As promised here is the second and final installment of Big Cat on The Loose by Max Elliot Anderson

BIG CAT ON THE LOOSE (Part 2)

by

Max Elliot Anderson

After the boys finished their snack, Owen turned to Terry. “I gotta go out to the barn for a few minutes. You comin’?”

Terry pointed to his chest. “Me?”

“Sure. We’ll be safe.”

Terry shook his head. “I’m feeling pretty safe in here right now.”

“Come on. It’ll only take a minute.”

Terry gulped. “Isn’t that about how long it takes for a lion to eat a kid.”

Owen gave him one of those looks until Terry said, “Don’t start calling me a chicken.”

Owen started flapping his arms and cackling like the biggest laying hen on the farm.

Terry shook his head, thought for a moment, then said, “Oh…all right.”

They hurried to the back door where Owen flipped on a bright floodlight outside. It lit up the whole barnyard so they could see if there was anything out there. He called for Duke and let him in the house.

“What’d you do that for?”

“I don’t want my dog getting hurt.”

“So you think there is a lion.”

Owen didn’t answer. They slipped outside, stood on the back step for an instant, and then ran even faster toward the barn than they did from the bus stop. This time, Terry made it to the barn door first. Both boys tumbled onto the hay inside. Then Owen quickly jumped back up and shut the door. That’s when the boys both heard something so terrifying, they shut their eyes as tight as possible. A low grunting growl came from deeper inside the barn.

Owen opened one eye. In a whisper, almost too low for Terry to hear, he said, “Duke must a got out somehow.” He listened again and said, “Duke. That you boy?” But when he opened both eyes, what he saw nearly knocked him to the floor.

“That’s a lion!” Terry squealed.

Without saying a word, both boys bolted out the door, slamming it behind them. They heard scratches and more growling on the other side. Just as they were about to run to the house, Owen grabbed Terry by the arm and said, “Wait a minute.”

“No, you wait. I’m gettin’ outa here.”

Owen shook his head. “We have to find where he got in first.”

“We do?” Terry whimpered.

Owen pointed. “You go that way, and I’ll go the other. If you find an opening, close it as fast as you can. Then we’ll meet back here at the door.” They hurried off and Owen found an open door at the back of the barn. He slid it closed and raced around to the front where Terry already waited for him.

Without saying a word, the boys sprinted back to the house, went inside, and Owen dialed 911. “We found the lion,” he blurted to the operator. Then he gave her his address.

“Stay where you are,” she warned. “Help is on the way.”

Even though it only took a few minutes, it felt more like hours to Owen as he and Terry kept their eyes fixed on the barn. Duke stayed close beside them. Finally, the entire farmyard lit up with flashing lights as cars raced down the lane. Owen opened the door a small crack as several men jumped out of their cars and vans.

One of them spotted the boys. “”Where is he?” the man asked.

Owen and Terry pointed at the barn. Then they both slipped out onto the back steps where they shook with fear. That’s when a few of the men started laughing. More joined them until it sounded like a roar louder than the lion.

“What’s so funny?” Owen demanded. He saw two other men walking out of the barn with a full-grown male lion on a leash; just like a regular cat.

“I don’t get it,” Terry said.

A police officer walked up to them, folded his arms and said, “Well, it’s like this.” He turned and looked at the big cat. “That’s a lion all right.” He turned back toward the boys as some of the others started laughing again. “He got away from a circus train that had stopped out on the tracks behind your farm. But the thing is,” now he could hardly keep from laughing, “the thing is, he’s got no teeth. If he’d caught one of you, probably the worst that might have happened is he’d kiss you to death.”

As men loaded the lion into a cage, in the back of a van, Owen’s parents hurried over to the boys. “What’s going on? Someone called and told us to get home right away,” his mother cried. “Are you boys alright?”

Owen and Terry looked down at the ground. They could still hear some of the men doing their best not to laugh.

Owen looked up to his parents. “Could we please go inside? Then we can tell you all about it.”

– The End –

What a fun story! So, what did you think of it?

 Thanks, Max, for sharing it with us. And just as a reminder, here’s a bit about Max:

Max Elliot Anderson grew up as a struggling reader.  After surveying the market, he sensed the need for action-adventures and mysteries for readers 8 – 13, especially boys. Using his extensive experience in the production of dramatic motion pictures, videos, and television commercials, Mr. Anderson brings that same visual excitement and heart-pounding action to his stories. Most books have different characters, setting, and plot.

Ten books are published, ten more are under contract, with several additional manuscripts completed. Young readers have reported that reading one of his books is like actually being in an exciting movie.

Books for Boys Blog:  http://booksandboys.blogspot.com

Author Web Site:  http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html

My Youtube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch

 

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!

I have a wonderful guest writer today who’s written a really fun short story for us to read. Part is today and Part 2 will be Wednesday.

Max Elliot Anderson grew up as a struggling reader.  After surveying the market, he sensed the need for action-adventures and mysteries for readers 8 – 13, especially boys. Using his extensive experience in the production of dramatic motion pictures, videos, and television commercials, Mr. Anderson brings that same visual excitement and heart-pounding action to his stories. Most books have different characters, setting, and plot.

Ten books are published, ten more are under contract, with several additional manuscripts completed. Young readers have reported that reading one of his books is like actually being in an exciting movie.

Books for Boys Blog:  http://booksandboys.blogspot.com

Author Web Site:  http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html

My Youtube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch

 

Big Cat On The Loose Part 1)

by

Max Elliot Anderson

Owen Thompson sat at a table in the kitchen, gulping down the last of his crunchy cold cereal. The bus would be here soon to whisk him off to school, but as usual, he was running a little late. Owen had so much on his mind, he barely heard the announcer on the radio when he broke into the program and said, “It’s been reported that a big cat, a lion they think, is loose in the area. We don’t know where it came from or if there really is a lion out there at this point. So be on the lookout just in case. If you see him, be sure to call 911 immediately and report it to the police.” Then the music started up again.

Owen stopped crunching his mouthful of cereal and glanced out the back window. Hummm. Wonder if he’s around here someplace?

Owen lived on a farm with his parents. Right now they both were still upstairs getting ready for work. That’s because, in addition to the farm work, they each had another job in town. Owen’s father sold insurance and his mother worked in the office.

Just then she called down the stairs. “Owen! You ready for school?”

It jolted him back from thinking about a lion in the back yard. “Almost!” he called back to her.

“Better hurry up, the bus will be here any minute.”

He finished the rest of his breakfast, ran to brush his teeth, grabbed his book bag, and skidded to a stop at the front door. Before he could open it, his mother called down again and asked, “Don’t forget your lunch?”

Owen let out a short blast of air through his nose, turned around, and hurried back to the kitchen. Without even stopping, he snatched a paper sack from the counter and raced for the door. That’s when he clearly heard four short blasts from a horn in the distance.

“Are you still down there, Owen?” his mother asked.

As quietly as he could, Owen unlocked the door, turned the handle until it clicked, opened the door, and slipped outside. Without making a sound, he closed it again behind him and darted off the front porch. He hadn’t taken three steps away from his house when he heard a terrifying growl.

Owen stopped as still as a dead man. “It’s the lion,” he whispered.

Again there were four more short horn blasts from the bus.

“Owen!” his mother shouted again from inside the house.

Just then Owen saw something move from the shadows. “Duke!” he said with a heavy sigh. “I’ve never been so happy to see my own dog.”

“Owen!”

He glanced back toward the house and then turned to his dog again. “Gotta go, boy. See you tonight.” He raced to a big, yellow bus that still waited for him in front of the mail box at the end of their dirt lane. The doors opened and Owen burst through.

The driver looked at him with a frown. “One of these days I’m going to have to leave for school without you.”

Owen smiled back. “Don’t say that unless you mean it.” He hurried down the aisle and scooted into a seat beside his best friend Terry Sutton. Terry lived on the next farm west of Owen’s place.

His friend looked down at his watch. “How come you’re always late?”

Owen shrugged. “Did you hear about the lion?”

“What lion?”

“Yeah, what lion?” a boy asked from the seat behind them.

Owen turned back to him. “I heard it on the radio. They said somebody saw a lion on the loose around here.”

A girl in the seat just in front of them covered her eyes and shrieked, “Owen, quit it!”

That caused the bus driver to look up at his mirror and say, “What’s going on back there, Owen?”

Owen slumped down a little deeper in his seat. “Nothing.”  He turned to Terry and whispered, “I heard it on the radio, honest, there’s supposed to be a big one out here someplace.” The news quickly spread through the bus until, the rest of the way to school, all eyes stared out the windows as students searched for the lion.

Today was Friday. Terry’s parents would be going out of town, and he planned to spend the weekend at Owen’s house. Fridays always seemed to drag by for Owen when he was in school. Even though he felt like the day would never end, the final bell sounded. Terry had brought a small bag of his things to school so he could get off the bus at Owen’s stop.

“What about the lion?” he asked, as they stepped off the bus.

“Try to be on time, Monday,” their driver warned as he closed the doors.

Owen and his friend stood at the end of the lane. His parents were never home this early, so he knew that he and Terry were on their own. “We’re gonna have to run for it,” Owen said. He crouched down like a sprinter on the track team at school. Terry did the same. Both boys kicked a toe into the soft dirt so they could get a good, fast start.

“On your mark!” Owen began. Both boys tensed every muscle in their legs, ankles, and feet. “Get set!” But before he could say “go,” Terry took off running at top speed.

“Hey, no fair,” Owen called out to him.

Without even turning around Terry yelled back, “If there really is a lion, he can’t catch both of us!”

“Yeah, but what if you run into him right now?”

Terry slid to a stop in the dirt, whirled around, and in seconds, stood next to Owen again. “Did you have to say that?” he said between his huffing and puffing.

They took their places again as Owen shouted, “Go!” Both boys burst off as if they’d been shot out of a double-barrel shotgun. Neither bothered to look to the left or right as they raced down the lane toward the safety of Owen’s house. He hit the porch first, grabbed a key from under a nearby flower pot and opened the door just as Terry shot through.

It took a few moments for them to catch their breath again. That’s when Terry asked, “Think he’s out there anyplace?”

“The radio said they weren’t even sure if there was a lion. Just some guy said he saw one, that’s all. Besides, my parents will he home soon. We’ll be safe then.”

“Sure wish they’d hurry,” Terry said as he looked out a side window. By now the sun had already set as a bright moon began rising in the early evening sky.

Owen headed for the kitchen. “Let’s get something to eat.” But that’s when he found a note on the counter. He opened it and read, “Owen, you left in such a hurry I couldn’t tell you that Dad and I will have to stay late at the office tonight. I’ve left food for you and Terry. We should be too late. Make sure to do your chores in the barn and we’ll see you around nine. Love, Mom.”

“Great,” Terry groaned. Owen looked at him and noticed the look on his friend’s face matched the knot he felt in his own stomach.

After the boys finished their snack, Owen turned to Terry. “I gotta go out to the barn for a few minutes. You comin’?”

 

That’s it for today. Come back on Wednesday for Part 2.

Thanks Max for sharing this fun story. Can’t wait to see what happens!

 

UNTIL NEXT TIME…GOD BLESS & GOOD READING!