The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories by Rob Keeley Page B

Jack bellowed. “You’ve broken it!”
    â€œOh, I want to go!” Sam howled.
    â€œWell, that’s it!” Jack yelled. “That’s our light gone!”
    â€œOh, I’m getting out of here!” The tent rocked as Elliott tried again to find the way out.
    â€œWait!” Sam cried. “I’ve just remembered something…before we came out…Mum gave me another torch!”
    â€œWhat?” Jack cried.
    â€œFor emergencies!” Sam remembered. “The little torch of Dad’s!”
    â€œWell, where is it?” Jack asked.
    â€œIn the rucksack!”
    All three of them made a grab for the rucksack.
    The creature in the darkness was hissing again – and as Elliott tried to find the rucksack, it brushed against him once more. He yelped.
    â€œHang on! I’ve found it!” Jack seized the rucksack and rummaged in it frantically. He found sandwich wrappers, apple cores, the wallet that still had the change from his school dinner money in it… “Where is it?”
    â€œIn the front!” Sam shouted. “The front pocket!”
    Jack unzipped it quickly.
    And there was the torch!
    He flicked it on.
    All three of them turned slowly as light filled the tent once more, to see what the creature was.
    As one, the three boys cried out.
    â€œA cat!”
    A black and white cat looked back at them, hissing, tense and obviously just as frightened as they were.
    â€œGo on! Shoo!” Jack could see the tent flap now. It was very slightly open. That was how the cat must have got in. He opened it wide. “Get out!”
    Its escape route open, the cat fled.
    The three boys paused.
    Then they looked at one another.
    Elliott stared at Jack and Sam.
    Then he went bright red.
    â€œWell…” he said defensively. “I didn’t know what it was, did I?”
    â€œNo,” Jack admitted. “Weird, though.”
    He gave a sudden grin, which Sam shared.
    â€œI thought you were the one who was never scared.” Morning came – to the relief of all three of them. And perhaps also, to the relief of the cat.
    Jack, Sam and Elliott sat up dozily, and struggled out of their sleeping bags. They yawned and stretched.
    It was no longer dark, inside or outside the tent. The morning was fine, and brilliant sunshine gleamed its way through the tent flap.
    Elliott was unusually quiet. Jack and Sam felt oddly cheerful.
    â€œSleep well?” Jack asked Sam.
    â€œFine.” Sam smiled happily.
    â€œRight then.” Jack scrambled to his feet. “Let’s go in. Mum said you could stay for breakfast, Ell.”
    Elliott cheered up at the mention of this.
    Contentedly, the three campers stepped out of the tent, crossed Jack and Sam’s garden and headed for the house.