Cat Out of the Bag
by
Owlcroft
Lydia was met at the door that afternoon by her step-mother, who was wearing a distressed expression, wringing her hands and dithering. "I'm so glad you're finally home," Delia exclaimed. "I have . . . there's something . . . Percy's up a tree!" she finally blurted.
"What? Up a tree? But he's not allowed outside! It's too dangerous!" Lydia threw her books onto the kitchen table and looked out the back door. "Which tree? How high? How did he get out?" she said anxiously.
"I was sweeping and the door was open and he must have gotten curious." Upset and apologetic, Delia waved a hand toward the backyard. "I think he might have seen a bird and run out after it because I saw one fly away just as he ran past me out the door. He wouldn't come back when I called, and I even left a bowl of tuna out for him, but he just ignored it and ran up a tree when I tried to catch him." She sniffed dolefully. "Lydia, I'm so sorry. We'll get him down. You try calling him and if that doesn't work, I'll call the fire department."
Lydia turned to go back out the door, whispering her friend's name and adding 'Mr. Beetleman' at the end.
Within seconds, Beetlejuice, in his persona of a handyman, appeared as though he'd trod up the porch steps. "Hey, can I help you folks?" He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "I was just driving by and saw the cat and figured I'd better ask about it." He shrugged. "Got a ladder long enough if Lyds . . . I mean, Lydia could help me coax the little critter a bit."
Lydia, grateful for his quickness and for having spotted Percy, said hurriedly, "Oh, yes, please, Mr. Beetleman. Mother, I'm sure the two of us can handle it from here. Don't you think you ought to take it easy now?"
"You're right, Lydia dear." Delia put the back of her hand to her forehead and headed toward her studio saying, "This is just too much stress. I need to hammer something."
ooooo
Lydia, arms crossed, stared up at the frightened cat in the pine tree. "You're just not able to climb back down, are you? Can you get him, BJ? He must be twenty feet up." She glanced at Beetlejuice then back up at Percy, crouched trembling on the tree limb.
"Me? You think he'd trust me?" The ghost cocked his head at her, frowning. "Besides, I don't even know how to pick the thing up."
"Well," she said doubtfully, "If you can juice up a ladder, I guess I'll try to climb up there."
"Babes, are you kidding?" Beetlejuice stared at her in disbelief. "With your fear of heights and me standing right here?"
"But if you think he won't . . . oh." She looked at him with a smile. "You mean you'd carry me up there?"
"Sure. Piece of cake. Here," he moved behind her and carefully wrapped his arms around her middle. "You just relax and get ready to grab the cat, okay?" He adjusted his arms slightly then asked, "Not too tight?"
"Nope," she said, patting his arms gently. "Just right. Let's go."
He lifted her up slowly and she marvelled, "It's really not that bad being up this high, BJ. Not when you're holding me like this."
Once they were level with the tree branch, Percy mewed and came eagerly into her extended arms and Beetlejuice lowered them both cautiously to the ground.
"You are such a bad boy, Percy," Lydia scolded. "Remember what happened when you went to the Neitherworld?"
'Mr. Beetleman' would have sworn the feline shuddered.
"Well, you learned something today, didn't you." Lydia carried her cat toward the house. "Don't run outside." She shot a look at the soi disant handyman accompanying her. "And you learned that you can always depend on Beetlejuice to help."
ooooo
After demolishing his bowl of tuna, Percy wanted to do nothing more than rest in Lydia's lap. She took him up to her room, where Beetlejuice was waiting for her and settled onto her bedside. "I still don't think I've thanked you enough, Beej. And you know, we didn't think of it at the time – I guess I was too upset – but you could have just used your juice to fly me up there."
He shrugged. "I did think of that. But I thought you'd feel safer, more secure if I . . . you know, held you." He looked at his boots then frowned momentarily and looked back up at her. "You did, didn't you?"
"Oh, yes. I felt very safe with you holding me." She peeked at him sideways for just an instant, then continued. "You know I always feel safe with you."
Percy's purring gradually faded as he fell asleep, but Lydia continued to pet him as he drifted off.
"Stupid cat," Beetlejuice looked at him with scorn. "Not to come when you called. I always come when you Call," he said with a self-satisfied smile, then added, "and I always will." Then he thought about what he'd said and sent a quick glance her way to see if she'd read more into it than he'd meant. Then he wondered if he had in fact meant more and frowned in puzzlement.
Lydia smiled to herself and said, "Yes, you do. And it means so much to me." Then, to avoid his usual bashfulness in moments of emotion, she continued, looking down at her cat, "It was quite a day, wasn't it?"
Beetlejuice, unsure if she was addressing him or Percy, remained silent, his eyes fixed on her.
"But you know how much I appreciate your help. I was so worried about Percy, and when you love something, or someone, it just takes you over. You think about them all the time and worry about them so much and try so hard to keep them safe and happy. But I suppose you," she smiled at him over her shoulder, "probably don't understand mushy things like that."
The frown turned to a moue of exaggerated distaste and he snorted. "Yeah, sappy, mushy stuff like that." Then he turned away and scuffed the floor and muttered under his breath, "Although . . ."