Kezia was frightened. She had climbed the highest tree, the highest branch of the tree, and now, at the very end of the branch, she was swaying in the wind, and trying her hardest to cling on.
‘Help me. Help me’ she called pitifully. ‘I can’t get down.’
‘Oh! Kezia’ Rhoda shouted back as she looked up at her sister who seemed to be so many miles away. ‘Can’t you move just a little at a time?’
‘No!’ Kezia whimpered, her tears now rolling down on to her quivering whiskers. ‘I’ll fall off if I move’ and she clung on all the harder, shivering with fright.
Rhoda ran back and forth on the grass at the foot of the tree, not knowing what to do.
‘Tell Mum’ pleaded Kezia as the branch was again caught by the wind.
‘Of course!’ Rhoda replied as she tried to calm down, and she ran off as fast as she could.
‘Mum, Mum, come quickly. Kezia can’t get down.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Mum as Rhoda burst through the door. ‘Where is she?’
‘Miles up in a tree’ wept Rhoda. ‘And she is so scared.’
‘Show me quickly’ and Mum swiftly followed a speeding Rhoda. Panting a little, Mum reached the sycamore tree and looked to where Rhoda was pointing. She drew in her breath when she saw Kezia, knowing the slender branch wouldn’t hold both of them.
‘Try to hold on a little longer, dig your claws in tightly’ she called. ‘I’m going for help.’
‘Please hurry’ Kezia whispered. ‘I’m going to fall.’
‘Of course you aren’t’ Mum assured her with more firmness than she really felt.
‘Stay here with Kezia’ Mum then said as she turned to Rhoda. ‘And keep talking telling her she will be fine’ then she ran back to the house leaving them alone.
‘You’ll be fine, Kezia’ Rhoda called, bravely trying to swallow the lump iu her throat. ‘You will, really.’
Kezia seemed as if she was frozen to the branch, too scared now to even look down.
Their friends then arrived, scampering up to the tree, worried expressions on their faces.
‘We saw your Mum’ they said to Rhoda. ‘She is ever so worried. Where is Kezia?’
‘There!’ pointed Rhoda.
Four pairs of eyes rounded in amazement as they saw their friend swaying on the thin branch.
Meanwhile, Mum was doing her best to get the attention of the group of men who were on the point of climbing to the upper room.
‘Whatever is the matter with the cat today?’ asked Peter as Mum meowed and stood on her hind legs, placing her front paws on his robe.
She then ran to the door, and called again. 'It's Kezia, it's Kezia!'
‘She wants us to follow’ Thomas said. ‘It’s just what my dog does’ and he chuckled.
‘Yes, the kitten must be in trouble' agreed John. 'We’ll all go.' They were in a cheerful mood, and within moments were looking up into the tree.
‘Six kittens! Is that what you want us to see?’ Andrew asked.
‘No! it’s the tiny kitten on that branch on the right’ observed James who had been looking intently at all the branches.
‘I’ll get the ladders’ said Peter, and Kezia actually purred when she felt his strong hands lifting her to safety.
Down all the kittens scrambled, and the disciples were soon surrounded by purring, tumbling, happy kittens. The men laughed, and sat down teasing the kittens with the long grasses.
IT WAS THEN they heard the exciting news!
‘Jesus IS alive’ said Peter turning to where Thomas was sitting. ‘Why wont you believe we have seen Him?’
‘Seen Jesus?’ whispered the kittens excitedly.
‘I told you’ said Mum. ‘When Jesus was crucified I told you then not to cry because He would come alive again.’
The kittens remembered, and were about to chat and jump about with joy when Mum said ‘Shush! Be still. Listen to what the disciples are saying.’
‘Just look at us! We have lost our fear of the Jewish leaders, and what they could do to us’ Peter was saying.
‘Yes, we are different men now’ agreed James.
But Thomas was stubborn. ‘I’ve told you, I’ll believe when I see the nail prints in His hands, and actually touch them and see His side.’
The kittens squirmed with delight. ‘We believe’ they shouted. ‘We Believe’ and even Mum joined in!
Then they could sit still no longer. They jumped up and danced about squealing ‘Jesus is Alive. Jesus is Alive.’
Only Thomas remained unconvinced.
‘You’ll believe when you see Him’ John said gently, and Thomas smiled. ‘Yes, I shall’ he agreed. ‘When I see Him.’
‘And I’ll be there too’ Kezia said to herself. ‘Yes, I’ll be there.’
Elizabeth Aynsley ©