Um, it was a bit longer that I aimed for. Also, I’m not sure how to do a mystery story. I tried. If it doesn’t meet the requirements, oh well. I had fun writing this story :)
It was morning and Kitty decided that she wanted a snack. She leapt down from her perch by the window sill and trotted over to the kitchen. Kitty leaped onto the countertop and went straight for the largest cupboard. She nudged it open with her nose and hopped inside. She carefully made her way deeper and deeper inside the cupboard. She ignored the canned pumpkin and cereal, dismissed the crackers and unopened jars of jam, and gave only the seaweed and cans of sardine a momentary sniff. There was only one thing that Kitty was interested in: the jelly beans. But, alas, the jar of jelly beans was missing! It had always been tucked away in the back of the largest cupboard. Kitty jumped back to the counter top, looking around frantically. She used her nose to track the different scents in the other various cupboards: Raisins, hot cocoa, sugar, oatmeal. Baking powder, black beans, rice, flour. It was not there. Kitty called an urgent meeting in the living room with the other cats of the House. The only one not sitting in the circle formation that they used for meetings was Mother-cat. She was due to give birth within a week and spent most of her days on the softest cushion by the warmest window. Mother-cat was there now, observing the meeting with mild interest. "The jar of jelly beans is missing! It was there yesterday." Kitty said. "All of you know that it is my favorite treat. Now, who took it?" One by one, the cats denied ever being close to the cupboard where the jelly beans were housed. Sniffer denied ever being in the kitchen for the past two days. Whiskers stated that she did not eat sweets. Fluffy said that asparagus was the only thing she ate for a snack, and that was kept in the fridge. Kitty sensed that they were all telling the truth. She sighed and dismissed the cats. Her tail drooped as she slowly padded her way out of the living room. "Wait a moment." Mother-cat meowed at her softly. Kitty turned around dejectedly. "Yes?" "If I’m not mistaken, I saw the jar of jelly beans being put in the garbage can outside by the Humans earlier today—" Kitty did not wait a moment longer. She thanked Mother-cat and immediately ran through the cat-flap installed on the patio door and raced outside. With the help of some cats, she knocked over the blue bin and peered inside. There it was: the jar of jelly beans! But, what was that? The jar was empty! "Nooooooo!" Kitty meowed mournfully. It was over. She would never ever again eat another jelly bean. "Kitty!" Kitty turned around. It was Mother-cat again. What was she doing off of her cushion, let alone outside?! Mother-cat walked steadily toward her, holding a small pouch in her mouth. She dropped it when she was near Kitty. About twenty or so brightly colored jelly beans spilled onto the ground. "Mother-cat! You should be resting inside! And where did you find these?" Kitty cried. "It's alright." Mother-cat replied. "I need my daily exercise and Vitamin D. Anyways, I got the feeling that the Humans were going to throw out the jelly beans soon. They’ve been in there for over a year! I sent Lily-cat this morning to retrieve as many of the jelly beans she could save. I hid them under my cushion." "Thank you so, so, so much! At least I still have a few more jelly beans to enjoy before they completely run out!" Kitty meowed gratefully and then led Mother-cat back inside onto her cushion. Two weeks passed. Mother-cat gave birth to nine healthy kittens. They were such small little things! The other cats watched them from afar, completely fascinated. Did they themselves once look like that? Kitty had tried to make the jelly beans last, but it was no use. She just couldn’t resist! But today, as her ears caught the sound of the Car returning back and the Humans bringing the groceries in, her nose caught the scent of something sweet... She nosed her way through the plastic bags until she found the one that she was looking for. Inside: A new jar of jelly beans! Now Kitty will have another year of jelly beans to enjoy!
