An Apple, a Cat and a Wish: A story to lift spirits, ignite imaginations and to help children on their way

By Emma Barrett Say

'Have you added to your inner happiness honey pot today?'

A story of imagination, magic and self-discovery, An Apple, a Cat and a Wish

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Barrett Say
• Release date: Jul 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781802275643

Book preview

Chapter 1

THE GIRL

‘Where do you find a witch these days?’

My memories stir; something is tugging at the edge of my thinking, trying to reach through the fog of time . . . 

My mother’s soft voice, gentle gaze, hand resting on mine. I can hear her sigh, see the smile playing on her lips, and a distant memory begins to lift to the surface.

‘Where do you find a witch these days?’

It is suddenly more urgent now, and my attention swings to the cat which has appeared in front of me. He is cross and flicking his tail as he sits tall and proud, surveying me with disdain. His stare is so intense, and I realise he is expecting an answer.

I . . . I . . . don’t know, I stutter out loud, embarrassed and perplexed by my involuntary reaction, yet I know he is definitely talking to me and demanding a response.

I am curled up on the window seat in my bedroom, my favourite book balanced on my knees, bedroom curtains dancing in the warm summer breeze. I’ve been here for most of the afternoon, lost in the story I’m reading and doodling silly poems and sketches on a notepad.

I’ve never had a cat talk to me before. Of course, I don’t mean that he’s actually speaking, but he’s definitely communicating with his eyes and body. Thump thump thump goes his tail on the wooden chest of drawers. How do I know he’s asking that question? His yellow eyes never leave mine, and he seems to be considering my words.

Black as night from the tips of his ears to just before his four dainty white paws, he is a striking cat and really very attractive. Yet, in contrast to his good looks, he is an aloof, superior creature, always appearing to look down his nose at me and never letting me get too close to him. He was already here when we moved in, suddenly arriving through a window one morning and ever since, coming and going as he pleases. My dad thinks it’s perfectly charming: a cat that comes with our new house, but I feel differently. I know there is something troubling about this mysterious black and white cat.

He turns his head sharply. Something has caught his eye in the garden, and he stares transfixed for a moment, gazing down towards the bottom of the lawn where the old, gnarled apple tree rests. His eyes swing back to mine.

‘I shall return!’ he seems to say, and with that, he leaps past me through the open window and is gone, lost amongst the dark undergrowth.

My eyes wander past where he disappeared and soak up the summer flowers, the lushness of the trees and grass. I sigh and close my eyes, absorbing the warmth of the sun’s rays and inhaling the floral scents of the garden.

‘Where do you find a witch these days?’

That question, again, dances around the corners of my thinking. Again, I am struck by the memory of my mother, her smiling face, her love of fairy tales and all things