Molly was a fluffy grey cat. She liked to lap up sweet cream for breakfast. When Molly was ready to rest, she would curl up on Mrs. Marks’ lap. Sometimes this made Mrs. Marks say "tsk tsk" when Molly got tangled in her knitting.
Molly was very happy. While Mrs. Marks was at work during the day, Molly liked to sit in the window. She liked when things were very quiet.
One rainy day, Mrs. Marks came home early. She was holding a box. "Molly," said Mrs. Marks, "I have a surprise for you!"
Molly jumped down from the window and rubbed her nose against Mrs. Marks' leg to say hello.
Mrs. Marks put down the box. Molly was a curious cat. She poked her nose inside the box to sniff.
Suddenly, Molly's nose was being licked!
Molly jumped back. She did not like surprises. She also did not like being wet.
Mrs. Marks lifted a small brown puppy out of the box. She placed the puppy on the floor. "This is Buster," said Mrs. Marks.
Buster wagged his tail so much that his whole body wiggled.
Molly stepped back and blinked. The fur on her back stood up.
"Now, Molly," said Mrs. Marks. "You be nice. Buster is your new friend."
Molly ran and hid under the bed. She did not want a new friend if it meant being licked.
Later that night, Molly heard a soft whining sound. She crawled out from under the bed and walked toward it.
Buster was sitting on the floor. He looked very sad.
"What's wrong?" asked Molly.
"I miss my mother," said Buster. He was crying.
"I am sorry," said Molly. She remembered when she was a kitten and left her mother to live with Mrs. Marks. She stepped closer to Buster. "It will be all right. Mrs. Marks makes a very good mother. She will feed you and play with you tomorrow."
"But I feel lonely right now," said Buster.
Molly thought. "I will sleep next to you tonight," she said. "But you have to promise not to lick me."
"Those are kisses," said Buster. "But if you don't like them, I will stop."
"Good," said Molly. She curled up next to Buster. Soon he was asleep.
Molly was very comfortable. "I like having a new friend after all," she thought.
And she fell fast asleep.
