Olivia and Grace looked at each other. “Cuddle brought us here …” Olivia began.
“… she’ll show us the way out,” Grace finished.
The black-and-white kitten raced back through the pyramid. Cleo followed her, the toy in her mouth, with the girls behind.
As Cuddle sprinted past, each of the torches on the walls magically relit, lighting their way.
They crawled out through the secret passageway, tumbling over each other on to the sand.
Somewhere on the other side of the pyramid, the air rang with the sounds of cheering and clapping.
“What’s happening?” Grace wondered, climbing to her feet.
“The celebration is about to start,” Beset said. “We must hurry!” She led the girls round the pyramid.
A parade of people were dancing across the sand, their white robes and jewelled necklaces shimmering in the sun. They were heading towards the purple and blue tents.
The girls hurried to the front of the parade. Four attendants were carrying an enormous cushion, as blue as Cleo’s eyes. Beset placed Cleo in the middle of it, and the crowd cheered. The little black kitten rolled around, batting the toy with her paws.
Olivia and Grace joined the dancing crowd, laughing as they took it in turns to twirl Cuddle around.
Beset and Cleo led the parade into the largest tent. The tent was filled with tables laden with fruit and sugared pastries, and in the centre was a beautiful golden throne.
A man was sitting on it, wearing a tall red-and-white crown.
“He must be the Pharaoh,” whispered Grace, hugging Cuddle to her.
Beset placed Cleo at the Pharaoh’s feet. The kitten rubbed against his jewelled sandals, and Beset bowed low to the ground. Grace and Olivia did the same. Cuddle sprang from Grace’s arms. She jumped on to the arm of the golden throne and seemed to bow to the Pharaoh too.
Olivia held her breath. Would the Pharaoh be cross?
But he smiled and stroked Cuddle all the way from her nose to the curly tip of her tail. “Cats are very special,” he said. “Some might say magical. Thank you for returning Cleo to me.”
When the girls bowed again, Cuddle leapt down from the throne, pushing through the crowd.
“Goodbye, Pharaoh! Goodbye, Beset!” the girls called, following Cuddle out of the tent and back into the heat of the desert.
Olivia gazed around at the vast sandy landscape.
She suddenly missed Catterton’s neat rows of houses and leafy gardens filled with flowers.
“We found Cleo, but now we’re the ones who are lost,” she said. “How will we ever find our way home?”
As if answering, the little kitten rubbed against the girls’ legs, weaving round their feet in looping figures of eight.
Her purr grew louder, and the sand, the pyramid, the sphinx and the parade became a whirl of colour.
“Cuddle’s taking us home,” Grace called. The girls held hands tightly and closed their eyes as ancient Egypt melted away …
When Olivia opened her eyes, they were back in Grace’s garden. The apple tree, the cardboard boxes, the sandpit – everything seemed exactly the same.
Grace scratched her head. “What just happened? Did Cuddle really take us to ancient Egypt?”
“I think so,” Olivia said, “but now I can’t see her anywhere.”
The girls spun round. Cuddle was walking along the top of the fence that separated their two gardens. She flicked her crooked tail and lifted her little black paw in what looked like a wave.
Then, in a haze of sparkles, she disappeared.
“Goodbye, Cuddle!” Grace said. “Do you think we’ll see her again?”
“I hope so,” Olivia replied with a smile. “Maybe she’ll take us on another adventure.”
“You know,” Grace said, her eyes shining, “I think I’m going to love living here.”
