Clover and Stripe

Clover was a small white cat with a green-flecked eye, like a tiny leaf. Stripe was a tall tabby with a long, ringed tail that curved like a question mark. They lived in a bright yellow house with a red door and a sunny step. They were best friends.

“Let’s explore,” Clover said every morning.

“Together,” Stripe said, tapping Clover’s whiskers with his soft paw.

One breezy day, a kite tumbled into their yard. It was shaped like a fish and glittered blue. The string slid over the grass like a snake.

“Chase the fish!” Clover cried.

Stripe laughed. “Gently,” he reminded her.

They pat-pat-padded after the kite, through swishy clover, under the gate, and onto Buttercup Lane. The kite tugged and fluttered and tickled their noses as if it wanted to play tag. It bounced past a garden, past a bakery that smelled like warm buns, and into the park.

Under a bench in the park, they heard a tiny “meep.” A small gray kitten hid there, her ears twitching.

“Hello,” Clover said, crouching low.

“I’m Dot,” the kitten whispered. “I followed a butterfly and now I can’t find my blue door.” Her whiskers trembled. “Everything is too big.”

Stripe sat down so his face was level with Dot’s. “We can help,” he said. “Tell us what you remember.”

Dot’s eyes brightened. “Blue door. A doormat with flowers. A bell that goes jingle-jing when you touch it.”

Clover’s tail swished. “Adventure and a jingle? Let’s go!”

“Side by side,” Stripe said. “Dot in the middle.”

They set off. The kite fish skittered along, its tail catching on a low branch. Clover gently untangled it with careful paws. Stripe pointed with his whiskers toward a little bridge. Below, a ribbon of water sang over pebbles.

Dot peered at the bridge. “It’s wobbly,” she squeaked.

Clover stepped onto the boards. “I’ll go first and show you it’s not scary,” she said, putting her paws down one-two-three. “Listen. It creaks like a sleepy door!”

Stripe walked on the other side of Dot. “I’ll tell a joke,” he said. “What do fish say when they’re excited?”

Dot blinked. “What?”

“Fin-tastic!” Stripe purred. Dot giggled, and the three crossed together.

Beyond the bridge, bright umbrellas filled the market. People chatted. A big brown dog with kind eyes sat by a fruit stall.

“Hello, Bongo,” Stripe said. They had met him before.

“Woof! Hello, Stripe. Hello, Clover,” Bongo rumbled. He sniffed gently. “And who is this?”

“I’m Dot,” Dot said. “I’m finding my blue door.”

Bongo pointed his nose. “Lots of blue doors in the row by the oak tree. The one with a bird feeder sings all day. The one with the flower doormat smells like soap.”

“Thank you,” Clover and Stripe said together.

They padded toward the oak tree. Blue doors stood in a neat line, each with something special. One had a tiny window. One had a shiny knob. One had a doormat covered in painted daisies.

Dot sniffed and wiggled. “That one! Flower mat!” She tapped it with her paw. “Jingle-jing?”

Clover reached up and batted the little bell. Jingle-jing!

The door opened, and a girl with curly hair looked out. “Dot!” she cried, scooping the kitten into her arms. Dot squeaked a happy squeak and nuzzled her chin.

“Thank you, brave helpers,” the girl said. She tied a small blue ribbon around Clover’s neck and a green ribbon around Stripe’s. “For friends,” she said.

Clover puffed up with pride. Stripe’s eyes sparkled. Dot waved her tiny paw from the girl’s shoulder. “Come play again!” she meowed.

On the way home, the kite fish tugged free and zipped toward the sky. Clover leaped and tapped it once, and it soared higher, a bright blue wink against the clouds. Stripe watched it go, then bumped Clover’s shoulder with his.

“We found a new friend because we were curious,” Clover said.

“And we got her home because we were together,” Stripe answered.

They trotted back to the yellow house with the red door and settled on the sunny step. The ribbons fluttered softly in the breeze. Across the lane, a bell went jingle-jing. A small gray face peeped from a window and waved.

Clover purred. Stripe purred. Side by side, tail to tail, they were ready for the next curious day.