The two friends walked back to the house from the forest, thinking about what KittyGirl had done during the night.
“So after dinner, what did you do?” asked Mousy.
KittyGirl thought for a moment. “That was so long ago! I can’t remember.”
Mousy had a good idea. “Let’s go to your food dish and see if you can remember there.”
“Great idea!” said KittyGirl.
The two of them ran into the house, and then to the kitchen where KittyGirl’s food bowl was sitting.
“Ok, do you remember anything now?” asked Mousy.
“Oh yes!” said KittyGirl. “My person was in the living room watching TV. I went in there and lay next to her on the couch. She pets me while she watches TV.”
Mousy was excited, “Maybe that is where you left your meow!”
They raced into the living room. KittyGirl jumped up on the couch and Mousy searched the floor. They searched everywhere. They searched behind the seats, between the cushions, around the armrests, and even on the back of the couch.
“I don’t see it anywhere” said KittyGirl.
“I don’t either,” said Mousy sadly. “What did you do after that?”
“Well, let me think. My person and I watched TV for a while. I fell asleep, and then – oh yes! – my person went into the bathroom to brush her teeth!” said KittyGirl. “Let’s check in the bathroom!”
They jumped down off the couch and ran down the hallway into the bathroom. Since Mousy was smaller, he was able to stop quickly on the slippery bathroom floor. KittyGirl was much bigger, so she slid right into Mousy! BANG!
“Hey! Careful KittyGirl! You know the floor is slippery in here!” said Mousy as he crawled out from under KittyGirl’s tail.
“Oof. I always forget that.” Said KittyGirl. “Did I squish you?”
“No, I am fine.” Said Mousy. “So what did you do when your person brushed her teeth?”
KittyGirl thought for a long time. Kitties are always doing something, so it takes a lot of work to remember all the things they do!
“Every night, I sit on the lid of the toilet while my person brushes her teeth.” Said KittyGirl. “She likes to talk to me but it is very hard to understand her with the toothbrush in her mouth. So I watch her.”
KittyGirl jumped up on the toilet lid and looked for her meow. “But I don’t see my meow here, either!”
Mousy was searching the floor under the sink and behind the door. “I don’t see it here, either” said Mousy.
KittyGirl’s eyes suddenly got big. “What if my meow fell into the toilet?” she cried.
“You are very silly, KittyGirl” said Mousy. “If you sit on the lid, then nothing could fall inside, could it?”
“Oh yeah, I guess you are right, Mousy.” KittyGirl was standing on top of the toilet lid and rubbing her tummy. “I am really getting hungry now. I hope we find my meow soon!”
“Well, what did you do next?” asked Mousy.
“Oh that is easy!” said KittyGirl. “My person goes to bed, and I get to climb up on the bed with her! Let’s go!”
The two friends ran off down the hall to the bedroom. The big soft bed was easy for KittyGirl to jump up on. She practices every night. But Mousy had to stay on the floor because mice can’t jump very well.
Mousy searched around on the floor. He looked under the bed. He looked under the night table. He checked the corners of the room, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.
So Mousy called up to KittyGirl, “Can you see anything up there?”
Mousy waited.
“Can you see anything, KittyGirl?” he called again. But KittyGirl didn’t answer.
“KittyGirl!” yelled Mousy.
“Hmm? What?” asked KittyGirl sleepily. She was curled up on the bed in her usual place.
“Hey! Wake up! We have to find your meow!” scolded Mousy.
“Oh!” KittyGirl sat up on the bed. “I almost forgot! I jumped up on the bed, and it was so nice and comfortable...”
Mousy was angry, “Well if you are not hungry, then we can stop looking for your meow!”
“No, no!” cried KittyGirl. “I am terribly hungry! All this running around and searching has made me even hungrier. So let me see...” She searched around the bed, while Mousy waited on the floor.
“I don’t see it down here!” called Mousy.
“I don’t see it up here!” called KittyGirl.
KittyGirl jumped down on the floor. “I’m scared, Mousy. What if I don’t find my meow again? How will I ever tell my person that I am hungry?”
Mousy had not thought of this. He was so excited about looking for KittyGirl’s lost meow, that he never thought that they wouldn’t find it.
Now Mousy was worried.
KittyGirl was worried.
“You could always get one of the other sounds from Doctor Owl” he offered helpfully.
KittyGirl was even more worried now. “But I don’t want to sound like a dog, or a chicken, or a moose, or anything other than a kitty!” she cried. “If I walked up to my person and said ‘BOK BOK’, she would expect me to lay an egg. Or if I said ‘WOOF WOOF’ she would expect me to go outside and fetch the newspaper for her.”
Mousy laughed at the thought of little KittyGirl trying to carry a big heavy newspaper in her mouth.
“So we must find your meow.” Said Mousy with determination. “Nothing else will do for a kitty like you.”
“But I don’t know what I did after falling asleep on the bed!” said KittyGirl.
“Well,” said Mousy, “when I saw you last night, you were in the front window watching the tree in the front yard.”
“That’s right! That squirrel was out there making noise again, and I told him to be quiet and not wake up my person! Let’s go!”
Mousy was tired of all this running around the house, because he has little short mouse legs, but KittyGirl has long, fast, kitty legs. “I’m too tired to run any more, KittyGirl” said Mousy.
“That’s ok, Mousy. Jump on my back. I will carry you!” said KittyGirl.
So Mousy jumped up on KittyGirl’s back.
“Hold on!” called out KittyGirl.