by Cate Stewart

Created on: June 27, 2008

One day in Mid-September Claire Hutchinson was headed off to school when, suddenly, she heard a sound coming from the drain under the sidewalk. At first it sounded like a faint, crying noise, but as she got closer it seemed to be the mewing of a kitten. "What on Earth?" She mumbled as she crouched down to look into the drain. Sure enough, it was a kitten! He was black and white and soaked to the bone.

He sat there, shivering and calling out "Meeow!" He looked up at Claire with the sad and frightened eyes.
A car went by and shook the drainpipe . The kitten squeaked and backed up, farther into the pipes.
Claire looked at her watch. Ten minutes till the bus would come to her corner.
"Come on now" Claire mumbled to the kitten, but he backed even farther into the drain.
"What are you doing?" a voice said from above her.
Claire squinted against the sun as she looked up, trying to see who it was. It was Adam Ross, her next-door neighbor. He went to school, with her and they were good friends.
"It's a kitten. He's stuck inside the drain" she explained.
Adam was a bit taller than her, so she thought he might be able to reach the kitten. She told him her idea and he agreed to it.
He crouched down beside Claire and looked into the drain.
"He's awful far in there, but I'll try to get him." Adam said.
Adam lay down on his stomach and reached into the drain. Just then another car came by.
"Make sure I don't get hit now, ok?"
"I will." Claire said. She sat on the curb so she could keep a lookout. "Can you reach him?"
"I think." Adam said. He made a clicking noise with his tongue, trying to coax the kitten out.
"He's running away! He's heading for the next drain! He must be scared of us!" Adam called to Claire. "Go down there and grab him as he runs by!"
Claire got up and ran to the other drain on the other side of the street. When she got to it she fell down on her knees, thrust her arms into it and caught the kitten's little foot as he ran past. She was able to grab hold of his waist with her other hand and hoist him up through the opening. He was soaking wet and shivering so she used her jacket to dry him off.
Adam came and sat on the curb. "I'm sure glad you got him." he said. "God only knows what could have happened to him if you hadn't been there." The kitten squirmed in Claire's arms a bit at first, but Adam started petting him and he became calm.
"He's a cutie" Claire said. The kitten's eyes were a deep green and they sparkled almost like magic. "Do you think I can

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