Cat's Out of the Bag Read online

  Story by Eliza Teoh

  illustrated by Wolfe and Rachel Liam

  Contents

  Praise For Ellie Belly: Follow that Bird!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Life Cycle of a Cat

  The Ellie Belly Series by Eliza Teoh

  A Big Thank You

  Calling All Students

  More Info on Ellie Belly

  About the Illustrators Editor

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Praise For Ellie Belly: Follow that Bird!

  “Interesting and very readable, Eliza imaginatively crafted an enjoyable story about a young girl Ellie and her adventure with her friends and animals at school.”

  - Ms Tan Siok Cheng, principal of Raffles Girls’ Primary School from 1999 – 2008

  “The Ellie Belly series brings a very warm and nostalgic flavour that Singaporean children will find easy to relate to. Eliza has masterfully interwoven a pinch of wit and creativity into the story, making the book a wonderful page turner.”

  - Mr Christopher Ho, former teacher, Raffles Girls’ Primary School

  “This book captured the undivided attention of my 6-year-old twins with the characters, writing and cute illustrations. I read the entire book to them and they wouldn’t let me stop!”

  - Marianne Yo, mother of three

  “A heart-warming story with endearing characters.”

  - Ms Christine Ho, mother of two

  chapter 1

  “You still haven’t told me how you did it,” Cammy asked Ellie.

  “Did what?” said Ellie, panting for breath. They were playing tag in the school playground during recess, and Cammy and Ellie were hiding from the “catcher”.

  “Talk to Sunbird,” Cammy said. “Did you really understand what she was saying?”

  “I really did. I could understand every word she was saying,” Ellie said, peering around the pillar to see where the “catcher” was. “But don’t ask me how I did it. I don’t know! And I don’t know why I can’t understand her anymore.”

  A few weeks ago, Ellie and Cammy had helped a sunbird build a nest to lay her eggs in. The eggs had since hatched and the little birds had matured and flown away. The nest was still there though, hanging on a branch of a tree in the school garden.

  Cammy had watched as Ellie talked to the bird. They had really looked like they understood each other, and Cammy had never questioned Ellie about it – until now.

  “What about other animals?” Cammy demanded.

  “I told you before – I heard a frog speak to me. Remember that time in the field? I told you and you didn’t believe me,” Ellie said, looking accusingly at Cammy. “You didn’t believe me.”

  “Okay, sorry! I believe you now,” Cammy said, although she still looked a bit doubtful.

  “And there was one time when I was at home, when my rabbit Taffy talked to me and asked me for a raisin,” Ellie continued.

  Cammy was thoughtful. “We have to try to figure it out. Have you tried talking to Taffy again?”

  “I have tried! It just didn’t work!” Ellie said, getting frustrated.

  “I have an idea! Maybe we can do an experiment! I love experiments!” Cammy exclaimed.

  “Me too!” Ellie said. “What experiment?”

  “We’ll look for different animals and see if you can talk to any of them!” Cammy said, jumping up and down, getting excited.

  “Good idea!” Ellie said, clapping her hands. “When can we start?”

  They were making so much noise whooping and clapping that they did not see Ai Ning – the “catcher” – sneak up on them.

  “Caught you!” she said as she pounced on them and tapped them both on the shoulder. “Now it’s your turn to be catcher!”

  Just at that moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of recess. So they all lined up in pairs and started walking back to class.

  “I’m over here!”

  Ellie looked at Cammy. “I know you are here.”

  “What?” said Cammy. “Where else would I be?”

  “Didn’t you just say, ‘I’m over here’?” Ellie asked.

  “No, I didn’t,” Cammy said.

  Then Ellie heard it again. “Over here! Under the bush!”

  “Did you hear that?” Ellie asked Cammy. “I think it’s coming from over there!”

  Ellie pointed to the row of bushes along the sidewalk leading away from the canteen. They ran to the bushes while the rest of the girls continued walking back to the classroom.

  They bent down low, peering under the bushes. There, tucked away deep inside, almost hidden from view, was the tiniest, cutest little kitten they had ever seen!

  “Oh my goodness! It’s so cute!” Cammy exclaimed.

  “Shh! Don’t let anyone know I am here!” the kitten said anxiously. “They will throw me out on the street if they find me!”

  “Be quiet!” Ellie explained to Cammy.

  To the kitten, she asked gently, “What are you doing here, kitty-cat? Where’s your Mama?”

  “I don’t know,” the kitten said in a very soft, gentle voice. “I’m lost. Someone picked me up and carried me away from my Mama. Can you help me?”

  “What did it say?” Cammy asked.

  “She’s trying to find her Mama,” Ellie said. “We have to help her!”

  Suddenly, they both realised what was happening! Ellie could understand the kitten!

  “It’s talking to you!” Cammy said.

  “It’s talking to me!” Ellie said.

  Then, down the corridor, came the dreaded clip-clop sound of a teacher’s high heels.

  “You two girls! Why are you not in class?” came the stern voice.

  Ellie and Cammy turned around nervously. Oh no! Oh no! It was the principal, Miss Felicia Lau. They were in big, big trouble now.

  STERN STUFF

  You say a person is stern when he is very strict and firm.

  The opposite of stern is lenient.

  “Oh no! It’s Miss Fishy Lau!” Ellie blurted out. She covered her mouth in dismay. What is wrong with me, she thought to herself. Why does my mouth work faster than my brain?

  Ellie fervently hoped that Miss Lau had not heard. Ellie had started calling the principal Miss Fishy Lau because she had big bulging eyes – just like a fish.

  She had not meant to start a trend. She had not meant for the nickname to catch on the way it had. Everyone in school now called the principal Miss Fishy Lau behind her back, even some of the teachers. Thankfully, no one seemed to know who had made up the nickname.

  Ellie and Cammy stared at Miss Lau in fear. Everyone knew you were not supposed to wander around school without a good reason.

  “Why are you two lingering here?” Miss Lau said.

  LIKE TO LINGER

  When someone says you are lingering, it means that you are staying in a place for longer than is expected, as if you do not feel like leaving.

  For example: The boys lingered at the stadium after the football match was over.

  Ellie wondered what “lingering” meant. She kept silent, not daring to speak.

  “We were looking at something,” Cammy said bravely.

  “And you! Why is your hair so untidy!” Miss Lau said, pointing at Ellie’s unruly mop of hair. “Don’t you know your hair is supposed to be tied up?”

  Ellie frantically smoothed down her unkempt hair and tried her best to tie it neatly with her hair band.

  “What are your names? What class are you in? I’m going to have a word with your form teacher.”

  They told Miss Lau their names and that they were from 1J. Ellie groaned inwardly. She was going to get in trouble with her form teacher, Mrs Goh. Again.

  “What are you waiting for? Get back to class now!” Miss Lau said.

  Ellie and Cammy did not need to be told twice. They walked as quickly as they could, away from those fierce bulging eyes.

  “What are we going to do about the poor kitten?” Cammy whispered to Ellie.

  “We’ll figure something out later!”

  Hairy Words

  Untidy, unruly and unkempt are words that can be used to describe hair that does not look neat and tidy.

  unruly = difficult to control

  unkempt = not cared for; not combed

  chapter 2

  When Ellie and Cammy got back to class, they discovered that, luckily for them, their form teacher Mrs Goh was not there yet! They ran to their seats and sat down quickly.

  “Where did you go?” Megan demanded. Megan was Cammy’s desk partner. She was a goody-two-shoes kind of girl who obeyed all the rules and did all her homework perfectly. Just last week, Megan was awarded the “Model Pupil” badge which she now wore proudly on her uniform.

  “I’m not telling you!” Cammy told Megan.

  “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to tell Mrs Goh you were both late,” Megan threatened.

  Cammy sighed. Why was Megan such a busybody?

  “I will tell you only if you promise to keep it a secret,” Cammy said.

  “Okay, I promise!” Megan said excitedly.

  “We found a little kitten near the canteen,” Cammy whispered.

&nbsp
; “A kitten? In school? How did it get here?” Megan asked. Then, she frowned. “You know that pets are not allowed in school, right? That’s the rule. I’m going to tell Mrs Goh!”

  “What?” Cammy exclaimed, horrified. “You can’t tell anyone! You promised!”

  “A rule is a rule! We are not allowed to break school rules,” Megan said, with a stubborn look on her face. She crossed her arms HUFFILY. “I am the Model Pupil. You have to listen to me.”

  HUFFILY

  When someone does something in a huff or huffily, it means he is angry or offended and his feelings are hurt.

  For example: When she found out she wasn’t invited to the party, she stormed off in a huff.

  “No, I don’t!” Cammy said. “So what if you are the Model Pupil? It doesn’t mean that you can boss us around!”

  Cammy was getting angry. She spoke so loudly that Ellie, who sat in front of Cammy and Megan, turned around to shush her.

  “Shh! Mrs Goh is coming! Do you want to get into trouble?” Ellie said.

  “Megan says she is going to tell Mrs Goh about the kitten!” Cammy told her.

  “Huh? What? Why did you tell her about it?” Ellie asked.

  “She was going to tell Mrs Goh that we came to class late,” Cammy explained.

  “Mrs Goh would have found out anyway. The principal is going to tell her, remember?” Ellie said.

  Cammy looked at Ellie in dismay. It was then that she realised Ellie was right. Mrs Goh would have found out that they had been wandering around school anyway. She had told Megan their secret for nothing. And now, Megan was going to tell Mrs Goh about the kitten. And the kitten was going to get thrown out of school.

  The poor kitten was never going to find its mother!

  “Please, please don’t tell Mrs Goh about the kitten! It’s lost! We have to help it find its mother,” Cammy said, looking at Megan pleadingly.

  “It’s the cutest thing!” Ellie said, piping up. “How would you feel if someone took you away from your mother? We have to help it, okay?”

  its or it’s

  The word its should not be confused with it’s.

  It’s is a short version of it is or it has.

  For example:

  It’s raining. (It is raining.)

  Its is used to show ownership, like my, your, his or her.

  For example:

  The cat is pretty.

  Its fur is soft. (The cat’s fur is soft.)

  Megan hesitated. Help Ellie and Cammy? Never! she thought. Ellie and Cammy were always annoying her. They were always talking in class and giggling at each other. When the teacher was not looking, they would pass notes to each other.

  The worst part was: they always left her out. Why should she help them now? On the other hand, she did love cats. And this kitten sounded adorable. Should she help them, or not?

  Before she had a chance to reply, Mrs Goh walked into class.

  “Good morning, girls! I have a surprise for you today,” she announced.

  “A surprise? What surprise?” the girls asked eagerly.

  “A surprise English test!” she said.

  A surprise test? That’s the worst kind of surprise in the whole world, thought Ellie. But there was one good thing about having a test: Megan would not have time to tell Mrs Goh about the kitten. Megan loved tests. She got full marks for almost every test. Maybe this test would take her mind off the kitten, and maybe, just maybe, Ellie hoped, she would forget about it completely.

  chapter 3

  Since Megan was the “Model Pupil” of the month, she was given the task of collecting the English test papers from the girls.

  As she walked past Ellie’s desk, she whispered meanly, “I’m going to tell Mrs Goh about your precious kitten.”

  “No!” Ellie whispered back. She turned around and gave Cammy a desperate look.

  Cammy could only stare sadly at Ellie. What could they do?

  Suddenly, Mrs Goh spoke up. “Ellie and Cammy, come see me now!”

  Ellie’s face turned pale with fear. Did Mrs Goh know about the kitten already?

  Ellie held Cammy’s hand as they walked towards the teacher’s desk at the front of the class.

  Mrs Goh glared at them.

  “Why were the two of you wandering around school after recess?” she asked.

  Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs Goh didn’t know about the kitten.

  “We were looking at something and forgot about the time,” Ellie replied honestly. She sneaked a look at Megan, who was still collecting the test papers. Thankfully, she was at the back of the class.

  Although they sound the same, the words wonder and wander have different meanings.

  Wonder vs Wander

  To wonder is to be curious about something.

  To wander is to roam around with no purpose.

  Try using both words in one sentence:

  I wonder where my dog has wandered off to.

  To Ellie’s horror, Megan spoke up. “Teacher, I know what they were doing!”

  Beside her, she heard Cammy gasp.

  Mrs Goh, who had been sitting down, stood up.

  “Was I talking to you, Megan?” she said.

  Mrs Goh was not having a good day. To begin with, she had almost been late for school because her alarm clock had not gone off. When she arrived in school, she realised that she had forgotten to bring her pencil case – the one that contained all her favourite red pens and her whiteboard markers. When she went to the school bookshop to buy new pens and markers, she discovered that, in her hurry, she had forgotten to bring her wallet to school as well!

  To top off her already bad day, Miss Lau, the principal, had come up to her and scolded her for letting her students wander around school after recess.

  She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Megan right then. Megan was a really good student, but Mrs Goh had realised lately that she could also be quite trying. Megan was often the one who ran to her to tell tales about the other girls. So, instead of asking Megan what she knew, she simply glared at her. Megan turned away awkwardly and continued to collect the test papers from the class.

  Are you trying?

  The word trying means attempting or making an effort to do something.

  For example: She is trying to tie her shoelaces.

  Trying can also describe something or someone that is annoying, bothersome or difficult.

  For example: He always disobeys his mother. He is a very trying child.

  Mrs Goh sat down again and faced Ellie and Cammy.

  “Well? What were you looking at that was so important?” she asked.

  “We can’t tell you,” Ellie said. Then, after a pause, she added, “I promise you that we were not doing anything naughty, bad, wrong or messy.”

  Poor Mrs Goh, who was seldom at a loss for words, actually found herself speechless at that moment.

  “We are very very very very very sorry, Mrs Goh,” Cammy said.

  “Very very sorry!” Ellie added.

  Mrs Goh sighed and massaged the sides of her head with her fingers.

  “Alright, but I still have to punish you. You will both stay in class during Music period today and write me a 100-word composition. The title of the composition will be ‘The Girl Who Learnt Her Lesson’,” she said.

  Oh no! thought Ellie. A 100-word composition! And she would have to miss Music! That was so unfair! She looked at Mrs Goh’s angry face. She looked at Cammy, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

  “Okay, Mrs Goh,” said Ellie.

  “Okay, Mrs Goh,” said Cammy.

  Then, thankfully, the bell rang, signalling the end of English period. At least their secret was still safe, thought Ellie!

  She couldn’t wait for school to be over, so that she and Cammy could go look for the kitten!

  chapter 4

  The last period of the day was PE. Ellie loved PE, because she got to run around and play games. More importantly, PE meant one less period of sitting in class doing worksheets.

  Today’s PE lesson was especially fun, as they each got a hula hoop. They had to roll it from one end of the hall to the other. Ellie and Cammy found this easy. Megan, however, was having a great deal of trouble. Her hula hoop refused to roll smoothly and kept falling over with a loud clatter.