“I hope so too.” Stephanie studied the other girl curiously. Her hair was even curlier than her own and she was wearing shabby clothing, much like the street children she had given coins to when she lived in London. The girl also had a nice smile. Perhaps they would become friends. They already had one thing in common … they both liked cats. “I think we need to catch them to make sure they’re okay.”

Stephanie knelt down next to her, placing her basket on the sand. The rock formation reached all the way up to the ground overhead, forming the base of a small cliff. “I think a mother cat had her kittens here and they grew up among the rocks. The one I saw was small. Maybe their mother went to find food for them. They sound hungry to me.”

She blushed at Mable’s compliment. “Thank you. I’m Stephanie.”

Springing to her feet, she stepped up on a rock and placed her hand in the crevice. “It disappeared through here. Maybe it’s still in there. There’s definitely more than one. There’s no telling where they all are.”

Reaching deep into the cleft, Stephanie explored it with her hand as it was too narrow to see much. Just as she touched something soft and furry, she heard a hiss and felt pain explode through one of her fingers. “Ouch! It scratched me!” Pulling her hand back, she looked at the blood trickling from the wound. “They’re mean little things. They probably never saw a human before.”