Strange Happenings Read Free Page A

and set him gently but firmly out the front door. "Now go play."
    An indignant Tom looked up and down the street. It was all very different since he had become a cat. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to sort out the many scents. Then he began to go toward what he hoped would be an audience with Maggie.
    It took a while, but at last Tom found the abandoned building. Once again he went into the basement, then to the long, dimly lit hallway, passing through the multitude of cats. The large tiger cat sat in front of the doorway at the end of the hall.
    "What can we do for you?" asked the large cat.
    Tom said, "A transformation."
    "With whom?"
    "With the one I was transformed from."
    "Is he here?"
    "Well, no."
    "Then forget it. Anyway, Maggie's out."
    "Where?"
    "Hey, pal, she has her own life."
    "But..."
    "Beat it, tomcat," snarled the large cat, and he hissed. Tom backed away and made his way home.
    That night Tom had it out with Charley.
    "The point is," Tom said hotly, "you weren't being honest with me. In your paper you said you were a boy."
    "I was."
    "Then you became a cat, and now you're a boy again."
    "All true."
    "Now you say you have no desire to change back."
    "I'm being honest, dude," said Charley. "Come on, you
wanted
to sleep all day, didn't you? Just lay about."
    "I know. But that's more boring than staying awake."
    "Hey, Tom, you made a deal. If you don't like it, go find another kid who is as bored with things as you were. Believe me, there are plenty of them. A lot of the cats at Maggie's used to be kids who were bored with their lives."
    "Is that true?"
    "Half the kids in your class used to be cats!"
    Tom was shocked. "They were?"
    "Trust me," said Charley. "You know the story:
    Kids get bored. Want to sleep all day instead of going to school. Bingo! Kids become cats. Cats become kids. They're the lively ones, always raising their hands."
    "But I want to be a
human,
" Tom cried. "Not some cat!"
    "Go find a kid to exchange with you. Now please, leave me in peace. I have to write this essay."
    "But..."
    Suddenly, Charley picked Tom up, and despite Tom's howl of protest, put him out of the room.
    Tom slipped from the house through an open window. It was quite late, and the moon was large in the sky. He went around to the backyard, climbed the fence, and sniffed. The air was full of pungent smells. The only one he found interesting was the scent of his own home. It made his heart ache. Lifting his head, he let out a long piercing howl of misery. Then another.
    A window opened. A voice growled, "Shut up, cat! I'm trying to sleep!"
    A mournful Tom slunk out of the yard and onto the street. A thousand distinct odors wafted through the air, a tapestry of smells too complex for Tom to untangle.
    He wandered on, paying little attention to where he was going, up and down streets, through alleys, along back fences.
    Tom had been walking for about an hour when he heard spitting and hissing. He stopped and listened. It was a catfight. He looked to see where it was coming from, spied an alley, and trotted over.
    At the far end of the alley were two cats. One was a sleek brown Siamese, the other a gray cat. The gray one had been forced back against the fence by the Siamese.
    "Help!" cried the gray cat. "Help!"
    Hardly thinking of what he was doing, Tom let out a howl and dashed down the alley. The Siamese turned to confront him. Tom leaped over him and came down beside the gray cat. Tom hissed, showed his fangs, and raised a claw-extended paw.
    The Siamese, confronted by two cats, backed off, turned, and fled.
    "He's gone," Tom said, panting to catch his breath.
    "Thank you," the gray cat replied.
    Tom turned and looked at this other cat for the first time. "Hey, you're Maggie, the wizard-cat!" he cried.
    "Do I know you?" said Maggie.
    "My name is Tom. You transformed me from a boy. The cat was named Charley."
    "I'm sorry. I can't remember. These transformations come by the litter. After a while all you people look