Reckonings Read Online Free

Tim replied. If he still had a human face, he’d be frowning with disappointment. Molly was breaking serious rules by sneaking out. Who was she breaking them to see, if not him? What was she doing?
    He dropped back down to the ground.
    You have a lot to learn about landing . You call that a leap?
    â€œCan you be quiet? I’m trying to decide what to do.”
    We have our nap and snack now. That’s what we do . The cat’s nose lifted into the air. I smell hamburger over there.
    â€œTry sniffing around for Molly instead of food,” Tim said.
    I’m not a dog. I don’t track . Besides —the cat lowered its face to the pavement— there is no Molly smell here .
    â€œHow am I going to find her? She could be anywhere.”
    We don’t have to stay in the rain. The cat body bounded under a parked car. This is better.
    â€œWe’re not going to find her under here,” Tim protested. “We can’t see anything but puddles!”
    But we’re dry.
    â€œWhat we need is one of those newscaster helicopters, like they have on telly. We could get a view of the whole city and find her that way.”
    There’s mud on my paws. I don’t like dirt.
    Tim felt suddenly inspired. “Be quiet,” he ordered his cat self, as he formulated a plan. He crawled out from under the car. “I need to concentrate.”
    Don’t tell me to—
    â€œI mean it! Unless you want to wind up with wings on your tail!”
    What?
    Tim could sense the cat’s utter astonishment, and took advantage of its momentary speechlessness. He sent a shiver of energy through his body, letting it settle along his spine. He visualized a pair of wings sprouting from his back. “Wings,” he murmured. “I want wings.”
    He heard himself let out a wild, loud yowl, and poof! The next thing he knew, he was sporting a pair of strong wings.
    He glanced around to peer at them. “Wow. I’m getting pretty good at this stuff,” he commented.
    Those are rodent wings , Cat-Tim complained.
    â€œI guess so,” Tim said. “Bat wings just kind of popped into my head.”
    How dare you put rodent wings on me! The cat wriggled its body, as if it could shake the wings off. All its fur puffed up in fury.
    â€œWould you rather have bird wings?” Tim demanded. “They’d never hold us up. These babies will give us the bird’s-eye view we need.” He gave the wings a flap. They made a satisfying whoosh sound.
    â€œOkay, prepare for liftoff.” He took a deep breath. “Airplanes zoom along the runway to get enough speed to take off. I’ll try the same technique.”
    I can’t talk you out of this?
    â€œNope.” Tim looked up and down the empty street. The weather and time of night made it deserted: no pedestrians, no cars.
    â€œWe are cleared for takeoff. Ready…” Tim hunkered down, preparing to spring. “Set…” He wiggled his cat backside. “Go!” He leaped into action, racing down the center of the street. Midway up the block he began flapping his wings. He felt himself lifting off the ground. He flapped harder. Harder. Within moments, Tim was flying over the city.
    â€œWhoo-hoo!” He gazed down at the amazing sight of the rain-soaked buildings, streets, and lights below him. “I’m a boy, a cat, and a bat all rolled into one. Talk about a split personality!”
    Not in my wildest dreams—or nightmares… the cat-voice sputtered, unable to complete the thought.
    Tim understood how the cat part of him felt. The magic of it all was nearly overwhelming. It was amazing and totally bizarre—and scary and exciting all at once. He flapped harder, and began his search for Molly.
    Â 
    A boy named Daniel, wearing the garb and the grime of a Victorian chimney sweep, sat on a London rooftop, not caring that it was raining. The gloom matched his mood perfectly.
    â€œOh, Marya,” he