Strange Happenings

Bored Tom At the age of twelve, Thomas Osborn Pitz­hughbetter known as Tomhad few interests, ­little desire, and almost no energy. This was so despite a familymother, father, older brother, and sisterthat loved him. As for school, his teachers treated him fairly; he did what he was supposed to do and received passable grades. But if you were to ask Tom what the future held for him, he would have replied that, other than getting older, and hopefully taller, he expected no change. In short, Thomas Osborn Pitzhughbetter known as Tomfound lifeboring. One day Tom was sitting on the front steps of his city house doing what he usually did: nothing. As he sat there a short-haired, black-and-gray cat with gray eyes approached and sat down in front of him. For a while the twoboy and catstared at each other. The cat spoke first. "What's happening?" he asked. "Not much," Tom replied. "Doing anything?" the cat asked. "Nope." "Just hanging out?" "I guess." "That something you do often?" "Yeah." "How come?" the cat inquired. "I'm bored." The cat considered this remark and then said, "You look like my kind of friend. How about adopting me?" "Why should I?" "Got anything better to do?" "I don't know." "Well then?"tyle="mso-tab-count: 1" Tom asked, "What's your name?" "Charley." "Okay." It was not long before Charley the cat became part of Tom's household. So familiar did he become that when Tom went to sleep, Charley slept next to his head on an extra pillow. For a brief time, Tomhaving a new friendwas almost not bored. After a while, however, his life settled back into its old, boring routine. "Hey, man," Tom said to Charley one afternoon two months after the cat had moved in. "It's not fair! You get to sleep all day, but I have to go to school." Disgusted, he flung his schoolbooks onto his bed. It was the statement more than thethumpof books that awoke Charley from a sound nap. He studied Tom, and then stretched his back to curve like a McDonald's arch. "I am a cat," he said. "You are a boy. Some would say you had it better." Tom sighed. "If you had to go to school every day like I do, you wouldn't say that." "Don't you like school?" Charley asked. "Oh, I like it all right," Tom replied. "The kids are okay. The teachers are all right. Once in a while it almost gets interesting. Mostly, though, it's just boring. I'd rather do nothing. Like you." "What about after school?" "Boring,Avi is the author of 'Strange Happenings', published 2008 under ISBN 9780152064617 and ISBN 0152064613.