Lance and the Black Cat That Just Wouldn’t Listen


One day, Lance was on his way to school. He was very late, but he didn’t feel like hurrying. He knew what was going to happen when he got there -- he’d enter the classroom, the teacher would stop teaching, and all the children would stare at him, giggling. Then he’d certainly get a lecture. More than anything else, Lance hated getting lectures.

As he entered the school parking lot, Lance desperately wished that he could just turn around and go back home. But he couldn’t do that. Lance knew that it was wrong to skip school.

He was just about to head inside when he heard something -- a friendly meow coming from the woods. Then a black cat rushed out, startling him. Before Lance could take another step, the cat was wrapped around his leg, purring. Lance was very amused, but he didn’t have time to play. He pushed the animal away and entered the school building, squeezing through the front door to keep the cat from following him.

To Lance’s surprise, the cat was still there when he left that afternoon. It seemed to be waiting for him. Then it followed him home. On the way, Lance decided to keep the black cat. This made him very excited. He’d never had a pet before.

Sadly, Lance’s mother was allergic. She refused to let the cat in the house. Lance’s sister, Mallory, didn’t like the black cat either. As soon as she saw it, she called it "creepy," and it scratched her.

Lance realized that, if he wanted to keep the cat, he’d have to keep it a secret. He pulled a cardboard box out of the trash, dragged it into the woods and filled it with newspaper. Then he put the cat inside. Immediately, it curled up and fell asleep. Beside the cardboard box, Lance left a bowl of birch beer in case the cat woke up thirsty.

For a while, Lance was very happy with this arrangement. He visited the cat every day and played with it, talked to it as if it were another person. Lance realized that the cat wasn’t only his pet, it was his best friend, his only friend.

Then something strange started happening. People in the neighborhood began to complain of robberies. Mrs. Brickhouse had lost a pearl necklace. Lance’s mother claimed that money kept disappearing from her purse. Lance was not really concerned until, one day, when he was visiting the black cat, he noticed a twenty dollar bill lying in the folds of the newspaper. Curious, he picked the cat up and looked underneath it: Strewn about the cardboard box were earrings, broaches, necklaces, bracelets and money -- lots of money!

Lance couldn’t believe his eyes. He gazed upon the cat as it rubbed up against him. It seemed so innocent! How could it possibly be a criminal? Pushing its face into the pile of stolen goods, Lance sternly said, "No!" Then, feeling guilty, he gave the black cat a big hug and went home. He hoped his admonishment would work.

But the next day, when Lance returned, he saw that his pet had been very busy. More cash, more valuables -- and the cat just lying there, purring away. Growing worried, Lance began lecturing the cat, trying to reason with it.

"Why?" he asked the cat. "Why do you steal?"

"Because money is soft to lie on, and jewelry is nice to lick," the cat replied calmly. Then it went back to purring.

Lance decided that there was only one thing to do -- sneak into every house in the neighborhood, and give back what the black cat had stolen. With his mind made up, Lance filled his pockets with valuables. Then he went off to do his duty.

Unfortunately, little Annie Brickhouse spotted Lance that night, crawling though her living room, clutching her mother’s expensive pearl necklace. Of course, she told everyone: her parents, Lance’s mother, the police. Soon, they were all convinced that Lance was the thief they had been searching for.

Lance tried to defend himself, insisting that the real thief was the black cat he had found. No one believed a word of it, not even Lance’s mother. Deciding to teach her son a lesson, she sent Lance away to reform school. Lance was miserable! To him, reform school was the saddest, dullest place imaginable. No TV! No birch beer! Just bread, water and big empty rooms with nothing but blackboards to write on. And all day long, Lance was forced to write, STEALING IS BAD! STEALING IS BAD!

Eventually, Lance was allowed to leave. He couldn’t wait to get home. He felt so lonely. He even looked forward to going to school again. Anything, anything but reform school! But as soon as he entered his neighborhood, he realized that his ordeal wasn’t over. No one would talk to him. No one would even look at him. To them, he was nothing but a thief, and that’s all he’d ever be!

Depressed, Lance arrived home. He was just about to go inside to hide in his room, when he heard a familiar sound -- the black cat meowing! Lance looked up, saw it staring at him from the woods. Lance couldn’t help smiling. After all, the cat was his best friend, and it seemed very happy to see him. It meowed again, beckoning Lance into the woods. Lance followed.

The cat led him to its cardboard box, and jumped in while Lance stood there, gaping. The box was overflowing with money and jewelry -- more than Lance had ever seen! Stunned, Lance muttered, "Stealing is bad. Stealing is bad!" But the black cat just wouldn’t listen! Sprawled out shamelessly, completely content, it kept purring.

Lance felt so weary, so confused. Unable to stop himself, he sunk to the ground, then crawled into the box beside his pet. He realized that, once again, he’d have to try and return everything. It would be difficult and certainly wouldn’t help his reputation, but Lance knew that it was the only thing to do.

Right now, though, Lance didn’t have the energy. Stretching out, he decided that the black cat was right. Money was incredibly soft to lie on! Then, Lance opened his mouth for a huge yawn and the tip of a necklace fell in. It tasted cold, slightly sweet.

For once, Lance felt truly peaceful. The sound of purring filled his ears. He even wondered if it was coming from him. Lying there, Lance became more and more drowsy, until finally, sucking on pearls, snuggled up in a cardboard box full of money, beside a thieving black cat, Lance closed his tired eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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