The Eyes Of The Cat
written by Dora Scamander
I'm Amanda Figg - just your average 13 year old girl. Well, aside from some bizzare eye powers, very strange relatives, and cats that understand everything you say - yeah, my life is totally normal.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
7
Reads
297
At Grandma's House
Chapter 4
"Have a nice time." Mum winked. "Bye, love." She blew me a kiss through the car window and then drove away.
I turned to face Grandma's house; number 13, Privet Drive. It was a simple two storey brick house like all the others on the street. A garden path led up to the front door. I opened the creaky wooden gate and made my way up, my backpack slung over my shoulder.
I had agreed to come to Grandma's - not that I necessarily had a choice - but I suppose I did feel kind of bad being grumpy about visiting her, and I just hoped it would be better this time.
At the top of the steps, I rang the front doorbell, and stepped back - then felt something soft against my legs and looked down to see a grey cat coiling around me, purring.
"Hi, Mr Tibbles." I bent down and stroked the cat from its head down to the end of its tail.
"Hello, Amanda."
I looked up. The front door had opened. Grandma, dressed in a woolly purple cardigan and long grey skirt, her feet in pink slippers and a shawl round her grey hair, stood in the doorway.
"Hi Grandma." I replied, straightening up.
"Come in."
I stepped inside.
The house was somehow tidy and messy at the same time - things were strewn about here and there, but nothing was really messy. It's hard to explain.
There was still cat fur everywhere, though.
"Take your things upstairs, dear." Grandma said, indicating the stairs on the right. "You know where your room is. Then we'll have a chat in the lounge." She smiled at my nod.
Upstairs, my bedroom was as it always had been - my bed, with patchwork quilt and customary cat asleep on it, and the small window which looked out to the backyard. I dumped my bag on the floor, pulled off my jacket, threw it onto the bed (I'm not a tidy person) and, apologising to the cat as it jumped to its feet, startled, exited the room and made my way back downstairs.
In the living room Grandma was sitting daintily on the couch, a tray of hot drinks and cake set on the coffee table before her. I sat down.
"Here, have some cake."
"Thanks."
The cake tasted as old as grandma.
"How are you? How's your mother?" Grandma asked, sipping her tea.
"I'm good - we're good."
"Anything exciting happen lately?"
"Oh yeah, exciting stuff happens to me all the time -" I'm not sure if Grandma recognised my sarcasm -"er, I mean - well, mum got promoted and I can -" The words 'move things magically' nearly slipped out of my mouth, but I changed it hurriedly to, "I can now do an ollie on my skateboard."
"Skateboarding..." Grandma tittered. "Such dangerous sports children take part in these days. I don't like it."
"Yeah, maybe..."
Grandma examined me carefully.
Suddenly I felt awkward. Scratching the back of my neck, I said, "So, how're you - and the cats?"
Grandma brightened immediately. After a thorough description of how they were all doing, she suddenly exclaimed, "Well, that reminds me! I must get cat food today, we're running low. A trip to the superette won't be very interesting dear, you can just stay here -"
"No, I'll come, I'll come." I knew I would much rather be outside than in.
"Well, all right then, dear."
And so it was decided.
I turned to face Grandma's house; number 13, Privet Drive. It was a simple two storey brick house like all the others on the street. A garden path led up to the front door. I opened the creaky wooden gate and made my way up, my backpack slung over my shoulder.
I had agreed to come to Grandma's - not that I necessarily had a choice - but I suppose I did feel kind of bad being grumpy about visiting her, and I just hoped it would be better this time.
At the top of the steps, I rang the front doorbell, and stepped back - then felt something soft against my legs and looked down to see a grey cat coiling around me, purring.
"Hi, Mr Tibbles." I bent down and stroked the cat from its head down to the end of its tail.
"Hello, Amanda."
I looked up. The front door had opened. Grandma, dressed in a woolly purple cardigan and long grey skirt, her feet in pink slippers and a shawl round her grey hair, stood in the doorway.
"Hi Grandma." I replied, straightening up.
"Come in."
I stepped inside.
The house was somehow tidy and messy at the same time - things were strewn about here and there, but nothing was really messy. It's hard to explain.
There was still cat fur everywhere, though.
"Take your things upstairs, dear." Grandma said, indicating the stairs on the right. "You know where your room is. Then we'll have a chat in the lounge." She smiled at my nod.
Upstairs, my bedroom was as it always had been - my bed, with patchwork quilt and customary cat asleep on it, and the small window which looked out to the backyard. I dumped my bag on the floor, pulled off my jacket, threw it onto the bed (I'm not a tidy person) and, apologising to the cat as it jumped to its feet, startled, exited the room and made my way back downstairs.
In the living room Grandma was sitting daintily on the couch, a tray of hot drinks and cake set on the coffee table before her. I sat down.
"Here, have some cake."
"Thanks."
The cake tasted as old as grandma.
"How are you? How's your mother?" Grandma asked, sipping her tea.
"I'm good - we're good."
"Anything exciting happen lately?"
"Oh yeah, exciting stuff happens to me all the time -" I'm not sure if Grandma recognised my sarcasm -"er, I mean - well, mum got promoted and I can -" The words 'move things magically' nearly slipped out of my mouth, but I changed it hurriedly to, "I can now do an ollie on my skateboard."
"Skateboarding..." Grandma tittered. "Such dangerous sports children take part in these days. I don't like it."
"Yeah, maybe..."
Grandma examined me carefully.
Suddenly I felt awkward. Scratching the back of my neck, I said, "So, how're you - and the cats?"
Grandma brightened immediately. After a thorough description of how they were all doing, she suddenly exclaimed, "Well, that reminds me! I must get cat food today, we're running low. A trip to the superette won't be very interesting dear, you can just stay here -"
"No, I'll come, I'll come." I knew I would much rather be outside than in.
"Well, all right then, dear."
And so it was decided.
