New Neighbours

• Karlee Peacock, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2010

“Hey, Sparkles? Who are they?”
“I’ve got absolutely no idea. Luckily, they look younger than us, so they can’t be too much of a threat.”
“Just as well, we’ve already got one bad neighbour, I don’t want another two fleabags across the road.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll go over there with Karlee and Jessica a bit later. I will have a talk with them and make them feel welcome. If we are nice to them, there is less chance that there will be fights,” said Sparkles.
“Great idea! It won’t be too long before the humans rush over. You can go over soon! Umm... do you think I could come too, Sparkles?”
“Cosmo, I’ve already told you!” hissed Sparkles
“I know, but-” Cosmo began.
“Two cats would be too intimidating! They would get scared, never trust us, and then claim part of our territory!” interrupted Sparkles.
“I’m sorry...”
Cosmo and Sparkles sat on the steps leading to their house, staring at their new neighbours across the road. The latest arrivals were sniffing around cautiously and investigating their new surroundings.
“Karlee and Jess better come soon, or they are going to claim some of our territory before we even say hello,” Sparkles worried.
“So? What did they say?” Cosmo eagerly asked Sparkles, jumping to his paws and running over to his sister.
“It didn’t go so well. As soon as I opened my mouth, Maggie- the orange stripy one- hissed at me then the other one, Monty, spat at my face. I gave them a lecture about how they should respect me and not immediately think of me as a fiend, but Maggie scratched my ear and they both slinked away.” Sparkles showed Cosmo the red mark left across her ear.
“Oh...”
“And not only that- they rubbed their faces against the tree outside their house. That’s our tree! They are claiming our territory!” Sparkles spat, outraged.
“So... what do we do now?” Cosmo asked timidly. He knew that his sister could snap at any moment when she’s annoyed.
“Well, my plan is to go over there when they are inside, and reclaim that area as our turf.”
“And if they catch us?”
“If they catch us... we will... umm... oh, come on Cosmo! I’ve done all the thinking so far! It’s your turn!”
“But you always say that my ideas are rubbish, useless and not even worth listening too...” Cosmo sniffed.
“What? I never said that!”
But Cosmo wasn’t listening. He slowly walked towards the house, whimpering to himself as a small tear slid down his furry face and dripped from the end of his rubbery nose. Sparkles was now on her own with no idea of what to do next. She stared at Maggie and Monty’s house, planning. As she was staring, she saw Maggie out of the corner of her eye. She locked eye contact with her, and knew that a cat fight was not far away...