A gentle Halloween bedtime story

The Night a Very Big Cat Moved In

A very big cat has moved into Theo's room. Snowy would like a word.

Theo's bedroom in warm lamplight. A white fluffy cat costume lies draped over a wooden chair, its hood with two soft cat ears hanging over the back and its long fluffy tail curling down to the floor. A friendly painted cat mask with big blue eyes and a small smile rests on the seat. A pair of blue-and-white stripy socks lies on the floor, a small smiling pumpkin lantern glows softly in the corner, and Snowy, a small white cat with a blue-grey scarf, sits on the rug looking up at the costume.

Theo stands on the rug in his bedroom in a white fluffy cat costume: a hood with two soft cat ears, a long fluffy tail, and a friendly painted cat mask with big blue eyes and a small smile. His blue-and-white stripy socks peek out at his feet.

On the night before the Halloween party, a very big cat moved into Theo's room.

It was white and fluffy, with soft ears and a long, swishy tail.

It was wearing Theo's stripy socks.

(Between us: it was Theo.)

The kitchen in daylight. Theo sits at the table with a paintbrush, and the finished mask lies on newspaper among the paint pots: a white cat face with big blue eyes, a pink nose, whiskers and a smile. His mum, in a beige jacket, holds up the fluffy white tail she has made, and a small smiling pumpkin sits at the end of the table.

Earlier that afternoon, Theo and his mum made a cat costume for the school Halloween party.

He wanted to look just like his cat, Snowy.

Then he painted the mask, all by himself.

Two big round eyes, as blue as Snowy's.

Mum cut a tiny hole in each one, so he could see out.

Night in Theo's bedroom. Theo, in blue pyjamas, lies in bed with his head on the pillow, and Snowy sits on the quilt near the foot of the bed. They are both in the middle of a slow, sleepy blink.

Every night, Snowy sleeps at the foot of Theo's bed, by the window.

And every night, before they go to sleep, they do one small thing.

Theo blinks at Snowy, slowly, three times.

And Snowy blinks back.

Theo, in the cat costume and mask, sits on the bed by his pillow with his arms flung wide. At the end of the bed Snowy steps down off the edge, looking our way, not impressed at all.

Tonight, Theo wanted to show Snowy his costume.

He sat down in his spot on the bed.

"Snowy, look!" said Theo. "We match!"

Snowy looked at the big cat for a long, long time.

Then she went under the bed. Not even a meow.

Seen from behind, Theo in the cat costume kneels by the bed, dangling a little grey toy mouse on a string by the gap underneath. Under the bed only the softly glowing tip of Snowy's tail shows.

Theo called her name. Snowy stayed under the bed.

He wiggled her toy mouse. Snowy stayed under the bed.

Theo's tail drooped. It was a costume tail, but it drooped anyway.

"Ten minutes till lights out, Theo!" called Mum, from downstairs.

Snowy had never once missed a night on his bed.

A tall oval of soft golden light stands in the middle of the bedroom rug, and Miri and Ori have just stepped out of it. Theo, in the cat costume and mask, holds his Glowtone in both hands, a smooth stone glowing gold and lilac. The toy mouse lies on the floor by the bed.

Theo needed help. So he found his Glowtone and held it tight.

It glowed, and far away in Kittelfdora, the same light came on.

A tall door of soft gold light opened on the rug.

Out stepped his friends, Miri and Ori.

"Theo?" said Ori. "You look just like a cat! A really big one!"

Miri stands looking at the empty foot of the bed, Theo in the cat costume points at the gap under the bed, and Ori drops to his knees, eager to look. The toy mouse lies on the rug.

Miri looked at the foot of the bed. Snowy's spot was empty.

"Where's Snowy?" Miri said.

"Under the bed," said Theo, from inside the mask. "She won't come out."

Miri and Ori can talk with every animal, because they're Elfcats.

"I'll ask her!" said Ori.

Down at floor level, Ori lies flat on the rug with his ear by the gap under the bed. Under the bed, lit by the soft glow of her own tail, Snowy sits neatly with her ears up, looking a little wary and a little unimpressed.

Down went Ori, flat on the rug, with one ear by the gap under the bed.

"Snowy?" he said. "What's the matter?"

Under the bed, Snowy's tail glowed like a night light. She gave a long, grumbly meow.

"She says a very big cat has moved in," said Ori, with a serious face.

"She's a bit scared of it."

Theo, in the cat costume, bows his head to look down at his blue-and-white stripy socks, the mask pointing at his feet. Ori lies on the rug beside him, looking up. The toy mouse lies near the bed.

Snowy grumbled something else.

"She says it's wearing Theo's socks," said Ori.

Theo looked down at his feet. They were Theo's socks.

"And it sat in Theo's spot," said Ori. "She'd like to know where Theo has gone."

Close at floor level, seen over Theo's shoulder: Theo in the cat costume kneels right by the bed with his masked face at the gap. Ori lies flat beside him with a straight face, and just under the edge of the bed Snowy sits in the glow of her tail, not convinced.

Theo knelt right down by the bed.

"Snowy, it's me," he said. "It's Theo."

Under the bed, Snowy gave one short meow.

"She says the big cat is doing Theo's voice," said Ori.

"She doesn't believe it for one second."

Theo has crawled head first under the bed. His head and shoulders are out of sight, but his bottom, his legs and his stripy socks stick out, and his big fluffy costume tail stands straight up against the side of the bed. Ori holds his cheeks in surprise and Miri leans in to help. The toy mouse lies on the rug.

So Theo went in after her.

His head went under the bed. His shoulders went under the bed.

His big fluffy tail did not.

Theo was stuck, by his very own tail. Not hurt, just stuck.

(Between us: that tail was never going to fit.)

Theo sits on the rug just out from under the bed, the painted mask a little crooked on his face and the costume tail flopped beside him. Ori lies on his tummy by the gap under the bed, and Miri sits beside them, turning to Ori. The toy mouse lies on the rug.

Miri took one foot and Ori took the other, and they pulled, gently.

Out came Theo's shoulders, then his head, with the mask a little crooked.

Miri sat down on the rug and stayed very still.

"Ori," she said, "ask her why she won't come out."

Theo sits on the rug with his hands resting on his knees. The mask's painted face still smiles, but his shoulders droop sadly. Miri sits beside him, looking at him kindly. Behind them Ori lies at the gap with a hand cupped round his ear, and under the bed Snowy sits in the glow of her tail. The toy mouse lies on the rug.

Snowy grumbled something long. Then something longer.

"She says it stares and stares and never blinks," said Ori. "Not even once."

"She says that's very rude."

Theo went quiet.

Inside the big cat, he felt sad.

Close on Theo's own face, pink and a little squashed, with the costume hood still on his head. He has taken the mask off and holds it so that only its plain cardboard back shows. Miri and Ori watch softly in the background.

Theo touched the big blue eyes he'd painted all afternoon.

Snowy couldn't see his real eyes behind them. Painted eyes can't blink.

(Do you remember what Theo and Snowy do every night?)

Theo remembered. Slowly, he took off the mask.

There was his own face again, a bit pink and a bit squashed.

Low on the floor, behind Theo's stripy socks: Theo lies on his tummy with his chin on the rug and his nose at the gap under the bed, which glows softly. Ori lies further along with his ear at the gap, Miri sits very still behind them, and the mask lies face down on the rug. The toy mouse lies on the floor nearby.

Under the bed, Snowy made a small, puzzled sound.

"She's not sure," whispered Ori.

Theo didn't say a word.

He lay down on his tummy, chin on the rug, nose by the gap.

Very close at floor level: Theo's own face rests on the rug at the gap under the bed, his eyes half closed in a slow blink. Just inside the gap Snowy looks back at him, lit by the soft glow of her tail.

Then Theo looked in at Snowy, and he blinked.

Slowly. Once. Twice. Three times.

Just like every night.

Snowy has come out from under the bed and touches her nose to Theo's nose. Her eyes are soft and her tail glows gently behind her, and Theo, lying on his tummy, smiles with his eyes shut.

And under the bed, two big blue eyes closed slowly, and opened again.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Then Snowy walked out from under the bed.

She came right up to Theo and touched her nose to his.

Seen from above: Theo lies on his back on the round rug in the cat costume, laughing with his eyes shut, with Snowy curled up purring on his tummy. Ori lies beside them, smiling at Snowy, and Miri lies on the other side, smiling too. The toy mouse sits at the edge of the rug.

Snowy sniffed the socks for a long time.

Theo rolled over, and she climbed onto the big cat's tummy.

She turned round three times, lay down, and purred.

"She says the big cat can stay," said Ori.

"Just as long as Theo is inside it."

The golden oval of light stands open on the rug again. Miri is stepping into its soft light, waving goodbye, and Ori waves from its edge, while Theo, sitting on the rug in the cat costume with Snowy curled up asleep in his lap, waves back with one fluffy sleeve. The toy mouse lies on the floor by the bed.

"Two minutes till lights out!" called Mum.

"Time for us to go, so you can sleep," Miri whispered.

Ori gave the big fluffy tail one last pat.

"Goodnight, Snowy," said Ori. "Goodnight, Theo. Goodnight, tail."

The gold light opened on the rug again, and they stepped into it and went home.

Moonlight fills the room and the lights are off. Theo, in pyjamas, is tucked up in bed and Snowy is curled on the quilt, the two of them in the middle of a slow, sleepy blink. On the wooden chair the costume lies folded, with the mask face down on top.

Theo folded up the costume and put it on the chair.

He laid the mask face down, so its eyes could have a rest.

Then he turned off the light and blinked at Snowy, slowly, three times.

Snowy blinked back.

And they fell asleep, Theo in his spot and Snowy in hers.

The costume is folded on the chair now. The mask is face down, resting its eyes for the Halloween party.

If you wore a very big cat costume, would your teddy still know it was you?

Can you do three slow blinks, just like Theo and Snowy? Once. Twice. Three times.

For grown-ups