Chris Riddell

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat

Ottoline lived on the twenty-fourth floor of the Pepperpot Building. It was called the P.W. Huffledink Tower but it looked just like a pepper pot so everyone called it the Pepperpot Building.
  She lived in Apartment 243 with Mr. Munroe, who was small and hairy and didn't like the rain or having his hair brushed.
  Ottoline, on the other hand, loved all kinds of weather, particularly rain, because she liked splashing in puddles. She also liked brushing Mr. Munroe's hair. She found it very relaxing, and it helped her to think, especially if there was a tricky problem to solve or a clever plan to work out.
  Ottoline liked solving tricky problems and working out clever plans even more than she liked splashing in puddles. She kept her eyes and ears open in case she came across anything unusual or interesting. So did Mr. Munroe.
  Ottoline's parents travelled the world collecting interesting things. Apartment 243 was full of the things that they collected.
  Her parents had promised that one day, when she was older, Ottoline could join them on their travels, but until then she was to stay at home and look after their collections. Ottoline didn't mind too much because she had Mr. Munroe for company.

***

One day, while out for an afternoon stroll, Mr. Munroe noticed a poster stuck to a lamp post outside Gruberman's Korean Theatre. He carefully peeled it off and folded it up. Then he put it under his arm, as, being small and hairy, Mr. Munroe didn't have any pockets. He took it home with him.
  Later that afternoon, Ottoline was dusting the four-spouted teapot collection when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Mr. Munroe. He showed her the poster from the lamp post outside Gruberman's Korean Theatre.

LOST
A Penangese lapdog.
Answers to the name:
RUPERT POM-POM FLUFFY TAIL
Much missed by his loving owner.
LARGE REWARD
Contact: Mrs. Loretta Lloyd, Apartment 11112,
The Pointy Tower, 3rd Street, Big City

'How interesting,' Ottoline said. 'You are clever, Mr. Munroe!'
  Mr. Munroe went to his room. It was very untidy. In the bog in Norway Mr. Munroe hadn't had to keep his room tidy because he didn't have one. All he had was a small hole in the ground with a puddle at the bottom of it.
  When Mr. Munroe came back, Ottoline was reorganizing her Odd Shoe collection. Ottoline had two collections that were all her own. One was her Odd Shoe collection, of which she was very proud. Whenever Ottoline bought a pair of shoes, she would wear one of them and put the other in her collection.
  Mr. Munroe showed Ottoline the posters he'd collected from lamp posts all over town. Each poster was of a different missing lapdog.
  Ottoline looked at them for a long time. 'I don't suppose . . .' she said, 'you'd let me brush your hair?'
  While she brushed Mr. Munroe's hair Ottoline looked more closely at the posters. They were all extremely interesting, and Ottoline was beginning to think of a rather clever plan . . .

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat © Chris Riddell, Published by MacMillan.