Thank you to Phish Tacko for all of her help with this!
Ch. 35
Mort, Maryanne and eventually Heather searched the entire house, inside and out. No one could find Buster. So, they'd taken to the woods, each carrying a container of kitty treats hoping that the sound of the can shaking would lure him in.
Mort had walked several miles that afternoon, quite a feat considering the fact that he had Anakin strapped to his back.
As each hour passed with no sign of the cat, Mort became more panicky. Buster was pretty much his best friend.
Mort finally returned back to the house with no news. Heather saw him outside and came over.
"Any luck?"
"No… You?"
"No. Maryanne's searching the attic now, though."
Mort nodded and sniffled. He couldn't bear the thought of never finding Buster.
Noticing that her son looked like he was about to cry, Heather pulled him into a hug.
"Hey. We'll find him. At the very least, he'll come back when he's hungry," Ahe tried to reassure him.
"What if something got to him?" Mort asked, sniffling again. He felt embarrassed crying like he was, but he couldn't help it.
"Nothing got to him. Here, let me take Anakin, you go help Maryanne upstairs."
Mort wiped his eyes and handed Anakin over, then made his way to the attic.
00
"Mort?" Maryanne asked, softly. She had heard footsteps on the stairs. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," Mort replied.
"Good. I found him. Keep your voice down," She whispered.
Mort felt an instant sense of relief.
"You can see him?"
"Yeah." She pulled Mort closer to her and shined a flashlight up into a crawlspace. Two eyes stared down at her.
"That little bastard."
"One of us needs to get up there to get him down." She looked at Mort, trying to determine if he could make it. It would be too small of an area for him, though.
"Maybe I ought to go. I can squeeze in there if you lift me up."
Mort looked up at the crawlspace again.
"Alright."
He bent down on one knee and linked his hands together, providing a place for Maryanne to place her foot.
"Hold onto my shoulders," Mort instructed.
Maryanne did as she was told and Mort slowly lifted her up. When she was up high enough, she reached up into the entrance of the crawlspace and pulled herself in. It was a very small area, maybe 4' by 4' at most. She could see Buster clearly. He was sitting in a corner, staring at her.
"Come here, kitty," She called out.
Nothing.
"Come on, Buster, let's go," She tried again.
The cat didn't move.
"Wait, try this," Mort said. He handed her the can of cat treats that he'd been carrying around. "Shake it."
Maryanne took the can and shook it, and sure enough, Buster got up.
"Wow. Would you look at that…" She trailed off. She opened the can and place a treat in her hand. Buster came right over and ate it. She did it one more time and just as he finished swallowing it, she grabbed him.
Quickly, she held the cat out beneath the crawlspace for Mort to take. Thankfully for both of them, Buster didn't seem to be in much of a fighting mood. He allowed himself to be handed off without scratching anyone.
Having his cat safely back in his arms, Mort breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness he's safe," Mort said, letting Buster down on the ground. "You're a hero!" He turned back to face Maryanne, who was still up in the space.
"Thanks! But, uh, can you help me down? It's kinda gross up here. Lots of cobwebs."
"Oh, yeah, sure." Mort held out his arms and Maryanne jumped down, landing on top of him and sending them both falling to the floor.