Ernest Elf (2)
The ambulance roared into view and whisked Old Jim Young off. Little Laura Long actually had the nerve to try and persuade the ambulance drivers to get her cat down from the tree. They recommended calling the fire brigade, then they drove off. Of course she didn´t bother calling them. Ernest was about to call them for her when he saw her attempt to climb up the tree. He decided to put a stop to this tomfoolery. He ran out and told Laura that he thought he had seen smoke coming out of her kitchen window. As she dashed inside, he simply blinked twice and the cat was in his arms. He ran in after her and handed the bamboozled cat to the bewildered woman.
She slapped him across the face. “That´s for telling lies and frightening the heart out of me,” she shrieked. “Don´t mention it,” replied Ernest. Then she slapped him again, “…and that´s for watching everything from the window and not helping me sooner.”
With this slap his wig fell onto the cat who got such a fright he ran out the door and back up the tree. Little Laura Long saw Ernest´s pointy ears and scrumped up her eyes. She peered at him but said nothing more. Her little head was doing some mean calculating. Ernest almost saw the numbers flying out of her head. He muttered some embarrassed excuses and ran out across the road to his own place, holding the wig in place. He slammed the door. He felt safer. He lifted the peephole.
“Thank you for helping me,” came the squeaky voice of Little Laura Long. She was looking in the peephole at him which is impossible to do. “I´ve got some cookies for you. Why don´t you let me in and we´ll put the kettle on.”
He ignored her completely. “Oh no,” he sighed, “She knows.”