The Cat Who Liked Rain

First, Lukas saw to his horror that Whirlwind and his friends had arrived, pulling a barrow laden with planks of wood. Then he saw his dad’s lorry approaching from the other direction. He shouted out loud and jumped up from the chair. Then he ran out into the garden to welcome his dad. He forgot to put his boots on. But all that mattered was the currant bush. Would his dad understand that it had to stay? Or would Whirlwind get permission to pull it down?

Eleven

Sometimes, Lukas simply couldn’t understand how he’d had the courage to do what he had done. Like now, when he ran through the garden in his stockinged feet then started jumping up and down and flailing with his arms in front of his dad, who had stopped dead in astonishment. Lukas tried to explain what was happening, but he was in such a hurry that he mixed everything up. The words whirred round and round inside his mouth and came tumbling out in the wrong order. He could see that his dad hadn’t a clue what was going on. That only made Lukas all the more excited. He started again from the beginning, but Axel merely shook his head.

‘I don’t know what you’re on about,’ he said. ‘And why are you running around the garden with no shoes on? What do you think your mum would say if she saw you?’

‘Whirlwind is going to cut down the currant bush,’ Lukas yelled. ‘But he can’t, because it’s Night’s. How will Night be able to find his way home if the currant bush isn’t there any longer? They’ll have to build their track somewhere else.’

‘Calm down now,’ said Axel. ‘What track?’

‘The currant bush,’ yelled Lukas again. ‘The currant bush, the currant bush...’

He shouted so loudly that Whirlwind and his friends heard what he was saying. Whirlwind immediately came storming in through the garden gate and joined in the discussions. He and Lukas started shouting at each other, and Axel understood even less of what they were saying. By now, Beatrice had begun to wonder what all the yelling in the garden was about. When she looked out of the door, the first thing she noticed was that Lukas had no shoes on.

‘Come in this minute!’ she cried.

Lukas heard what she said, but he couldn’t answer — he had no time to put shoes on. Besides, he didn’t have any words left. His mouth was completely empty. There was nothing left to come out, not even a squeak.

Then Lukas did something he’d never dared to do before. He didn’t dare now either, but he did it even so. He attacked Whirlwind and started punching him. Naturally enough, Whirlwind was angry and was just about to start hitting back when Axel grabbed hold of his arm. Beatrice came running up and took hold of Lukas, who was preparing to attack Whirlwind again. It was absolute chaos. Whirlwind’s friends thought it was best to keep out of it, and they lost no time in hastening away on their skateboards. The neighbours were fascinated by what was going on, and were lined up along the fences, taking it all in.

‘That’s enough of all this nonsense,’ Axel roared. ‘What on earth’s going on?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Beatrice.

‘Lukas is an idiot,’ yelled Whirlwind, in a temper.

‘That’s enough, now,’ said Axel.

‘You’re the one who’s an idiot!’ yelled Lukas at Whirlwind.

‘Shut up, the pair of you,’ roared Axel.

He was really angry now. He dragged Whirlwind and Lukas in through the front door and slammed it behind them.

‘You mustn’t go out in your stockinged feet,’ said Beatrice again. ‘You’ll catch your death of cold.’

Lukas said nothing. He just stared at his mother’s feet. She had also forgotten to put her shoes on before running out. But he made no comment. The only thing that mattered was the currant bush.

‘So, let’s sit down in the kitchen and sort all this out,’ said Axel. ‘Everybody.’

‘Me first,’ said Whirlwind.

‘I was first,’ said Lukas.

‘I’m oldest,’ said Whirlwind.

‘I’m youngest,’ said Lukas.

Axel sighed and sat down at the kitchen table.

‘I suppose I’d better start things going,’ he said. ‘And I think Lukas had better speak first — but not because he was the one shouting loudest.’

Lukas gave Whirlwind a self-satisfied smile. He explained to his dad why he didn’t want Axel and his friends to build a skateboard track where the currant bush was standing. Words were no longer jumping around in his mouth. They came out in the right order.

Then it was Whirlwind’s turn. He glared angrily at Lukas.

‘Everything’s become a problem since that cat vanished,’ he said. ‘It was bad enough when it arrived. Then it became a problem when it went missing. I hope it never comes back.’

Lukas roared like a lion and hurled himself at Whirlwind. It happened so quickly that neither Axel nor Beatrice was able to stop him. The chair Whirlwind was sitting on was overturned, and the pair of them landed on the floor. Then Lukas felt his father’s fist grabbing hold of the back of his collar. He was picked up and returned to his chair.

Lukas was afraid that his dad was now so angry that he wouldn’t want to hear another single word about cats or currant bushes. But he was wrong.