Chapter 14

“I DON’T WANT TO COUNT THAT HIGH”

Stick Cat was exhausted. And he decided to admit it to Edith right away.

“Edith,” he said. “I don’t think I can play StareDown or play with Goose’s socks right now. I’m really tired.”

Edith nodded in understanding, and Stick Cat was thankful for that.

“I’m kind of tired too,” she said. “I’m not too tired to sing you that victory song though. Do you still want me to do that?”

She began to hum a little as a warm-up. At least, Stick Cat thought she was humming. She might have had something stuck in her throat. He couldn’t quite tell.

“No, that’s okay,” Stick Cat said as fast and politely as he could.

“All right,” Edith said. She stopped humming and shrugged. She didn’t seem to mind. After helping Stick Cat push the window back down so that it was open just a few inches, she added, “Besides, there are still some breakfast dishes in the sink back at my place. And I’m pretty hungry.”

“Great,” Stick Cat said. He was already curling up on the inside windowsill—his favorite spot. Now that he knew Mr. Music was safe and Edith was going home, sleepiness came on fast. He would close the bathroom cabinet door and clean up from their treasure hunt after a quick snooze. “See you tomorrow then. Thanks for all your help rescuing Mr. Music.”

“No problem at all,” answered Edith. She stopped halfway across the living room and looked back over her shoulder at Stick Cat. There was a genuine sense of accomplishment on her face. “Next time there’s an emergency, just let me know, and I’ll sit down and save the day.”

Stick Cat smiled and closed his eyes.

Do you know how you fall asleep really quickly and deeply after a day in which you’ve accomplished something important and satisfying? Maybe you finished a big chore at home—like cleaning out the whole garage or something. Maybe you got a good grade on a test at school.

Well, that’s what happened to Stick Cat.

The fact that he had helped rescue Mr. Music made him feel so proud—and so sleepy. Complete contentment washed over his whole body as he settled into his most comfortable and cozy sleeping position on the windowsill.

He didn’t fall asleep though.

Do you know why?

It’s because Edith called to him from the bathroom.

“Stick Cat!” she yelled. “I’m stuck again!”

He hopped down from his favorite perch and started across the living room.

Edith wanted to make sure she heard him. “Stick Cat! Stick Cat!!”

“I’m coming,” he called when he was almost to the bathroom. He had heard her just fine—even though her head was through the hole and in her own apartment now.

When he got to the bathroom, he peeked into the cabinet under the sink and saw only Edith’s tail end.

“Stick Cat!”

“I’m right here,” he said upon entering the cabinet.

“Oh, I couldn’t tell. I can’t see behind me,” Edith explained. “Someone has been making the hole smaller again.”

“I see that.”

“I’m really wedged in here,” Edith grunted. “We’re going to have to get me unstuck again.”

Stick Cat smiled. “I don’t mean to be repetitive,” he said. “But by ‘we,’ you mean ‘me,’ right?”

Edith said nothing for almost a full minute. And Stick Cat decided to wait until she spoke.

Finally, she responded.

“Look, Stick Cat. This big-boned butt of mine just saved Mr. Music by sitting down on exactly the right spot and hitting exactly the right buttons on his phone. So don’t you give me any grief.”

“Okay, okay,” Stick Cat said, and smiled.

“Just give me a good push,” requested Edith. “I should pop through if you’re strong enough.”

Stick Cat thought about this for a few seconds. After this consideration, he said, “So, if you don’t pop through, it’s because I’m not strong enough? It’s not for any other reason?”

“What exactly are you saying?!” Edith said immediately. “What are you implying?”

“Nothing, nothing,” said Stick Cat. He pointed his left shoulder and braced himself to push against Edith. “You count to three and then I’ll start pushing, okay?”

“No, not okay!”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to count so high, that’s why!”

“You don’t want to count as high as three? Really!?”

“Just start shoving, okay? Forget the whole counting thing. Just start shoving.”

And that’s exactly what Stick Cat did.

He pushed his left shoulder into Edith’s hind quarters. After a few seconds, she popped through the hole and was released into her own bathroom cabinet—and her own apartment. She peeked back through the hole at Stick Cat. She looked a little guilty for some reason.

“Thanks,” Edith said. “Maybe I’ll scratch at the hole tomorrow and make it a little bigger.”

“I’ll help you,” replied Stick Cat.

And with that, Stick Cat closed the cabinet door in the bathroom and headed back to his favorite sleeping spot.