Lis could hardly pick up Heather, the girls’ cat, for she had become feisty and round. Destiny could still hold Heather, but Mother discouraged both girls from over-much handling of the cat.

“Enough!” scolded Mom. “It’s about time for bed .. for each of us.” The two girls knew, when their Mother sounded the bell, they must listen.

A half-hour later Mom tucked them both in, but Destiny had yet to brush her teeth so she — with Mom’s OK — trudged off to the bathroom.

On the way back to the bedroom Destiny thought she heard a cat cry. As she passed the broom closet, there it was again, so she opened the closet door and turned on the light.

“Meuw! Meuw,” she heard it cry, but the voice was softer and higher in pitch than Heather’s. 

The closet light fell upon Heather and, next to her, rolled seven little furballs, no two of whom were just alike.

Destiny’s Mom suddenly appeared in the doorway, saying, “¡Whoosh! Off to bed we go! ¡_Now!_ You will see Heather and her family in the morning.”

The sun was up before Destiny got out of bed. Heather was up, too, feeding her babies. Destiny’s and Lis’s Mom was at the breakfast table, with instructions for both girls.

“You must be careful with Heather and her babies. You see, she’s a Mom just like me. If you handle her kittens overly long or if you get too rough, Heather will take them away and they will be hard to find.

“We will find new homes, with our family and friends, for all but one of two of them.”

So Destiny and Lis each heeded Mom’s insistent word, together with her promise:

“As the kittens grow we will find new homes for them with our family and friends. Maybe we will keep one or two, for they may help to teach you to care for one another.”

….And so it went.

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