chapter 1

monday, april 15th, 1989

It was a cold day in spring. I had my vest on and a big breeze of wind filled my shirt.

I was in Washington Square Park and suddenly I felt something soft and small. I looked down and saw it was a kitten.

I looked to see if it had a collar but found nothing so I picked it up and went home. While I brought her home I thought about if I wanted a kitten or not. And then I remembered that I had wanted a cat long ago — well not that long ago — but still. I got home and I had made my decision: I would have a kitten. My mom was very happy that I brought home this kitten. I had been thinking about the name with my mom. The ones that I liked the most were Jill, Luna, Elise, Ester and Elliott. I picked Elliott.

I personally don’t like my name, which is Ellen, after my grandma. I wanted her name to be the best to make up for my name. I went out to the pet store and got some cat food and cat toys for Elliott. When I got home it was about 6:30 and my mom and dad were setting the table.

My mom said, ”You should really grow your hair out longer.”

I said, ”You know I like my hair short so I don’t need to put in all those clips.”

Elliott had black and brown hair and white boots. (I especially liked the cat fur boots). I tried to pet them but she ran away. I tied a string into a ball and then I found some wood and left some sting over so I could fling it. That got Elliott moving — my plan had worked!