Western Walkabout: The Knock On The Door
Richard Harris tells an enchanting tale for children.
It was a fine night, with a full moon, when there was a sharp rat-tat-tat at the front door at No 30 Cosmelia Way, Parkwood.
My grand daughter Katie rose from her chair. “Wonder who that is?” she said.
She opened the front door, “Who’s there?”
“It’s only me.”
There looking up at her was a small dog with a black patch over his eye.
Katie gasped. “Did you say something?”
“I’m Patch,” the dog said. “May I have a drink, please? It’s so hot outside.”
She brought him into the kitchen and gave him a bowl of water.
Slop, slop, slop, water on the floor but finally Patch had drunk his fill.
“A biscuit would be good,” he said, looking up at her hopefully, his head to one side.
She gave him a small piece of cracker biscuit.
“Do you know any good walks round here?” the dog asked.
“I like walking round the block,” Katie said. “Want to come?”
They went off together in the moonlight and hadn’t gone far when Patch gave a loud bark and ran towards a nearby fence. The black cat sitting on the fence fizzed and arched its back with the full moon in the background.
“That is so witchy,” said Katie.
The cat ran along the fence and jumped on to a nearby shed roof.
“Come down you coward,” yelled Patch.
“Come and get me, Fatso,” said the cat.
“Wow,” said Katie. “This is all too much. Where did you learn to talk, puss?”
“My mistress is a witch. She put a spell on me. We talk a lot.”
“I think we should be friends,” said Patch.
“What a great idea,” said the cat. “By the way. My name is Witchlet. Seeing as we are going to be friends, I’ll show you where to catch some really fat mice.”
“Do they taste good?”
“Well, they’ve been feasting on fallen fruit in Katie’s grandfather’s garden – give or take the odd cockroach - and they are scrumptious.”
“Any particular flavor?”
The cat paused, looked at the moon reflectively. “It varies according to what’s in season. Sometimes they are like a big juicy dessert apricot. Other times they have a mulberry flavor or a lemony tang when they’ve been under the citrus tree.”
“Let’s go get ‘em, “said Patch.
The last Katie saw of them, they were walking off together in the moonlight like two inseparable old friends.
