Scramble's Summer Vacation

                                  Scrambles’ Summer Vacation
                                        By Nicole Borocci


    Scrambles weaved in and out of flip flops that scurried across the tile floor, with long, worn out blankets and pillow cases dragging behind them, releasing small white feathers from them every now and then. Scrambles sneezed as one gently rested on his whiskers. Suddenly, a sharp pain poked through Scrambles' tail, ran through his body, making his fur stand straight up and ragged. He let out a scowl.
    "Meowwww!"
Mom looked down at her pink high heel that had just pierced through the tip of Scrambles' tail.
    "Watch out Scrambles," Mom said as she continued through the kitchen out into the garage, toting a suitcase at her side.
    Scrambles retreated underneath the microwave stand and watched the commotion that filled his normally quiet and peaceful weekend habitat. It all started around 6 o'clock in the morning when Dad rudely awakened Scrambles from his cat nap. No one ever woke up on Saturdays that early. He didn't even refresh Scrambles' water bowl or refill his tuna dish. Scrambles scratched the back of his head with his hind leg.
    "What is going on?" He thought.
    Johnny peeked his head underneath the microwave and reached out for Scrambles. He turned away.
    "Mom, Scrambles won't say goodbye," Johnny whined.
    "Sorry, Johnny, there's no time to get him out now, we have to leave, let's go! And make sure Scrambles doesn't get out," Mom snapped.
Scrambles' ears perked.
    "Goodbye? What does that mean?" He poked his head out from below, just as Johnny raced out the door.                              
    Scrambles ran after him. Johnny's blanket got stuck in the door. Scrambles dug his claws into it, but seconds later, it was pulled away. The side door slammed shut. Once filled with hustle and bustle, the busy kitchen now looked blank. Scrambles was all alone.   
    Scrambles sniffed around the house. His food dish was filled, and water bowl overflowing. Everything seemed in order. So, with nothing to worry about, Scrambles curled up for a nap on the sundeck, where the late-morning rays had shone through.   
    A few hours later, the sun was nearly setting. Scrambles let out a lazy yawn and gave his paws a stretch. He strolled into the kitchen for a snack. Scrambles was surprised to find no one had filled up his bowl any more than before he sat down for his nap.
    "No one is home yet? That can't be right!" Scrambles climbed up the steps into Mom and Dad's bedroom. No one there. Johnny's room was empty as well. Scrambles started to get worried. He bolted down to the basement. Not one person in the playroom, either!
    "What if I run out of food? What will I eat if they don't come back? How will I survive?"
    Scrambles stumbled up the steps, down in the dumps. The loneliness settled in quickly. Until, he noticed a brown speck race across the kitchen floor. Scrambles' tail shot into the air. His head down low, Scrambles targeted his prey and sprang on it like a sprinter at the start of a race. He trapped a rubbery, thin piece of flesh in between his paw and the floor. It was the tail of a mouse.
    "Please let me go, I won't steal your food!" the tiny mouse pleaded.
    "Oh, then why, may I ask, did you leave your hole?"
    "Johnny always has a cheese snack in the den on Friday nights and never cleans up his crumbs! I usually wait until I'm sure no one's down there to collect them."
    Scrambles, hungry for company, let the mouse's tail go free.
    "Well, take your time. No one is here. They've been gone for nearly an entire day. I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever come back."
    The mouse scampered away from Scrambles and then turned back.
    "Of course they're coming back! They leave this time every year for vacation!"
    "Vacation?" Scrambles asked.
    "Yeah, it's when people spend time in other people's homes and visit different places for fun."
    "Well why didn't they take me? How long will they be gone? What will I do until they return?" Scrambles asked, wide-eyed.
    "Watch what you eat, leave yourself enough food for the next few days. Before you know it, they'll be back," the mouse said as he nibbled on a crumb. He darted back into his hole.
    Scrambles trudged up the steps and buried his head into the pile of blankets left in a heap on Johnny's bed. He spent the next few days batting around his favorite toys and chewing on some catnip. It had been nearly one week since Scrambles last saw his owners. He was bored, anxious and hungry, VERY hungry.
Just then, Scrambles heard a rumble next to the house.
    "The garage door!" he said and scampered towards the door.
    Johnny raced in the door and ran for Scrambles. Scrambles wanted to jump into his tiny arms, but then he stopped dead in his tracks.
    "Wait a minute. These people left me alone, for days, without enough food! And I'm going to cuddle up to them? I don't think so!"
    Scrambles dodged Johnny's advances and snuck out through the crack in the side door.
    "Scrambles, wait!" Johnny yelled.
    Scrambles stopped, turned, glared into Johnny's eyes and let out a hiss.
    "HISSSSS!"
    "Mommy, Scrambles got out!"
    But Johnny's warning came too late. Mom had her hands filled with bags and suitcases as she spotted a cloud of gray and white fly by. Scrambles raced through the garage and out into the wild. He was gone.
    Once they got all their vacation bags inside, Scrambles' family scoured the neighborhood for him. Scrambles had never been outside before. They were very worried.
    Meanwhile, Scrambles explored the railroad tracks on the edge of town. He chased after butterflies, rolled around in some rocky dirt and chased after a bunny.
    "Now this is the life," Scrambles thought to himself.
The afternoon turned into dusk, and soon it was dark. Mom and Dad made Johnny go to bed. But he could barely sleep, thinking about Scrambles.
    It started to rain outside. Scrambles looked for some shelter, but there was no where to go. He curled up under a small oak tree, but rain drops slipped through the leaves and pelted Scrambles on the head. His fur was damp; then it was all wet. Scrambles looked around. He couldn't see another animal in sight. He was all alone, again. And he was hungry, VERY hungry.
    "I'd be off in dreamland with Johnny right now if I were home," Scrambles thought.
    He felt a slight pain in his chest. Yes, it was his heart that hurt. He missed his family.
    The rain started to clear and Scrambles put his nose to the ground. He retraced his steps back to the garage where he made his daring escape. Scrambles arrived just as Dad was picking up the morning paper.
    "Meow," Scrambles said hello.
    "Well, I know someone who will be happy to see you," Dad said, and he held the door wide open. "He's still sleeping, go on up."
    Scrambles had never seen a horse in person before, but he imagined it would gallop as fast as he pitter-pattered up the steps into Johnny's bedroom.
He pounced onto the bed, warm and soft and worn-in from hours of Johnny's sleep.
    "It's ok, I forgive you for leaving," Scrambles purred.
    Johnny sensed the movement on his bed. He opened his eyes and smiled as he looked down upon his furry best friend.
    "It's ok, I forgive you for leaving," Johnny said.
    There's no place like home, and no one like family.

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