“WHY does Maureen look so sad today?” asked Clare as she dusted the flower vase.

“Well, because she asked mum for a pet cat for the hundredth time today and mum refused as she always does,” said Maureen’s younger sister Janet, as she brushed her doll’s hair. “Really, Maureen is a baby, always crying over silly things like pets. I’m only five years old and I never, ever cry, but Maureen is five years older than me but still wails and weeps over everything. Cry baby!”

Janet was a spoiled child as she was the youngest, had a sharp tongue and always did what she pleased. Clare was thinking about her sister Maureen’s pet. Poor Maureen! It was her greatest wish to have a pet cat but their mother, who was quite particular about cleanliness, would never allow Maureen to have one.

“Pets make the house dirty,” she would say whenever Maureen asked her for a pet cat. This would make Maureen very sad indeed.

As Clare went upstairs, yelled Janet, “Where are you going?”

But Clare didn’t say anything. The door of Maureen’s room was half-closed but she was in there for Clare could hear her faint voice. She quietly peeped through the door and found Maureen seated on a chair, stroking and talking to something in her lap although there was nothing.

‘She’s pretending she has a cat!’ thought Clare. How absurd! Well, let her have an imaginary cat as long as she doesn’t have a real one. Poor Maureen!

Clare was younger than Maureen and loved her far more than Janet did. “What are you peeping in Maureen’s room for?” said a familiar bossy voice. Clare looked around and found Janet as she had expected. “I’m sure Maureen’s still there in her room crying like a baby. Let me see her,” said Janet.

“Don’t you say a word to her!” said Clare cross to find Janet over there.

“Why not?” asked the wilful child. “I shall say whatever I like. You needn’t tell me what to say and what to do.” Saying this Janet pushed Clare aside and peeped through the door.

“Good old Snowy. I love you,” Maureen was talking to her imaginary cat and stroking it as if it really was there!

Janet burst into squeals of laughter. “Look at our baby Maureen,” she said, “she is talking to her ‘cat’!”

Maureen heard her for Janet was so loud, and jumped to her feet.

“Please Maureen,” said Janet in a spiteful tone, boldly marching into Maureen’s room. “May I hold Snowy for a while? He’s so lovely.”

“Get out of here, you devil!” scowled Maureen, pushing Janet fiercely out of her room, and slammed the door shut.

“How dare you tease her about her cat, you are nasty!” roared Clare.

Janet ran downstairs to complain to her mother screaming “Mummy! Mummy!”

Clare could hear Maureen’s quiet sobs from her room. “Oh my dear Maureen!” she whispered to herself. “I wish I was your cat so that you would be happy.”

The next morning, Maureen appeared late for breakfast and looked very gloomy. “What’s the matter with you Maureen?” asked her mother who had forgotten yesterday’s incidents.

Before Maureen could even open her mouth to say something, Janet interrupted, “Our baby Maureen is sad because you won’t let her have a pet cat and now she’s got an imaginary cat. I saw it yesterday and Maureen pushed me fiercely out of her room and Clare even called me some horrid names.”

Janet was determined to take her revenge by making her mother scold her sisters for the second time.

“SHUT UP!” bellowed Maureen making everyone jump. But before Janet could scream “Mummy!” Maureen left the breakfast table banging her spoon and stormed out of the room. Filled with rage, she went to the garden of her house where she usually spent her time when she felt sad.

‘Horrid Janet!’ she thought. Now they all know about my imaginary cat and they’ll make fun of me. Oh how I wish I had a real cat of my own!’

Maureen sat there crying and crying until a voice interrupted. “Maureen, are you there? I’ve got something to show you.”

Maureen quickly wiped off the tears from her face and saw a head popping from the other side of the garden wall. It was Alicia, Maureen’s neighbour as well as her friend.

“What is it?” asked Maureen forgetting her anger.

“Come here,” said Alicia. Maureen climbed the garden wall and landed on the other side which was the neighbour’s garden.

She saw a cat lying down on the grass with two little kittens cuddled beside her. “Fluffy had these two kittens yesterday,” said Alicia. “Aren’t they lovely?”

Fluffy was Alicia’s pet cat but Maureen thought of it as her own. Maureen forgot all her sorrows and looked at the two lovely little kittens with eyes full of love. “They’re magnificent! What have you named them?” she said stroking them gently and they mewed softly as if they liked her.

“I haven’t named them yet,” replied Alicia.

“I wish one of these were mine,” said Maureen not taking her eyes of the kittens.

“You can have one”, said Alicia who was always ready to sacrifice her things for the sake of others especially if it was for her dear friend Maureen. “I would’ve given you both but Fluffy would feel sad without both of her kittens, you know.”

“Thanks, but my mum won’t let me keep even any one of them,” said Maureen gloomily.

“Why not?” asked Alicia.

“Well, she fusses a lot about cleanliness, you know, and she says that pets make the house dirty,” said Maureen.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Alicia quite surprised at the peculiar opinion of Maureen’s mother about pets.

At that moment, Maureen heard her mother calling her. “There’s my mum calling me,” she said getting up. “I have to go now. Goodbye and thanks for your generous offer of the kittens. I really do love them!”

One evening, Maureen’s mother called her to her room. “It’s you birthday next week, Maureen. What would you like to have for a present?” Maureen’s face brightened and she opened her mouth to express her dearest wish, but her mother interrupted, “except for a cat.” The brightness on Maureen’s face turned into a dull expression and she said, “Anything that you would like to give.”

On Maureen’s birthday the house was full of guests coming to wish her and give her presents. ‘If only ... if only someone would give me a cat, that would be a marvellous and the best present for me,’ Maureen wished deep down in her heart. But no one gave her a cat — she got a doll house, cooking-set, hand-made pop-up birthday card and a toy cat which Maureen thought looked quite real.

Then came Alicia rushing excitedly to Maureen. “Happy birthday, Maureen!” she said hugging her. “I’ve got a very special surprise for you.” Maureen’s face glowed.

Then Alicia’s sister appeared and showed something very soft and fluffy in her hands that mewed softly when it saw Maureen.

“Oh Alicia! It’s a kitten! It’s one of Fluffy’s kittens!” The overjoyed Maureen stroked, patted and hugged the kitten, forgetting to thank Alicia.

“Say ‘Thank you’, Maureen,” said her mother who didn’t seem displeased to see Maureen with a kitten.

“Oh thank you Alicia, thank you so much!” said Maureen hugging her friend.” It’s the best birthday present I’ve ever had!”

“What will you call him?” asked Alicia, proud to have pleased her friend. “Snowy,” said Maureen stroking the kitten who really looked as if he was made of snow. “Oh Snowy, I’m so glad that you have become real!”

And nobody could understand what Maureen meant except, of course, her mother and her sisters.