The first time she saw the kittens Alice was with her grandma . She might have known it was going to be a special day,because more often than not,when grandma came over to look after her,something unexpected happened…
Alice lived on one side of the park and grandma live on the other. Alice could see the park gates and the bus stop from her bedroom window. Most days after school and in the holidays ,grandma got on the bus at her house and opened her book,and exactly two chapters later ,got of at the bus stop outside Alice's flat. She always came with delicious snacks, and an interesting plan.
When Alice heard the bus ,she flung open her window,leaned out and waved at grandma.
"what are we doing today?"she called down
"Lets go exploring!"said grandma .
"wait there ,I'm coming down!" they went across the road and in through the park gates
It was Alice who saw it first a rusty gate in the old wall,half hidden in tangled ivy. They had to lift the heavy creepers to push it open. They stepped into a jungle of overgrown bushes. It was the end of summer the flowers had finished blooming,and there was a carpet of old rose petals scattered on the ground. There air was sweetly perfumed. "goodness," said grandma "its an old rose garden".
Tangled weeds choked the ancient ,knotty bushes. Tufts of lavender struggled up towards the light. The grass almost came up to Alice's waist. An old bench leans against crumbling red brick.
"look it once was a walled garden "said grandma.
"it looks as so no one has been here for a long time "whispered Alice."It's a secret garden!"
A flash of grey caught Alice's eye . Over by the wall a little cat was crouched underneath the twisty roses. She was studying them,her yellow eyes unblinking .
"she's so beautiful…"said alice with a pang. She wanted a cat all her life but they weren't aloud pets in the flat
"hello,girl"she called out to the cat."come and say hello?"but the cat turned around and disappeared into the ivy.
"I think this is Gypsy the park cat. She never goes hungry because she belongs to everyone who lives on the roads of the park."
They poked around in the overgrown flower beds. Grandma was moving the weeds aside with her stick and finding little treasures like a row of tiny wild strawberries under the roses and saying things like"old fashioned tea roses -I haven't seen those since I was a little girl "and "look at that! A rare china rose
SNEEK PEEK