Kelly Sofie - Curiosity Thrilled The Cat

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 - Slant Flying

Chapter 2 - Carry Tiger to Mountain

Chapter 3 - Grasp Birds Tail

Chapter 4 - Repulse Monkey

Chapter 5 - White Crane Spreads Wings

Chapter 6 - Single Whip

Chapter 7 - High Pat on Horse

Chapter 8 - Step Back, Seven Stars

Chapter 9 - Slant Brush Knee

Chapter 10 - Play Guitar

Chapter 11 - Wild Horse Separate Mane

Chapter 12 - Fair Lady Works at Shuttle

Chapter 13 - Wave Hands Like a Cloud

Chapter 14 - Snake Creeps Down

Chapter 15 - Slant Flying

Chapter 16 - Needle at Sea Bottom

Chapter 17 - Wave Arms Like a Fan

Chapter 18 - Slap Face with Palm

Chapter 19 - Single Lotus Kick

Chapter 20 - Step Back Ride the Tiger

Chapter 21 - Shoot the Tiger

Chapter 22 - Step Forward and Punch

Chapter 23 - Push Forward

Chapter 24 - Cross Hands

Chapter 25 - Conclusion

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CAT TRICKS?

Hercules, I called. Cmon, puss. Where are you?

There was silence and then a faint meow from the other side of the closed door.

He was in there. Somehow he was in there. I grabbed the doorknob. Locked. I twisted the knob in frustration. Of course it was locked. The room was part of a murder investigation. And Id just been trying to get inside. I yanked my hand away from the door like it was suddenly on fire.

Now my fingerprints were all over the door. I used the hem of my T-shirt to rub the doorknob. Then I dropped to my knees and polished the bottom section of the door where Id looked for some kind of hidden access panel.

I caught a bit of my reflection in the brass kick panel and realized what I was doing. Youre nuts, I said aloud, sitting back on my heels.

I shouldnt have touched the door at all. I took a couple of deep breaths. I should call the police, I realized. How else was I going to get Hercules out? Then I thought, Oh, sure, call Detective Gordon and tell him my cat just walked through the door into the room. No, that wouldnt make me look like a nutcase.

Was that what was wrong? Was I crazy? I remembered a psych prof in first year telling the class that if you could ask the question, then you werent. Of course, three-quarters of the time he came to class in his pajama bottoms.

Then I remembered how Owen had seemed to just materialize on Gregor Eastons head, just the way hed suddenly seemed to appear in midleap, chasing that bird in the backyard.

I couldnt breathe. Was it possible? Did my cats have some kind of magical ability?

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First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, February 2011

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are many people who have helped take the Magical Cats from an idea to a completed book, and I owe them all my thanks. Thank you to my agent, Kim Lionetti, for answering endless questions and never losing her patience, and to Jacky Sach for making everything happen. Thank you to my editor, Jessica Wade, whose editorial skills make me look good.

Thanks also go to Lorraine Bartlett, who urged me to write this story, and to Judy Gorham, Susan Evans, and Janet Koch, who have always been terrific cheerleaders.

A special thank-you to the Guppies; a more supportive group of writers doesnt exist.

And a big thank-you to Dr. Jennifer Brown, veterinarian, who answered all my questions about cats. Any errors or out-of-character cat behavior in these pages is due to my playing with the facts.

And last, thanks to Patrick and Lauren, who make it all worthwhile. Always.

1

Slant Flying

The body was smack in the middle of my freshly scrubbed kitchen floor. Fred the Funky Chicken, minus his head.

Owen! I said, sharply.

Nothing.

Owen, you little fur ball, I know you did this. Where are you?

There was a muffled meow from the back door. I leaned around the cupboards. Owen was sprawled on his back in front of the screen door, a neon yellow feather sticking out of his mouth. He rolled over onto his side and looked at me with the same goofy expression I used to get from stoned students coming into the BU library.

I crouched down next to the gray-and-white tabby. Owen, you killed Fred, I said. Thats the third chicken this week.

The cat sat up slowly and stretched. He padded over to me and put one paw on my knee. Tipping his head to one side he looked up at me with his golden eyes. I sat back against the end of the cupboard. Owen climbed onto my lap and put his two front paws on my chest. The feather was still sticking out of his mouth.

I held out my right hand. Give me Freds head, I said. The cat looked at me unblinkingly. Cmon, Owen. Spit it out.

He turned his head sideways and dropped what was left of Fred the Funky Chickens head into my hand. It was a soggy lump of cotton with that lone yellow feather stuck on the end.

You have a problem, Owen, I told the cat. You have a monkey on your back. I dropped what was left of the toys head onto the floor and wiped my hand on my gray yoga pants. Or maybe I should say you have a chicken on your back.