Hatchlings: fantasy and sci fi tales

Cat Attracter Three: contemporary

Jane shone her flashlight down the long tunnel.

"Do you see any of them?" Zack asked from behind.

"Nope. But at least the tunnel's still open. Give me the Prowler."

Zack handed Jane his remote control robot.

The little contraption just fit through the cat door. Jane angled her arm so she could set the robot upright on the floor inside. It would need its caterpillar treads to make its way over the obstacles ahead.

"Ready?" Zack asked.

"Go!" Jane said as she spied along the route. She fed fishing line through the cat door. "Straight ahead. Now a little to the left. There's a sweater or something in the way, so go fast. Yup, it got over." She beamed her light down the aisle between stacked boxes and piles of old magazines. "Okay, stop. That's as far as I can see. Now deploy Cat Attracter One!"

The robot arm unfolded and set down a furry catnip mouse, which trailed a long tail of fishing line.

Jane directed Zack who worked the remote control. The robot trundled its way back toward the door.

"Stop!" she cried. "Catastrophe! It's getting tangled in the fishing line. Back. Left. Back. Whew! You're clear."

At last the robot reached the door. Jane reached in and took it out. "Good job, Prowler. Now for Cat Attractor Two."

Zack handed her a can of tunafish and an electric can opener. They'd had to run an extension cord from their own house next door. Mrs. Shaw's power had been turned off for months.

Zach propped the cat door open and peered inside while Jane ran the opener round and round the tuna can.

"I see one!" he hissed.

Jane tossed a morsel of fish inside, then took from her pocket Cat Attracter Three, a laser pointer. She shone it to the far end of the tunnel, and made the little red spot dart around like a moth.

A shadow moved. One of the cats had come to see what was going on. Jane twitched the fishing line. The catnip mouse jiggled.

Another cat appeared.

Bit by bit Jane and Zack teased Mrs. Shaw's last three cats to come to the cat door. They backed off, leaving the tuna can outside as bait.

"Prepare the ambush!" Jane whispered. They stood aside and waited until all three cats came snooping out the cat door. Then they dropped a board to block the cat door.

"We got the last three!" Jane and Zack yelled, dancing around, scaring the cats into the bushes. "No poor kitties going to be squashed tomorrow when they tear down the house!"