Trouble's Garden

By Robert Reynolds

TROUBLE'S GARDEN is a heartwarming tale of a cat lost, then found by a caring family. April, the family's young daughter takes a special liking to the old cat and they become inseparable. Throughout this family-friendly story April's mother tends to her splendid flower garden, a spot in which Trouble has taken as her own. The affection between the cat and her humans grows as summer flowers blossom in beautiful hues. TROUBLE'S GARDEN is a poignant tale of a special bond between the gentle animal and young child, leaving the reader both happy and sad as April learns to cope with unexpected surprises.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781329884151

Robert Reynolds

Based in Calgary, Robert is an emerging author who spends his days working in the oil and gas industry but has been a big fan of the spy thriller genre ever since his childhood when he read one of his grandfather's original James Bond paperbacks from the late 50's. He is married with a young daughter and when he's not day dreaming about dangerous adventures in exotic locales he enjoys running and other outdoor pursuits.

Book preview

Trouble's Garden

TROUBLE’S  GARDEN

Robert Reynolds

Copyright 2016

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and events are totally the imagination of the author.  Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events or locales, are purely fictitious. 

Table of Contents

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the wonderful pets that have passed through our lives and to all the people who realize how important these creatures are.

Prologue

She had lived a relaxed and comfortable life, sunning her lazy, furry self on toasty windowsills, or curling soundly asleep in front of the flickering embers of a cozy fireplace.  She napped with her humans when she chose to and slept alone during her private times, having many favorite places where she could sneak off to be alone.  At other times she would sit primly in a ray of sunshine primping and cleaning, licking her paw and washing lightly across her gentle face.   She was well taken care of but not overly pampered--and she did not expect it.  The family’s new puppy received most of their attention.   It yapped persistently, bounded about wildly and constantly wagged its tail in a most annoying way.  To make matters worse, it slurped at her with its slippery wet tongue and pursued her through the house with wild abandon.  For a lady of such genteel manners, the exasperating pup was a nuisance and it displayed far more energy than she wished to expend.  She had become dignified in her advancing age and preferred a more sedate life.  Now, she did not garner nearly as much attention as the noisy pup.  She could hear it now, somewhere in another part

of the house.

Yip!  Yip!  Yip!

Shush now! someone commanded.

Yip!  Yip!

If that unruly pup were the worst she had to put up with in that home, she would find a way to ignore it.  She had many hiding places where she could be alone.    With a bound, she leapt onto the wide, sunny windowsill above the tub, made a complete circle to find just the right spot in her soft basket, then curled into a ball and went to sleep—a furry lady of notable elegance and grace. 

But a time came when something curious happened.  There were boxes on the floor and closets being emptied, every room was in disarray and her secret places torn apart.  Her people hurried this way and that, ordering her to scat when she got under foot.  The spirited, yapping pup made her nervous.  She darted this way and that and it seemed as if each place where she took shelter someone would soon disrupt it.  At last, with tiny heart pounding, she broke for outdoors, darting into a hiding place and cowered within the thick green shrubs that graced the outer walls. In all the commotion, no one had seen her go. 

She crouched hidden for a very long time hearing the hyper little animal’s muffled yapping and the sounds of boxes being shuffled about.  Some time later, a big truck came and strange men hauled out boxes one after another.  The burly men had strange voices and strange faces.  They spoke roughly and one of them rudely shouted, scat! when she had ventured out to investigate, so she scampered back into the safety of the bushes. 

Soon, the unfamiliar humans began lugging containers and boxes from with the house and tossed them noisily onto the big van.  The goings on in her quiet home had become a cacophony of turmoil and disorder and now, even outside, it had become frightening.  She grew hungry, but with all the commotion going on, she would not venture back inside.  Big feet tromped in and out.  

No one came for her and no one called, so after a while she wandered off to look for a meal.  She had not been loose in the neighborhood for many years and she wandered about inspecting garbage cans and back porches.  Food was sparse. 

Have you seen the cat?

Cat?  That’s the last thing we need now.  We need to pack and be on our way.  She’ll show up.

The afternoon became dark and at last a distant voice called, but it was faraway.  The cat heard it and bounded toward home.  Up ahead, headlights came on and she heard the ugly rumble of a truck motor, then saw it pull away.  She ducked into the neighbor’s shrubs, crouching low and out of sight as the big van rumbled past. Then the car of her humans rolled from the driveway and drove off, its red taillights disappearing into the night.  A tedious yapping faded away. 

She crouched there for a long time then crept back home.  There were no lights and no sounds.  Someone had placed her food bowl outside the front door, but another animal had gotten too it first and now only a few morsels were left.  Whatever creature had been to her bowl had left barely enough for her to get more than a nibble.  It was probably that pesky orange tabby next door.

She nibbled up the last remaining pellets then padded around the house examining the doors and windows.  All was quiet and dark.  After awhile she found a corner to curl into for the night.  She dozed for a while then awoke and went to prowl until daybreak.  She stayed close to home throughout the day, straying only to search for food, and at last finding some chicken bones in a neighbor’s trash.  Her humans had not returned home and by the third-day, she set out on her own.

PART ONE

Chapter 1

There arrived a