blinked in surprise and said, "Hi. My name is Olivia." The cat frowned and whispered, "Human names are so weird! I'd rather call you Cotton or Snow. "By the way, do you really need so many buttons?" The cat put his paws in a pleading position, showing great interest.
Olivia hesitated. "I don't think my mother would be happy if I came home without buttons on my parka. What do you need buttons for?"
"Never mind," the cat frowned and stepped back.
"I have some candy!" The girl said, taking the chocolate candies out of her pocket. "Would you like some?"
"No, thanks. I'm on a seafood diet," the cat said.
"What does that mean? A seafood diet?" Olivia asked.
"Well, if he sees food, he eats it," Dean replied, smiling. "Just kidding. Actually, he likes meatballs and sausages!"
"Why aren't you in school, Olivia?" Fargo questioned.
"We don't usually have classes on Sundays," the girl said.
Fargo yelled, "Cats usually study on Sunday and skip the other days of the week because they're very busy."
"Doing what?" Olivia asked.
"Well, they usually scratch the couch or chase rats. Sometimes they sleep on the windowsill and bask in the sun."
"Do they give out grades at the cat school?"
"No. But if a cat learns a lesson well, they give him a tuna candy as a reward. Those candies are so delicious! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!"
"Are those candies sweet?" Olivia asked curiously.
"They're salty. The tastiest candies in the world!"
"And if you are late for class, will there be any punishment?"
"Of course not! There is always a good reason when cats are late."
"Like what?"
"For example, a cat is on its way to school and sees that the sparrows have become quite impertinent and are pecking at grain right in front of his nose. He has to stop and chase them. When a milkmaid is carrying milk to the market, a cat has to run up to her with a purr and pretend that it has had no food for several days. A lot of important things can delay cats, not to list everything! There are days when only one student is present from the entire class."
"What if the cat has fallen behind in the school program?"
"The cat learns the lesson at night when everyone is asleep. You probably think that cats purr for fun, but they don't. Often they're cramming for Musical Purr Notes or Mousematics."
"What's your favorite subject?”
"I like Mousematics, Fishing Practice, and Tree Climbing."
"Great! I think I'm good at Tree Climbing!" Olivia exclaimed. She thought for a moment, then asked shyly, "Can I go to cat school next Sunday?"
"No problem," Fargo said. "But you have to learn how to meow miserably by Sunday."
"That won't be a problem for me," the girl smiled.
"You also have to be able to catch a mouse!"
"Oh, that will be a challenge! I'll try. Where is your school? I'd like to tell Mom about it. If she's okay with it, I'll be there on Sunday. Dean, what about you? Going to school? Is it any good?"
"I'm a homeschooler. I study languages," Dean said.
The girl was amazed and asked, "What languages?"
"The language of birds. I have an exam coming up. I've also taken an extra course this year because I'm very interested in tracking wild animals." Dean replied and brightened up.
The girl said happily, "This morning I found some paw prints near the house! They might look familiar to you. The prints are there, by the kitchen window. Come and see!"
Dean the dog stared at the prints in confusion.
Olivia asked, "Can you recognize them?"
"It could be a rat, but I'm not sure."
Fargo grinned. "Really? Watch out for a gigantic rat hopping around the garden! Are you kidding?"
The dog was embarrassed by Fargo's mockery.
"Look, there's something in the snow." Dean stepped back and dug up the snow with his paws.
The next thing he knew; he was holding a large yellow button between his teeth!
"What's that?" Olivia said. Then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, I think it's mine."
The girl added, "It's one of the buttons that I use for my snow sculptures. I keep them in my drawer."
"Do you always keep them in drawers? Locked?" Fargo questioned. He kept his eyes on the shiny button. "You should go home and check the buttons," the cat suggested.
"All right. I'll be right back," the girl replied and dashed home.
A few minutes later, Dean and Fargo heard her disturbed voice. "The buttons are gone!"
The cat gave Dean a sly look and purred, "She must have left those beautiful buttons unlocked!"
"This is ridiculous! Who needs buttons that much?" Olivia was stunned. Curiosity gripped her.
"Let's find out! I've got a plan. We'll hide behind this snowdrift and ambush the button thief." Fargo whispered. "We need bait! Let's leave the yellow button on the garden path! The thief must have dropped it. I'm sure he'll come back to get it."
The girl did as Fargo suggested, and then they hid behind the snowdrift. Dean sniffed happily. He loved to ambush thieves!
At first, Olivia was dizzy with excitement. Half an hour passed and nothing happened. The cold made Olivia's fingers tingle. The cat wrapped himself in the scarf to keep warm. Suddenly, they heard crunching and rustling. Olivia looked out from behind the snowdrift and saw a strange creature. It was staring at the button in the snow. The girl blinked her eyes and whispered in amazement, "Look! Is that a mouse?"
"A mouse can’t be that huge!" Fargo purred, his eyes narrowing.
"Why did it return? Its idealistic world lacks buttons?" Dean barked as he jumped out of the snowdrift.
The creature dropped the button, then turned its head, blinked at Dean, and remained silent. It was impossible to tell from its bug-eyed expression whether it was horrified or amused.
"What are you waiting for? Get that thing!" Fargo yelled. They chased the mouse into a ravine. There was a huge dead oak tree with strangely shaped roots there. The mouse darted into the hollow covered with a pile of dry leaves. Fargo ran after it, panting. Olivia and Dean followed the courageous cat.
"Good thing I'm thin and short," Olivia thought, "or that hollow in the oak is big enough for a nine-year-old girl to fit through."